To see the short text in your logon language you need to modify the program, there is nothing to achieve this IMG customizing. Maybe a Badi or exit is already able to do it, but in any kind it is a development that needs to be done by an ABAPer.
From my experience with material master maintenance (I mean, how others do it): often a new material is created by copy. Some (many) users are not well trained, they have never seen the alternative language screen of a material master. They create a new material by copy of another material, they change the description in basic data one screen only. Result: many different material masters which have the same description in the alternative language.
Having the option to see the description that will be seen by your vendor when you create the PO is the last optical control to know if you really order the right material.
I wont miss this last chance.