Internationalisation

These FAQs briefly summarise key concepts regarding internationalising Composr content (e.g. content translations).

For more information, check out these tutorials:
Question How do I change the language of my Composr website?
Answer Composr comes with English as the default language. To change to a different language:
  • Download the language pack: You can download language packs from the Composr website.
  • Install the language pack: Upload the downloaded language pack addon through Admin Zone > Structure > Addons > Import non-bundled addon(s).
  • Change the default language: Go to http://yourbaseurl/config_editor.php and set the desired language.
  • Update your profile: If you had a previous language set in your profile, update it to the new language.

You can test a language without changing settings by appending "breadcrumbs" itemprop="breadcrumb">

(Located in Internationalisation)

View

Question How do I translate the content on my Composr website?
Answer Once you've installed a new language pack, you can translate existing content by:
  • Editing the content directly: Go to the specific content item (page, news post, etc.) and edit it in the new language.
  • Using the language editor: Access the language editor from Admin Zone > Style > Translate/rephrase Composr to modify language strings used on specific pages.
Note that some elements like forum names are not designed to be translated directly. Instead, you should create separate forums for each language.

View

Question Can I translate images with text on them?
Answer Yes, you can translate images containing text. In the themes/default/images/ directory, you'll find an EN folder containing images with English text.
  • Copy the EN folder: Create a new folder with the ISO code of your target language (e.g., FR for French).
  • Replace the images: Replace the English images with translated versions.
  • Ensure correct image paths: Update any references to these images in your templates or content to point to the translated versions.

View

Question What is Transifex, and how does it help with translation?
Answer Transifex is a collaborative online platform used by the Composr community for translation. Its benefits include:
  • Centralized translation efforts: Multiple translators can work on the same project.
  • Improved translation quality: The platform facilitates consistency and accuracy.
  • Simplified language pack creation: You can generate downloadable language pack addons directly from Transifex.
We encourage using Transifex for translation to foster collaboration and maintain high-quality translations.

View

Question How can I contribute to translating Composr?
Answer You can contribute to Composr's internationalization by:
  • Joining the translation team on Transifex: Translate language strings collaboratively with other volunteers.
  • Becoming a language maintainer: Take responsibility for the translation and support of Composr in your native language.
  • Reporting translation issues: If you encounter unclear, incorrect, or duplicated language strings, file bug reports.
  • Providing feedback and suggestions: Share your thoughts on improving the translation process through feature suggestions.
Your contributions are valuable and help make Composr accessible to a wider audience.

View

Question What are language strings, and how are they used?
Answer Language strings are phrases or pieces of text used throughout Composr. They're identified by unique codenames, like WELCOME_MESSAGE. These strings are stored in .ini language files and used to display text in the user interface.

By translating language strings, you change the text displayed on your website without modifying the underlying code.

View

Question My language uses gendered descriptors. How can I handle this in Composr?
Answer Composr offers solutions for languages with gendered descriptors:
  • Template editing: You can modify templates to use different language strings based on user gender. This involves adding Tempcode logic to dynamically select the appropriate string.
  • Custom Profile Fields: Create a Custom Profile Field for "Gender" and use it to conditionally display gendered language strings in templates.
These methods allow for flexible handling of gendered language variations.

View

Question Can I translate my content into multiple languages?
Answer Yes, Composr supports multi-language content. You can enable this feature by:
  • Installing multiple language packs: Make sure you have at least two language packs installed.
  • Enabling the Conversr multi-language option: Go to Admin Zone > Setup > Configuration > Site options > Internationalisation.
  • Running a Commandr command: Execute the necessary command to set up the database structure for multi-language content (unless you already enabled Support content translations when installing).
Once enabled, you can translate your content into different languages and allow visitors to choose their preferred language.

View