Magento 2 Translation: How Internationalization Works

This tutorial guides you through setting up multiple languages in your Magento 2 e-commerce store. We'll cover internationalization best practices, adding languages, translating content, and internationalizing custom modules and themes. Assume you have a working Magento 2 installation.

Key Concepts:

• Internationalization (i18n): Translating website content and adapting design/style for different languages to enhance global user experience. This improves accessibility and potentially expands your customer base.
• Magento 2 Structure: Websites contain stores, and stores contain store views. Languages are associated with store views.
• Language Packs: Pre-built translation packages simplify the process of adding language support. Magento Marketplace and providers like Mageplaza offer these.
• Custom Module/Theme Internationalization: Involves using Magento's translation functions and creating language-specific dictionaries (CSV files). Consider separate themes for LTR and RTL languages for optimal styling.

Adding Languages:

Languages are managed at the store view level. To add a language:

1. Magento Admin Panel: Navigate to Stores > All Stores.
2. Create Store View: Click "Create Store View."
3. Fill the Form: Select the parent store, enter a descriptive name (e.g., "Arabic Store"), a code (e.g., "ar_SA"), set Status to Enabled, and adjust the sort order. Save the store view.
4. Clear Cache: Go to Stores > Cache Management, select Select All, and click Submit.
5. Set Language: Navigate to Stores > Configuration. Select the new store view from the Scope dropdown. Under General > Locale Options, uncheck "Use Website" for Locale and choose your desired language. Save Config.

Installing Language Packs:

Use Composer to install language packs (e.g., from Mageplaza):

composer require mageplaza/magento-2-<language>-language-pack:dev-master
php bin/magento setup:upgrade
php bin/magento setup:di:compile
php bin/magento setup:static-content:deploy <language_code> -f
php bin/magento indexer:reindex
php bin/magento cache:flush

Replace <language></language> and <language_code></language_code> with the appropriate language code (e.g., "arabic" and "ar_SA"). The -f flag forces deployment.

Translating CMS Content:

1. Magento Admin Panel: Navigate to Content > Pages.
2. Edit or Create: Edit existing pages to assign them to specific store views or create new pages for different languages. Ensure the correct store view is selected.

Internationalizing Modules and Themes:

• Translation Functions: Use Magento's translation functions (__() in PHP/PHTML, $.mage.__() or $t() in JavaScript, {{trans}} in email templates, i18n, Knockout comments, or translate attribute in UI components) to mark strings for translation.
• Translation Dictionaries (CSV): Create ar_SA.csv (or other language codes) files in the i18n directory of your module or theme. Use Magento's i18n:collect-phrases tool or manually create these files.
• Asset Management: Place language-specific assets (images, CSS, JavaScript) in the i18n/<locale>/</locale> directory structure within your theme or module's web directory.

Best Practices for RTL Languages:

Create a main theme (LTR) and a child theme (RTL) to manage styling differences efficiently.

Conclusion:

Magento 2's internationalization features allow you to create a truly global e-commerce experience. Remember to thoroughly test your translated website to ensure accuracy and functionality. The provided FAQs offer further guidance on specific aspects of Magento 2 translation and internationalization.

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