Multi Language Site
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- zombiewoof
I'd like some opinions on the various methods of providing multi-language (Eng and Span) support on a website. The site is medium sized (50-100 pages), and will be run through our own CMS. I've web serached and only muddied the waters. From a UI perspective I like the simple "change language" link approach...as opposed to two separate paths for each language.
And yes, its gubment mandated, so it's not optional.
thanks in advance.
- madirish0
done many of these as well, zombie. the solution you describe is, IMO, the most fluide, uninterupted UX. the real question becomes how you appropriatly tag content from the data store so as to retrive (and doncument the metric) and then display through one instance of the site. not difficult at all, but the dynamic scritping language and how log's are accounted for is certainly the most critical link in the chain. the display code (outside of it being L->R vs. R->L reading) cand most likely be the same....
- neverblink0
Why not have two tables/fields in your database, one for each language? Send the chosen language as a variable wich determines wich table/field the query should use.
- flavorful0
I run a slew of multi-language sites, and I use a combination of XML Files, and Database Fields all based off of country locale codes (1033 = en-US, 1034 = es-ES; for example).
For Database, utilizing an -"_NLS" table on top of any of your content deliverables is a good idea, and you can set up the code behind to display the appropriate Locale ID based on the drop down they select. The premise here is that the Unique Key for a NLS table is now the Unique ID of the Content coupled with the Locale ID. Also, setting up the original table with default values, in case a Content/Locale ID does not exist and is requested - the default values can show.
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I would do some searches for "NLS Tables", "Locale ID" to start reading up on the subject.
Of course, this is just how I do it which may be extremely more indepth than you need.
Simply creating XML files and utilizing CDATA, you can kind of just swap what you need though too which would be a hell of a lot easier.