Backend languages

PREREQUISITES: You can translate only the classic content editing experience. For more information, see New content editing experience.
Because Sitefinity CMS backend contains both classic and new content editing experiences, only some backend pages can be translated using this method.

On Sitefinity CMS Marketplace, you can freely download the following language packs:

• Arabic
• Chinese
• Dutch
• French
• German
• Italian
• Japanese
• Portuguese
• Russian
• Spanish
• Turkish

If you want to have Sitefinity CMS backend in another language, you must export, translate, and import all labels. To change the language of Sitefinity CMS backend, perform the following:

1. Click Administration » Setting » Languages.
2. Under Default language for the backend system, select the backend language in which you want to use as a source language for the translation.

   PREREQUISITES: Before you select a backend language, you must have added it. For more information, see Setup languages » Adding backend languages.

3. Click Save changes.
4. Click Administration » Labels & Messages.
   The Labels & Messages page appears.
• If the language you want to use as backend language is one of the languages available on Sitefinity CMS Marketplace, perform the following:
  1. Go to Sitefinity CMS Marketplace, and click name of the language pack you want to use.
  2. Click Download button.
     A GitHub page opens containing all available language packs.
  3. Save the .xlsx file of the relevant language.
• If the language you want to use is not available on Sitefinity CMS Marketplace, you must export and translate all labels.
  Perform the following:
  1. In the toolbar of Labels & Messages page, click Export language pack.
     The labels and messages are exported as a Microsoft Excel Workbook (.xlsx file). Inside this file, all labels and messages ordered alphabetically.
  2. Open the file in Microsoft Excel or other product which supports .xlsx files.
  3. To translate the labels, enter their translation directly in the Excel file, replacing their existing values.

     IMPORTANT: You can only change columns Value and Description. Do not modify cells in columns ClassId and Key.

  4. Save the Excel file.
     Make sure you use the.xlsx extension.
5. On Labels & Messages page, click Import language pack button.
6. Select the language for which you want to import a translation of labels and messages.
7. Click Select button and browse your computer to select the Excel file (.xlsx) that contains the translated labels and messages.
8. Click Import.
   The imported labels are uploaded and associated with the language that you have selected. Every time you select this language in Administration » Settings » Languages » Default language for the backend system, the respective labels are displayed.

Once you have added languages, add a Language selector widget to enable users to choose their preferred language.