The easiest way to run multilingual PHP sites is by using GetText .po (Portable Object) files. ICanLocalize makes translating GetText .po/pot files better and easier than any other way.
ICanLocalize easily deals with PHP files for Localization
Let me explain what the files are.
- POT – Portable Object Template. This is the file that you get when you extract texts from the application. Normally, you send this file to your translators.
- PO – Portable Object. This is the file that you receive back from the translators. It’s a text file that includes the original texts and the translations.
- MO – Machine Object (yes there is another one!!). The MO file includes the exact same contents as PO file. The two files differ in their format. While a PO file is a text file and is easy for humans to read, MO files are compiled and are easy for computers to read. Your web server will use the MO file to display the translations.
Since PO / POT files are so popular, there are several excellent free tools for translating them.
The best known tool is a program called poedit. poedit is a tool for translators. It allows merging between new texts in a POT file (compared to the current translation in the PO file) and produces both PO and MO as output.
How it works with ICanLocalize
- Upload your PO or POT file.
- Select which languages to translate to and which translators you want to use.
- Pay for the translation.
- Download the translated PO and MO files.
It really is as simple as that!
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