Do you wish to use WordPress in a different language? WordPress has been fully translated into over 65 languages and can therefore be used in your native language. We will show you how to install WordPress in other languages in this article.
Starting with WordPress in Other Languages
The very first phase in starting a website is to acquire WordPress hosting.
Bluehost is a service that we recommend. They are one of the world’s largest WordPress hosting providers. They are also a WordPress hosting provider that is officially recommended.
The next step is to install WordPress after signing up with a WordPress host.
Selecting a Language During WordPress Installation
WordPress 4.0 introduced new and better internationalization support. Users can now select a language for their WordPress website during the installation process.
WordPress allows you to choose a language during installation. This is especially useful if you require installation instructions in your native language. Moreover, if you do not choose a language mostly during WordPress installation procedure, you could also modify at any period via WordPress settings.
Changing the Language on Your WordPress Website
WordPress makes it incredibly simple to change the language on your website. Simply navigate to Settings » General in your WordPress dashboard and scroll all the way to the bottom. There is an option to select the site language there.
While WordPress does have translations for over 162 languages, you would only be allowed to see languages that are fully translated while installing as well as having to change languages in WordPress settings (62).
If your language isn’t on the list, it doesn’t mean it’s not available or that you can’t use it.
We’ll walk you through the process of manually installing language packs in WordPress.
Manually Installing WordPress Translation Files for Other Languages
WordPress’s translation system is gettext (localization and internationalization). Volunteers from all over the world use a main.pot template file to translate WordPress into their native languages. This yields two files, one for each language. Portable Object format file (.po extension) and Machine Object format file (.mo extension). For your language, you’ll need a.mo file.
Check the WordPress translation teams page to see if your language has a WordPress translation.
Locating your language files on the WordPress Translators website Next, click on the percentage value to see the status of translation progress in your language, and then click on the current WordPress version.
You will now be redirected to GlotPress, a web-based app used by the WordPress team to manage and translate WordPress projects.
Once there, scroll all the way down to the bottom to find the export section. Select Machine Object Message Catalog (.mo) from the dropdown and then click the Export link.
Exporting translations Exporting translations Repeat the previous steps, however, this time pick Portable Object Message Catalog (.po) and also select the Export link.
After downloading and unzipping the language pack on your computer, you must use an FTP client to connect to your website. Upload the language files to the /wp-content/languages folder once connected.
Return to the WordPress admin area once you’ve finished uploading the file. Scroll down to the Site Language option on the Settings » General page. You can now choose the language you just uploaded from the list of installed languages.
Using an English Admin Interface in Multilingual WordPress There may be times when you want to use WordPress in a different language but keep the admin interface in English.
This is especially useful if you have admins who are unfamiliar with other installed languages or if you grant developers access.
The English WordPress Admin plugin must be installed and activated. See our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin for more information.
When the plugin is activated, it will add a language switcher to the WordPress admin bar. Each user can simply navigate to the language switcher and select the admin interface language.
Creating a Multilingual WordPress Website
WordPress can be used in a variety of languages, creating content in multiple languages is not an easy task by default.
Fortunately, there are several plugins that make it simple to create and manage multilingual WordPress sites. These plugins enable you to create content in multiple languages while also making it easier for your website visitors to switch between them.
We recommend that you use the WPML (WordPress Multi-Language) plugin. Thousands of websites from all over the world use this paid plugin to create user-friendly multilingual websites with WordPress.
If you’re looking for a free solution, check out the Polylang plugin.
Help Translate WordPress in Your Language
If you haven’t found a translation of WordPress in your language, you might be able to help create one.
WordPress is a completely volunteer-driven open source software.
This means that all of the translations you see right now were created by volunteers from all over the world (just like you). For more information on how you can help, visit the Translating WordPress website.
We hope this article was useful in installing WordPress in other languages. You might also be interested in our list of the 24 Must-Have WordPress Plugins for Every Website.
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