Better to use multiple language files or 1?

Question

From your experience, is it better to use 1 language file or multiple smaller langauge files for each language in a PHP project using the gettext extension? I am not even sure if it is possible to use multiple files, it is hard for me to test since the server caches the language files.

I am doing multiple languages on a social network site, so far just the signup page which is about 1 out of 200 pages to go and it has 35 text strings to translate, at this pace the language file for each language wold be really large so I was thinking maybe it would be better to do different language files for differnt pages or perhaps sections like forums section and blogs section but if it makes no difference then I would ratther not waste my time in making multiple smaller files for each language.

I realize every situation is different and the only real answer is to test it but I am hoping to avoid that this time and just get some oppinions of people more experienced, this is my first time using gettext, thanks

Answer 1

I typically automate the process and have multiple languages in multiple files by using a database to edit the site (using a simple db lookup). This lets me hire translators to come in and verify the current translation easily. Deploying to production then is simply turning the database into a set of language files.

Answer 2

I would have the language files module based. With gettext you need to specify locale for each language. It would fit best to have a separate .po/.mo files for each module or big parts of your site.

That's my opinion. :-)

Answer 3

From experience i would break the languages down on a per file basis as the management overhead becomes heavy and there is great scope for duplication and mistakes.

The other advantage it that by using a directory structure and naming convention the correct language can be selected programatically more easily than the large file and it is easier to write management tools at a later stage in the project.

It is also worth looking at some of the formats other people use. Many of the Frameworks use this sort of structure, Dashcode, Symfony, Zend etc. And there is an xml format xliff which is built to handle translation and integrates with many of the tools that translators use.

Answer 4

Multiple files are the best way to go, but things can get disorganized.

We've just launched a free new service called String which solves most of the problems of managing multiple language files - like a basecamp for localization. You can either import existing files, or start from scratch with keys and strings in the system. When you're ready, you can export the files again to run your app. It works with PHP (array), PHP (define), po, yaml, ini and .strings formats.

String allows you to collaborate with translators easily - you just invite them to a project and set their language permissions. Translators can leave comments and questions on each string if they need more info - and you can revert strings back using the History function if things aren't quite right.

Anyway enough sales pitch! Check it out at http://mygengo.com/string - we'd love your feedback.