# Internationalization (i18n) URL: /bengal/docs/0.5.0/content/i18n/ Section: i18n Description: Multi-language sites with gettext PO/MO, RTL support, and translation workflows --- > For a complete page index, fetch /bengal/llms.txt. # Internationalization Bengal supports multi-language sites with directory-based content, gettext PO/MO translation files, plural-aware translations via `nt()`, and full RTL (right-to-left) layout support for Arabic, Hebrew, and other bidirectional languages. ## Quick Start 1. **Configure languages** in `bengal.toml`: ```toml [i18n] default_language = "en" strategy = "prefix" content_structure = "dir" languages = [ { code = "en", name = "English", weight = 1 }, { code = "es", name = "Español", weight = 2 }, { code = "ar", name = "العربية", weight = 3, rtl = true }, ] ``` 2. **Create content per locale**: ``` content/ ├── en/ │ ├── _index.md │ └── about.md ├── es/ │ ├── _index.md │ └── about.md └── ar/ ├── _index.md └── about.md ``` 3. **Add PO translation files** for UI strings: ``` i18n/ ├── en/LC_MESSAGES/messages.po ├── es/LC_MESSAGES/messages.po └── ar/LC_MESSAGES/messages.po ``` 4. **Use `t()` in templates**: ```html ``` 5. **Compile and build**: ```bash bengal i18n compile bengal build ``` ## Translation Workflow | Step | Command | Description | |------|---------|-------------| | Extract | `bengal i18n extract` | Scan templates for `t()` calls, generate `.pot` | | Translate | Edit `.po` files | Add translations with a PO editor (e.g. Poedit) | | Compile | `bengal i18n compile` | Compile `.po` → `.mo` for faster loading | | Status | `bengal i18n status` | Check translation coverage per locale | | Build | `bengal build` | Generate site | ## Key Concepts - **Content structure**: `dir` (content/en/, content/es/) or `file` (about.en.md, about.es.md) - **URL strategy**: `prefix` (/en/, /es/) or `subdomain` (en.example.com) - **Fallback**: When a key is missing, Bengal falls back to the default language - **RTL**: Arabic and Hebrew get `dir="rtl"` on `` automatically ## Guides :::{cards} :columns: 2 :::{card} Quickstart :icon: rocket :link: ./quickstart/ PO file setup, locale config, and translation workflow. :::{/card} :::{card} RTL Layout :icon: arrows :link: ./rtl/ CSS authoring for Arabic, Hebrew, and bidirectional sites. :::{/card} :::{card} Translator Guide :icon: users :link: ./translator-guide/ How to contribute translations and PO file conventions. :::{/card} :::{/cards}