How to Change the Language for your Oracle Session

In Oracle Database, the NLS_LANGUAGE initialization parameter specifies the default language of the database.

This language is used for messages, day and month names, symbols for AD, BC, a.m., and p.m., and the default sorting mechanism.

The NLS_LANGUAGE parameter also determines the default values of the NLS_DATE_LANGUAGE and NLS_SORT parameters.

This article outlines how to change the value of the NLS_LANGUAGE and NLS_DATE_LANGUAGE parameters.

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TRANSLATE(… USING) Function in Oracle

In Oracle, the TRANSLATE(...USING) function converts its argument into the character set specified for conversions between the database character set and the national character set.

This function is not to be confused with the TRANSLATE() function, which allows you to make several single-character, one-to-one substitutions in one operation.

The TRANSLATE(...USING) function is supported in Oracle primarily for ANSI compatibility. Oracle recommends that we use the TO_CHAR() and TO_NCHAR() functions instead.

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