How To Translate you content

PART 1: Before you translate your site:

• Download and Install Falang component
  
  • you need this ONLY for file titles and tag titles
    ... for categories, fields this is optional ...
  • a. categories in J2.5/J3.x have language property so you can use this
    b. FLEXIcontent field titles you can use language strings,
    (add these language strings in Joomla language override manager)
• For J1.5 download / install / Enable Joom!Fish
  
• For J2.5/J3.x you will need to
  - enable language switcher module,
  - configure multi-language menus
  see joomla documentation for these

PART 2: How to translate everything except FLEXIcontent items:

-- Translate category, tags, fields (the titles not values) and files with Joom!Fish/Falang please download the translation elements from here:
- Content Elements (Joomfish) for FLEXIcontent v1.5.6 (J1.5)
- Content Elements (Falang) for FLEXIcontent (J2.5/J3.x)
 
-- Important usability feature: To quickly open the corresponding translations for all the above. You can use the back-end direct translation module (comes with Joom!Fish):
See: How can I expand the Joomfish support?

-- Read also
See: Using Joomfish or Falang to translate your Content

PART 3: How to translate FLEXIcontent items (Your site content) you have 2 solutions:

(a). Use Joom!Fish (or Falang in J2.5) to translate items,
-- This will translate only title, description, meta keywords and meta description
-- Disadvantage: All other fields can not be translated, since they are not part of the joomla #__content table.
-- Possible advantage: Item hits/voting are shared since you have a single item item for all
translations
-- Possible advantage: You have multiple items for the same original content
-- Important usability feature: (See above) Use the back-end direct translation module, to quickly open item translations

(b). Use one item per translation  e.g. 3 items for every translation of the "Original Content Item"
NOTE: this associates the items together and automatically switches them in the frontend
-- This way you can translate the item fully, --all field values--.
-- Possible disadvantage: Item hits/voting are not shared since items are different (sharing may be implemented in v1.5.6 final or in v1.5.7)

-- Important usability feature:You can quickly duplicate many items and change language via Item TRANSLATE Task in items manager TAB
 This task has 3 options:
-- i.  Copy original content without any change
-- ii.  Import Joomfish Data (J1.5 only, since in J2.5 there is no such content, since Joomfish associates items in J2.5 instead of storing translations)


CONFIGURING

For alternative (a) (J1.5 ONLY)
we use Joom!Fish language selection module OR in (J2.5/J3.x+) you use the language switcher module to select language in the front-end.
In FLEXIcontent Global Configuration
-- YES :: Activate Joom!Fish(J1.5)/Falang (J2.5/J3.x+) support
-- NO :: Disable language selector
-- NO :: Enable translation groups
-- YES :: Edit Joomfish Translations
-- NO :: Filter category views AND Filter tag views

ALTERNATIVE (b) for both J1.5 / J2.5.-J3.x+
In FLEXIcontent Global Configuration
-- YES :: "Filter category views" and "Filter tag views"
-- YES :: Enable translation groups

WARNING: FLEXIcontent does not delete Joom!Fish translations of items, so for example

-- If you use solution 2 in J1.5, and you are displaying an item
-- and then switch language via joomfish module,
then the joomfish translation will be shown
So remember to delete or disable Joom!Fish items translations if you use solution 2