Choosing and installing multilingual modules

Last updated on

19 October 2022

Drupal 8's Multilingual improvements

When you install Drupal 8, the first thing you need to choose is the base language for the installation. The installer will attempt to make the reasonable choice based on your browser language, and should display the page in your browser language. If you are making a multilingual site, choose one of the languages that you want to use as installation language, and preferably not English (a non-English choice will cause some modules you'll need to be installed).

[Note that unlike previous versions of Drupal, your site does not need to have English installed at all!]

Drupal 8's Multilingual components

Unlike previous versions of Drupal, most of the functionality that you need to build a multi-lingual site is provided by the following 4 modules in Drupal core, rather than a suite of many contributed modules. To enable these modules, you'll need to go to the "Extend" administration page.

Language module

Located at core/modules/language/language.module

The base module needed for any non-English or multi-lingual site.
Allows users to configure languages and how page languages are chosen, and apply languages to content.

Provides the following functionality:

Enable any non English language for your site's content (one or more)
We can assign a language to everything: nodes, users, views, blocks, menus
Two special type languages (Not specified/Not applicable)
URL negotiation enabled by default
Browser language detection made configurable with external language codes
Fallback to selected language if language detection fails
Admin interface language selection option per user

Issue Queue for 8.x
http://drupal.org/project/issues/drupal?text=&status=Open&priorities=All...

Locale (Interface Translation) module

Located at core/modules/locale/locale.module

Translates the built-in user interface, your added modules and themes.

Automated downloads & updates
English customizable/removable, no more need to use English as the default language
Built-in translation UI revamped for easier editing
Plural version editable on an integrated interface
Custom (local) translations are protected and exportable

Content Translation module

Located at core/modules/content_translation/content_translation.module

Allow users to translate content entities.
Allows you to translate your site content, including pages, taxonomy terms, blocks, etc., into different languages.

Field-level configurability
Applies to all content
Views integrated
Exposed language information via search API
Per-language content access

Configuration Translation

Located at core/modules/config_translation/config_translation.module

Provides a translation interface for configuration.
Allows you to translate text that is part of the configuration, such as field labels, the text used in Views, etc.

All configuration is translatable (roles, text formats, blocks, views, panels, etc.)
Built-in responsive translation interface
All shipped are pre-translatable on localize.drupal.org

Drupal 8's Multilingual configuration

Continue onto Chapter 10 - Making your site multilingual in the user guide.

Testing Drupal 8 Multilingual

We have prepared a multilingual Drupal 8 demonstration distribution with sample data (and raw Google Translated sample text, be warned) to try.

You can download this distro or more simple, try it on simplytest.me

Other resources

SLIDES

If you want to reproduce a workshop at your company, a Drupal event or a meetup, please do so. We have some slides on Google Docs that you can copy and fork for your local needs.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1rHtwt3O_QWvd0d1kETp7vULDm7P8ksjh...