Language of the Load: Translating “Backpack” Across the Realms

In the realms of Faerûn, even the most mundane items can carry rich cultural meaning. Take, for instance, the humble backpack—a staple in every adventurer’s kit. While it may seem like a simple sack to the untrained eye, its significance, design, and even name differ across the races and regions of the Forgotten Realms.

As part of the Advanced Dungeons & Dynamics 365 initiative, we’re exploring how everyday items are interpreted across languages and how they could be localized in a multilingual, multicultural D365 setup. Let’s dive into what an adventurer’s backpack might look—and sound—like across Orcish, Dwarven, Elven, and Common tongues.

The Common Tongue (Faerûnian Common)

In Common, it’s just “backpack”—a rugged leather sack with straps and compartments. Functional, practical, and devoid of poetic flourishes. It’s what you’ll find listed in most adventuring kits and inventories. But dig deeper, and you’ll find other cultures give it more evocative names.

A rugged leather backpack used by adventurers to carry supplies, tools, and personal gear. It has sturdy straps, multiple pouches, and enough room for a bedroll, rations, and a few secrets.

Dwarven: Thuldak-veth

The Dwarves, ever practical and fond of linguistic precision, call their backpacks Thuldak-veth—“burden harness.” Constructed of heavy leather, reinforced with metal rivets, and often rune-marked for durability, these are more than sacks—they’re tools of survival.

Thuldak-veth durzarn khuldûm, tharnok balgûn zarnûm. Kazad-barûk, tharnûn dulgan, azgal thuldath râg rûm, tharin, an durgûn dôr.

Translation:

Burden harness of strong leather, used by journeyers underground. Stout-strapped, pouch-bearing, with space for bedroll, supplies, and old secrets.

Orcish: Grumshpak

To the orcs, it is the Grumshpak—“Gruumsh’s burden.” Everything an orc owns, they carry on their back. These war-packs are stitched from thick hide, marked with clan glyphs, and smell faintly of blood and smoke.

Grumshpak kragh-leth, zagh kul rûgûl ob urûk. Zurn-grath, snaga-bolgs, agh mokûrz-latûrz ob nargûl, grub, agh bagûrz-ob.

Translation:

War-pack of hardened hide, used by warriors. Strong-bound, with slave-pockets, and space for bedroll, meat, and hidden-things.

Elven: Lóthanwë

The elves refer to theirs as Lóthanwë, the “bearer of burdens.” Even a utility item like a backpack is expressed poetically in Elvish. Made of supple leather, light and water-resistant, it flows as gracefully as its wearer. Elves do not simply carry their belongings—they travel with them.

Lóthanwë en’quessir, nórui’raug ar’lasselanta. Lintë-lassa, penna nárë, mi sírë a’lómelindi.

Translation:

The bearer of burdens of the People, graceful and enduring. Swift-strapped, opens with warmth, for path and twilight songs.

Translating Product Data in Dynamics 365: “Display Product Info in User’s Language”

In a global implementation—or in our case, a multiregional fantasy economy—it’s not enough to just name the product differently. You also want every user to see product names and descriptions in their own language.

Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management includes a feature called Display product info in user’s language, which ensures that when users log into the system, product names, search terms, descriptions, and attributes are automatically displayed in their preferred language. This includes:

• Product name translations
• Search name translations
• Product description translations
• Translated attribute values and metadata

You can enable this feature by visiting the Feature management workspace and turning on “Display product info in user’s language”. Once enabled, it respects the user’s language preferences throughout the Product Information Management module.

This is particularly useful when supporting diverse regional audiences (or multilingual Faerûnian guilds) and dramatically improves usability, consistency, and user satisfaction.

For more details on configuring this, visit the official documentation at learn.microsoft.com.

Localizing Items with Meaning

When building product records in Dynamics 365, consider more than just item numbers. For immersive or narrative-rich systems like Advanced Dungeons & Dynamics 365, enrich the data model with translations and lore-informed descriptions. Here’s an example:

Final Thoughts

Language is more than words—it’s worldview. By considering how a simple item like a backpack might differ across cultures, we unlock opportunities to build systems that don’t just translate, but communicate. Whether you’re configuring inventory in Dynamics 365 or scripting a multilingual NPC interaction, cultural flavor adds depth.

So next time you equip a backpack, remember: it may be more than just a sack on your back—it could be a Grumshpak, a Thuldak-veth, or a Lóthanwë… depending on who you ask.

Want to bring Faerûn to life in Dynamics 365? Set up your own instance using the Advanced Dungeons & Dynamics 365 guides at adndD365.com/start, and explore a fully configured public version of the environment live at public.adnd365.com. Whether you’re adventuring through supply chain management or enchanting customer experiences, your journey begins there.