Translating a Drupal website? Keep your sanity with these overviews on how to get started!

1. INTERNATIONALIZATION
¿Como?!

2. TOPICS
modules
initial configurations
what are language negotiations
translating nodes
translating blocks
translating taxonomy
translating menus
translating views
multilingual variables
Using Translations Overview
Using Translation Interface

3. Modules

4. i18n (Internationalization)
http://drupal.org/project/i18n
Translation Overview
http://drupal.org/project/translation_overview

5. Initial Configurations

6. ADMIN/SETTINGS/LANGUAGE/
Hear me talk... demo maybe?

7. Language Negotiations

8. THE GATEKEEPER
Global
•
none (user configurable)
•
path
•
kills pathauto if you aren't careful (stay far away from this option)
•
path prefix with language fallback (total confusion)
•
path --> user configured (from account page) --> browser's default
language --> default site language (which means a mess of
untranslated data)
•
domain
•
clean
Node
determined by selected language on node/edit page; language neutral shows on ALL
PAGES
Blocks/Menus/Taxonomy
will show only on specified page
will default to default language, or rather, the current admin language
*** even if you declare an item to be spanish, 'translation interface' will consider it english
because that was your current admin language!! ****

9. Translating Nodes

10. per content-type enable support under 'Workflow
Settings'
by default, all existing nodes in this content type will
be 'language neutral', meaning they will appear in ALL
LANGUAGES
Change any nodes to being a specified language
this will allow for the "translate" tab, as well as
"translation overview" to manage translations
When Translating, a copy of the default text will occupy
the fields, (even CCK!), now you can replace them

11. Translating Blocks

12. user created blocks
options for:
language specific
All languages (with translations)
module created blocks
no translations :(
views created blocks
no translations :(
there's a patch!
http://drupal.org/files/issues/i18n-541048-chaps2_0.patch

13. Translating Menus

14. user created menu items
negotiations are determined by the node in which it links
to
external links do not contain language negotiations, so
they will appear everywhere!
requires work around!
node generated menu items
negotiation is based on node language, then global
settings
view generated menu items
can be assigned to specified menu, they can be
translated, however, they will appear on every language!!
requires work around
Work around...
multilingual variables

15. Translating Taxonomy

16. Same as blocks, kindof...
configure taxonomy kinda like creating related
terms

17. Multilingual Variables

18. SETTINGS.PHP
$conf['i18n_variables'] = array(
// Site name, slogan, mission, etc..
'site_name',
// 'site_slogan',
// 'site_mission',
// 'site_footer',
// 'anonymous',
// Different front page for each language
// 'site_frontpage',
// Primary and secondary links
'menu_primary_links_source',
// 'menu_secondary_links_source',
// Contact form information
// 'contact_form_information',
);

19. MORE ON VARIABLES
Any variables declared here will override whatever is in the variables
table
You will notice on the admin fields there will be a
disclaimer stating that "THIS IS A MULTILINGUAL
VARIABLE' warning you that it will be assigned only to the
currently logged in language

20. Translating Views

21. works with an i18n filter
this means you don't have to declare your
nodes to be a specified language if they are
only intended to be displayed in a view
depends on every other language
negotiation
examples:
nodes displayed by a view through a block
node must be enabled, blocks must be
enabled, view must have language filter
(otherwise you will get duplicates)

22. Using
Translation Overview

23. Only works with nodes... demo?

24. Using
Translation Interface

25. works only with taxonomy, menus, blocks, and views
Search will help track down all title and body (for blocks) (with
the condition that they are set to "ALL LANGUAGES WITH
TRANSLATIONS"
notice that the untranslated language is crossed out?
these translations are stored on the database
Export/Import
export all translations
export .po files and edit them on any PO editor
POedit /multi-platform
Stay away from REFRESH, only bad things will happen!