Add Support for Setting a Default UI Language

[thiagodeschamps]

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
I’m finding it frustrating that there is currently no way to set a default UI language at the system level in OpenMetadata. Although individual users can change their language preferences, this is cumbersome for organizations operating in non-English environments. Every new or existing user must configure their language preferences independently, which creates inconsistencies and extra administrative overhead.

Describe the solution you’d like
A global configuration option that allows administrators to define a default language for all users. This would mean:

• Administrators can specify the default language in a configuration file, UI, environment variable, or database setting.
• Newly created users (or those who haven’t specified a language) automatically see the UI in the default language.
• Users would still have the option to override the default language if they need to.

Describe alternatives you’ve considered

1. Manual Setup for Each User
   • Currently, each user must manually change their UI language, which is not scalable for larger teams or organizations.
2. Custom Scripts/Workarounds
   • Attempting to automate language settings outside the official configuration leads to potential maintenance headaches and may break with future updates.

Additional context

• This feature would streamline deployments in non-English locales and ensure a consistent, localized experience for all users.
• A screenshot of the Slack conversation discussing this request is attached for reference (see above image).

[jgrocha]

Hi @thiagodeschamps,

Did you test this on recent OpenMetadata deploy? Please consider the PR #19418, landing on OM about a month ago.

1. The default language defined by the user in the browser is respected. No need to setup individual users. They will have their default language.

Please try: https://sandbox-beta.open-metadata.org/signin. In which language OM is displayed? If it not displayed in Portuguese, check your browser' default language.

For me, for example, the page is in Portuguese.

2. As admin, you can setup a redirect using a query parameter lng=fr-FR. All users will start with the fr-FR language, for example.

Please try: https://sandbox-beta.open-metadata.org/signin?lng=fr-FR. In which language OM is displayed?

The OM should be rendered in French.

3. As admin, you can also add/force the i18next cookie. Check how to do it with your current httpd server.

This mechanism provides a localized experience for all non-English users (if the language is already supported) out of the box.

Is this ok for you? How can he help?