Change the Default Language in Wordpress

WordPress allows users to blog or manage content in their language of choice, as long as a translation is available. The exact process involved depends on the version of WordPress you have installed. If you'd like to blog in multiple languages, installing a plugin is probably your best option.

Steps

Changing the Default Language on WordPress 4

1. Use this method for WordPress version 4. If you have updated your site's WordPress since September 4, 2014, the site will be running WordPress version 4 or later. Earlier versions of WordPress require a different, somewhat more complicated method described in its own section below. Also, this method is for blogs that use WordPress software, but are hosted on a third-party server. If your blog contains ".wordpress.com" in the title, refer to the wordpress.com method below instead.
   • If you don't remember when you updated, visit (yoursitename).com/readme.html and look near the top of the page for a WordPress version number.
2. Download a WordPress language file. WordPress has been translated into many languages. Each translation has a file ending in the extension ".mo". You can get these files by locating the desired language on this list, clicking "More" on the same line, then clicking "Download language pack." If you do not see a download link, the translation may be incomplete or not updated to WordPress v4.
3. Identify the correct file. If the language pack has multiple ".mo" files, look up the language code, as well as the country code if the language is spoken in multiple countries. The file name will always follow the format languagecode.mo or languagecode_COUNTRYCODE.mo.
   • For example, en.mo is a generic English language translation. en_GB.mo is an English translation using Great Britain regional spelling.
4. Locate or create a /languages folder in your site directory. Go to the /wp-content directory on your WordPress site's server. If there is not already a folder called /languages, create one with exactly that name.
5. Upload the file to your /languages folder. Upload the .mo file corresponding to the desired language into your /languages folder. If you have never uploaded files to your server before, you will need to use an FTP client, or the file management system provided by your hosting service. WordPress recommends FileZilla for Windows, or CyberDuck for Mac.
6. Change the language in the admin settings. Log into your site as an administrator. Click Settings→general→Site Language. Select the language option corresponding to the .mo file you just uploaded. The selected language should now be your site's default language.

Changing the Default Language in WordPress 3.9.2 or Earlier

1. Download the language files. You can get the language files you need from the WordPress in Your Language web page. The file will have a name such as in the following example: fr_FR.mo.
   • The first two small characters (‘fr’ for French) refer to the the ISO-639 language code. This is followed by the ISO-3166 country code (_FR for France in the example). So, the French .mo file would be called fr_FR.mo.
2. Copy Language files to your WordPress Installation. Once you have downloaded the correct /mo file to your computer, copy it to your server in the directory ‘wp-content/languages’. You will probably need to create the ‘languages’ directory if you installed WordPress in English.
3. Modify the wp-config.php file. In the root directory of your WordPress installation is a file named ‘wp-config.php’. This file includes all of the setting to allow you to connect to the database and manage a few other items. Download the file and open it up in your Text Editor application.
4. Edit the language line. Inside the ‘wp-config.php’ file, you will see the following lines:
   • define ('WPLANG', );
     • You will need to change this to use the file you just copied to your server. If using the example for French above, you would edit the like to look like the following:
   • define ('WPLANG', 'fr_FR');
5. Visit your Admin Dashboard with your web browser. Your blog should now be displayed in the language you desired.

Using Plugins for New Language Settings

1. Learn how to install plugins. WordPress plugins alter your WordPress site beyond the default settings. They must be downloaded from the WordPress plugin directory. Most plugins can be installed automatically from the directory, but you can also install them yourself by uploading the entire folder to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory of your site. Once uploaded, activate the plugin using the Plugins menu on your WordPress site.
   • Make sure to Extract-Files after downloading it, if your browser does not do this automatically.
2. Use a plugin to install new languages. The WP Native Dashboard plugin gives you the ability to download language files and install them through an easy user interface. However, this is only compatible with WordPress 2.7 through 3.61. The download interface may require direct write access to your server, which some site hosts do not allow.
3. Install a multilingual plugin. If you'd like to write a blog in more than one language, a multilingual plugin can make your life much easier. However, since they alter the way blog posts are created, it can take some time to learn to use them without breaking your site. Creating a new site just for testing is recommended while you are learning. Here are a few options:
   • Bogo or Polylang are free options. The two interfaces are quite different, so if you don't like one, deactivate it and try the other.
   • WPML needs to be purchased, but comes with full support if you need assistance.
4. Look for other plugins. There are thousands of plugins available, so you can always search for what you're looking for. This may be useful if you are looking for a function or option that is specific to your language, such as converting one alphabet or script into another.

Changing Language in a WordPress.com Blog

1. Use this method for WordPress-hosted blogs. If your blog's URL is "(yourblogname).wordpress.com", WordPress is your server host as well as the software your blog runs on. In this case, it is very easy to change your language settings as described below.
2. Change the language you write in. Log in to your WordPress account and visit your blog's dashboard. Click Settings in the left-hand pane, then select the language you plan to write in using the drop-down menu.
   • If you do not know how to access your dashboard or you cannot find the settings button, log in to your WordPress account, then navigate to " (yourblogname).wordpress.com/wp-admin/options-general.php ."
3. Change the interface language. If you would like the settings, alerts, and other user interface messages to be depicted in another language, click Users on the left hand pane, then click Personal Settings on the short list that appears beneath it. Find the "Interface language" option and select your language from the drop-down menu.
   • Both language settings include a link to the other one directly beneath the option, making it easy to switch between interface language options and blog writing language options.

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Tips

• If you have a WordPress "multi site" with a network of multiple blogs, you can change the default language for all of them at once using the Network Admin→Settings options. You will still need the correct language file as described above.

Warnings

• Do not move or delete folders in your site directory if you do not know what you are doing. This could break your site.

Sources and Citations

• http://www.webcoursesbangkok.com/blog/how-to-change-the-default-language-in-wordpress/ - Original source for version 3 method, shared with permission.

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