Internationalization (i18n)

Multi-language sites with gettext PO/MO, RTL support, and translation workflows

2 min read 334 words

Bengal supports multi-language sites with directory-based content, gettext PO/MO translation files, plural-aware translations viant(), and full RTL (right-to-left) layout support for Arabic, Hebrew, and other bidirectional languages.

Do I Need This?

Note

Skip this if: Your site is single-language only. Read this if: You need translated content, hreflang SEO, RTL layouts, or a translator workflow.

Quick Start

Configure languages inbengal.toml:

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 },
]

Create content per locale:

content/
├── en/
│   ├── _index.md
│   └── about.md
├── es/
│   ├── _index.md
│   └── about.md
└── ar/
    ├── _index.md
    └── about.md

Add PO translation files for UI strings:

i18n/
├── en/LC_MESSAGES/messages.po
├── es/LC_MESSAGES/messages.po
└── ar/LC_MESSAGES/messages.po

Uset()in templates:

html

HTML

<nav>
  <a href="/">{{ t("Home") }}</a>
  <a href="/about/">{{ t("About") }}</a>
</nav>

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 getdir="rtl" on <html>automatically

Guides

i18n Quickstart

Set up a bilingual site with gettext PO/MO in 5 minutes

RTL Layout Support

CSS authoring for Arabic, Hebrew, and bidirectional sites

Translator Contributor Guide

How to contribute translations and PO file conventions

Multilingual Sites

Serve your documentation in multiple languages with proper URL routing and translations

In This Section

i18n Quickstart Set up a bilingual site with gettext PO/MO in 5 minutes

Multilingual Sites Serve your documentation in multiple languages with proper URL routing and translations

RTL Layout Support CSS authoring for Arabic, Hebrew, and bidirectional sites

Translator Contributor Guide How to contribute translations and PO file conventions