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Introduction

Localization is a crucial feature that allows you to make Aikeedo accessible to a global audience. This guide will walk you through the process of translating your Aikeedo instance, managing language files, and enabling language selection for your users.

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Translation File Locations

Aikeedo uses separate translation files for different parts of the application:
  1. App and Admin Interface: /locale directory
  2. Landing Page (Home Page): /public/content/plugins/heyaikeedo/default/locale directory This is the default location for the landing page translations. The full path structure follows this pattern: /{webroot}/content/plugins/{organization}/{theme}/locale Where:
    • {webroot} is typically public, but may be public_html in some installations (e.g., cPanel)
    • {organization} is usually heyaikeedo, but can be customized to your organization name if you’re using a custom theme
    • {theme} is default for the standard theme, but could be different if you’re using a custom theme
    Always check your specific installation setup to confirm the exact path.
    For more information on creating custom themes and managing their translations, refer to our Theme Development guide.

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Translation Process

To translate Aikeedo into a new language or modify existing translations, follow these steps:
  1. Navigate to the appropriate directory based on the section you want to translate.
  2. Locate the .po file for your target language.
  3. Open the file in a text editor or a specialized PO file editor.
  4. Find the msgid entries, which contain the original English text.
  5. Enter your translations in the corresponding msgstr fields.
Always keep the msgid values unchanged. Only modify the msgstr entries.

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Example Translation

Here’s a simple example of how a translation might look in a .po file: 
msgid "Welcome to Aikeedo"
msgstr "Bienvenue sur Aikeedo"

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Managing Available Languages

To enable or disable languages for your Aikeedo instance:
  1. Open the /locale/locale.json file.
  2. Enable or disable languages by setting their "enabled" field to true or false.
  3. Set the default language by updating the "default" field at the top of the file: 
    {
    "default": "en-US",
    "locales": [
        // ... language entries ...
    ]
}
The default language code must match one of the enabled languages in the locales array. For example, if you want to set Spanish as the default, first ensure es-ES is enabled, then update the default value to "es-ES".
While Aikeedo includes configuration for 30+ languages, please note that the actual translation strings are not included by default. You’ll need to provide your own translations for languages other than English.

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User Language Selection

Aikeedo provides two ways for users to change their preferred language:

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For Logged-in Users

  1. Log into the Aikeedo app.
  2. Click on your name in the account menu (bottom-left of the app dashboard).
  3. Navigate to your profile page.
  4. Look for the language selection option and choose your preferred language.

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For Website Visitors

The language selection process for website visitors may vary depending on the theme used. In the default theme:
  1. Look for the language switcher in the website header (often in the top-right corner).
  2. Click on the switcher (typically represented by a globe icon or current language code).
  3. Select your preferred language from the dropdown menu.
The exact location and appearance of the language selector may differ based on your chosen theme. Some themes might place it in a different part of the header, footer, or even in a side menu.

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Best Practices for Localization

  1. Consistency: Maintain consistent terminology across all translations.
  2. Context: Consider the context in which the text appears to ensure accurate translations.
  3. Testing: After translating, thoroughly test the interface in each language to catch any layout or functionality issues.
  4. Regular Updates: Keep translations up-to-date with each new release of Aikeedo.

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Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues with localization:
  • Ensure all .po files are properly formatted.
  • Check that the locale.json file is correctly configured.
  • Clear your browser cache and application cache after making changes.
  • Verify that the correct language files are being loaded in the application settings.

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Need Help?

If you need assistance with localization or have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to our support team at support@aikeedo.com.