Configure multilingual sites in SharePoint 2010

Here are quick guidelines for creating and configuring sites in multiple languages and use variations.

First Create Publishing site or activate publishing infrastructure features in the site and go to Site Actionsà

Site Settings

Then click on “Language settings” under “Site Administration” section as shown below

Next screen will show all available language packs on the server, select appropriate ones and click on “OK”.

Note: here if “Overwrite Translations” mark as “Yes” that means any changes that are made to the user interface in the primary language overwrite any changes that have been made to those same user interface elements in secondary languages

Now your site can be used in multiple languages, you can change the display languages by clicking on welcome control at top right corner of the page and select display language as shown below

Now site will be shown in selected language (currently French is selected).

Note: Here only default labels will be translated in other language but other contents like web parts, list items, and page content will not be shown in other language. 

Multilingual user interface

When language packs installed on the server in SharePoint Server 2010 and you created a site collection or site, you could also select the language in which to display the site user interface. However, after the language for the user interface of a site was set, it could not be changed. This feature is used to display the site user interface in a secondary language that the user prefers rather than the default, primary language that was selected when the site was created.

 Benefits of the multilingual user interface

  Ø    Same site can be available in one primary and number of secondary languages

  Ø    Logged on user can select site in different language and change the user interface like site title, description etc by using site settings, however those things in primary site will not be changed, it will be changed for secondary sites only

  Ø     By using the multilingual user interface, team members can work on documents and projects in a shared, primary language, while they view the site and perform tasks in their preferred language

How the multilingual user interface works

Go to Site Actions of secondary language and click on respective link to change title or description

Enter title and description in secondary language and click on OK

Now you site in secondary language will show changed title and description.

What is supported by the multilingual user interface

The following list includes examples of items that are supported by the multilingual user interface:

• Settings pages, such as those in the _layouts and the _admin virtual directories.
• Help.
• Application content, such as menus, controls, site actions, site title and description, list or library titles and descriptions, top link bar links, Quick Launch links, local breadcrumbs, site and list content types, and site and list columns.
• Developer content, such as features, and solutions.

Exporting and importing translated content

Multilingual interface allows import/export of application content for bulk operation. For that you can go to Site Settingsà Export Translations under Site Administration section

In the next screen choose the language you want to export and it will gives you resource file in.resx format, which you can update it and import it back using "Import Translations" link on the same page in target site.

Limitations of the multilingual user interface

 Following things are not supported in multilevel feature of SharePoint 2010

   v  Shared components

ü  Web Parts

ü  Lists

   v  Permissions

ü  Permission group names

ü  Permission level names and descriptions   

ü  User information 

v  Site templates

ü  My Site

ü  Blogs

ü  Meeting sites

ü  Search

ü  Web databases 

I hope this article helps you to understand multilingual feature of SharePoint 2010 and create sites in multiple language and impress your boss.