Foreign language blog

  • Hi,

    I’m going to install WP for the first time, but have a couple of question first regarding languages.

    My blog itself is going to be in French for a French audience, so all the front-end stuff needs to be in French. But ideally I’d like the back-end admin interface to retain the original English version. Is this possible?

    I know that there’s a full French version I can download and install, but I suspect this means the back as well as the front end will be in French. I know there are also language files that can be added to an existing English install – does this have the same effect?

    Finally, if I’m running a French language version and then install a different English theme, will this theme then run in French or will it stay in English?

    Thanks,

    Rob

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  • It depends on the theme you’re using if your frontpage language matches your backend language.

    Most of the themes I’ve encountered don’t support multi-language/language switching and most of the text in it is still hard-coded.

    So if you install the English WordPress your back-end wil be English, but the front-end can be French by using a French theme, or manually translating an English one.

    I’ve done this on my blog, where the back-end is English and the front-end is Dutch. It took me just 5 minutes to translate the theme, although I have some experience with PHP and XHTML.

    Thread Starter robgrayson

    (@robgrayson)

    Thanks, nazgul.

    I guess I’ll have a look at what French themes are out there. I have no experience with XHTML or PHP, so what took you five mins could take me a lot longer!

    Rob

    If you just open the files one by one and translate just the texts, you should be fine. You can just edit around the PHP.

    And the worst that can happen is that your changed theme goes wonky, which is easily solved by deleting that theme from the server to go back to the default and then try again with a fresh uploaded version.

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