[SOLVED] Localized dialog messages despite language being English

UusiKayttaja · 2026-07-28 14:13:54

Using Debian 13, Xfce 4.20.

I changed my system locale from English to Finnish, but I want to keep the system display language as English. However, some system components/dialogs or whatever they're called show some parts of them in Finnish, despite the system language being set as English only. Am I missing something?

Here is an example image:

Image of the dialog.

Here is the output of the command "locale":

LANG=fi_FI.UTF-8
LANGUAGE=en_GB:en
LC_CTYPE="fi_FI.UTF-8"
LC_NUMERIC="fi_FI.UTF-8"
LC_TIME=en_DK.UTF-8
LC_COLLATE="fi_FI.UTF-8"
LC_MONETARY="fi_FI.UTF-8"
LC_MESSAGES=en_GB.UTF-8
LC_PAPER="fi_FI.UTF-8"
LC_NAME="fi_FI.UTF-8"
LC_ADDRESS="fi_FI.UTF-8"
LC_TELEPHONE="fi_FI.UTF-8"
LC_MEASUREMENT="fi_FI.UTF-8"
LC_IDENTIFICATION="fi_FI.UTF-8"
LC_ALL=

Last edited by UusiKayttaja (2026-08-01 18:21:22)

StJimmy · 2026-07-28 17:18:17

Look at LC_MESSAGES and LANGUAGE; they're both set to British English. Try setting

LC_MESSAGES="fi_FI-UTF-8"

and

LANGUAGE="fi_FI:fi:en"

in /etc/locale.conf (if they're even specified there at all, it's been too long since I last used Debian). You may have to restart your session for the changes to be picked up.

I don't know if Debian uses locale.conf this way, or if you'd need to run

dpkg-reconfigure locales

or something like that to change it.

UusiKayttaja · 2026-07-28 18:09:36

To clarify, I want the system display language to be in English (not Finnish), and the other locale settings Finnish (the measurements, currency, etc.). In my opinion I've set them correctly, yet as you can tell from the image, not everything is in English.

daffyduck · 2026-07-28 18:37:25

I just asked an AI. It says:

+--------------+------------------------+---------+--------------------------------------------+
| Variable     | Scope                  | Priority| Key Feature                                |
+--------------+------------------------+---------+--------------------------------------------+
| LANG         | Global Default         | Lowest  | Sets the baseline for all locale categories.|
+--------------+------------------------+---------+--------------------------------------------+
| LC_MESSAGES  | Message Language       | Medium  | Overrides LANG for UI text only.           |
+--------------+------------------------+---------+--------------------------------------------+
| LANGUAGE     | Translation Preference | Highest | Supports a fallback list of languages.     |
+--------------+------------------------+---------+--------------------------------------------+

So, most likely: it is a bug, where some system dialogs are reading "LANG" instead of "LC_MESSAGES". So, try setting "LANG" to English for a quick fix.
And, if you feel like it, report a bug, but I don't actually know which project is responsible for that system dialog.

StJimmy · 2026-07-28 19:26:58

Ah, I misunderstood, sorry. I read it the other way round. LANG should indeed be set to "en_GB.UTF-8" to make all missing strings display in English.

daffyduck · 2026-07-28 19:52:29

StJimmy wrote:

Ah, I misunderstood, sorry. I read it the other way round. LANG should indeed be set to "en_GB.UTF-8" to make all missing strings display in English.

"Should"? As in: by the spec or as a workaround?
- As a workaround: yes
- By the spec: AI said otherwise. It said: LANG is lowest priority, UI messages SHOULD be set by LC_MESSAGES.

UusiKayttaja · 2026-08-01 17:52:10

Setting LANG to English does indeed fix it. An annoying side effect, however, is having to now set every other variable manually, since LANG overrides them by default.

Thanks for the help everyone!

Last edited by UusiKayttaja (2026-08-01 18:15:17)

daffyduck · 2026-08-01 23:47:26

Glad that it works.
Just a minor correction: LANG is not "overriding" other variables. Instead, LANG only applies if "other" variables are not set, therefore the other variables are actually overriding LANG.
More precisely: LANG is the baseline value, and the other variables override LANG.

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#1 2026-07-28 14:13:54

[SOLVED] Localized dialog messages despite language being English

#2 2026-07-28 17:18:17

Re: [SOLVED] Localized dialog messages despite language being English

#3 2026-07-28 18:09:36

Re: [SOLVED] Localized dialog messages despite language being English

#4 2026-07-28 18:37:25

Re: [SOLVED] Localized dialog messages despite language being English

#5 2026-07-28 19:26:58

Re: [SOLVED] Localized dialog messages despite language being English

#6 2026-07-28 19:52:29

Re: [SOLVED] Localized dialog messages despite language being English

#7 2026-08-01 17:52:10

Re: [SOLVED] Localized dialog messages despite language being English

#8 2026-08-01 23:47:26

Re: [SOLVED] Localized dialog messages despite language being English

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