Introduction

About this document

Creating a website in multiple languages with TYPO3 can be done in a variety of ways - as usual. Unfortunately, all the options are hard to understand unless described in a context where used. In addition, even if you understand the context you might like to get some suggestions for what others have found to be best-practices.

This document tries to document everything you need to know about localizing websites with TYPO3. Ideally, it should mention every feature and what it is good for. However, be sure to use reference documents like the TypoScript Reference, TYPO3 Explained, etc. to look up the exact syntax for the features mentioned.

Since the main goal of this document is to include all knowledge areas of localization, it might suffer from a poor composition where advanced content is mixed here and there. A later revision could maybe make up for this by better prioritizing the content. For now that has not been a priority. On the other hand, you will come out as an expert in the other end.

Localization and Translation

The two terms are often used to express the same. Also in this document. But more precisely this is how we understand the difference:

Translation
means that a specific composition of words are translated to another language. In other words: If there is a header and an image in the default language, so there will be in the translation. No more, no less.
Localization
means more broadly that a page is represented in another language. This means information in that language ("translation") but could also include alternative templates, additional composition of content directed to another audience, etc. In other words: There might be another number of headers and images than in the default language.

TYPO3 handles both types of approaches, but this flexibility has the price that you need to read this document to find out which approach to choose for your project!

Credits

This document was originally written by Kasper Skårhøj.

Dedication

I want to dedicate this document to every native English speaker who has over the years learned to live with my gazillions of documents full of weird syntactical compositions and understood that it was a privilege that a non-native like me after all chose to communicate in a foreign language to the best of my abilities.

-- Kasper