View source for Adding multi-language support

==Admin & User notes: Creating a multi-lingual website==
If you try to create a new multi-lingual website the general process is not very different from a single language site. The new language dimension for your site adds some questions you need to answer in the beginning.

# Is the site structure of all languages the same or do I have different "views"?
# Do I need language related content such as different products in a shop?
# Are regions/countries related to languages or is the new language primarily a translation?
# Do I have different authors, publishers and so on for my various languages?
# Do I need a professional translation for my site or is an automated translation (e.g. by Google) acceptable?

If you answer those questions before going through the following steps you will find it quite easy to setup a multi-lingual site with Joomla! 

===Setting up Joomla! 1.5===
To use Joomla! 1.5 with more than one language you do not need to do much. In addition to the standard installation you need to install all languages you like to use in your multi-lingual site with the [[Screen.languages.15|Language Manager]]. You can add as many languages as you like and there are known installations with more than 20 languages used.

===Creating your structure and content===
From this point on you can basically start to create your structure and content. Most of the existing multi-lingual extensions do not require to be installed prior starting your site, which allows you to start with a single language site and extend it later to your needs. It is recommended to start with one language as your *original or default language*. The reason is not a technical one but an organizational. It is far simpler to setup a complete content and navigation structure for one language than starting with different languages at the same time. The language dimension adds also a new complexity to your structure and this is why the default language will help you a lot for the management later.

===Using a multi-lingual extension===
There are various [http://extensions.joomla.org/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=listcats&cat_id=1838&Itemid=35 extensions] for multi-lingual websites available. The primary question is if you need a manually translated website or if automatic translation is an option for you. Mostly an automated translation does not 100% fit to what you want to say with your sentences. But if you just want to make sure your users can read your content it might be Ok.

Depending on the extension you use additional installation and configuration will be needed. Check out the related documentation and see if you can find a starting tutorial. Those are normally quite good for an initial start.