When building a multilingual menu, start with the 2–4 languages your guests speak most, keep local dish names and add a short description instead of translating them, give allergen information in every language and show prices in a currency guests recognise next to your main currency. In a digital menu guests pick their own language, and one QR code is enough.
Which languages should you add?
Rather than adding every language, look at your guest profile. Booking records, card-issuing countries or the hotel's occupancy statistics are a good start. In Turkey's tourist regions English, German and Russian are common; depending on the area, Arabic, Persian, French or Ukrainian may be needed. A few complete translations beat many half-finished ones.
How to translate dish names
- Keep the local name: names such as “İskender”, “Mantı” or “Künefe” are part of the identity. Keep the name and add a short description: “Mantı – small meat dumplings with yoghurt and butter sauce”.
- Describe the contents: main ingredients, cooking method and spiciness matter more to tourists than the name.
- Have machine translations checked: automatic translation is a good draft but often gets food terms wrong. Ask a native speaker to read it if you can.
- Keep it short: long descriptions go unread on a phone; one or two sentences are enough.
- Remember allergens: allergen information must be clear in every language; see allergen information on menus.
Which currency should prices be in?
Entering prices in your main currency and showing guests the euro, dollar or pound equivalent helps them grasp prices quickly. You can manage the rate in two ways:
| Method | When it fits |
|---|---|
| Automatic daily rate | You want the equivalents close to the market |
| Fixed (manual) rate | You accept foreign currency at the till at your own rate and want the menu to match |
State on the menu or at the till that currency equivalents are for information and which currency payment is taken in, to avoid misunderstandings.
Design and usability
- Put the language choice at the top, with language names (English, Deutsch, Русский) rather than flags; flags stand for countries, not languages.
- An untranslated item should never be blank; show it in the default language.
- One QR code should serve every language; separate codes per language clutter the table.
- The menu should remember the guest's language on later visits.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use an automatic translation tool?
For a draft, yes, but dish names and descriptions should be checked by a person. In CG Menu you enter translations yourself in the dashboard.
Do I need separate prices per language?
No. The price is entered once in your main currency; the language does not change it, and the currency choice shows its equivalent.