Consider an application that is a single language. More than likely report headings, text descriptions are all “hard coded." That is the user cannot dynamically change the headings or the text. Now consider an application that has been developed with multiple languages in mind. The report headings, text descriptions are all read from files. Compare the following chart in Spanish to the English chart presented earlier. Is this chart a unique external output or the same external output?
The Spanish chart is not a unique external output. If external outputs are available in multiple languages then several things need to be considered. First there is probably some control input that allows the user to dynamically select the language. Second, there is an additional FTR referenced that contains the language text. Third, this language internal logical file is maintained by an external input. Fourth, there are more data elements in the report. If an external output is available in more than one language then it is not considered an unique external output, but the external output is more complex (more DETs and more FTRs).