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How to configure a multilingual site in Joomla

Step 1: Log into your Joomla dashboard and go to Extensions -> Extension Manager RE: How to configure a multilingual site in Joomla
Step 2: Click Install Languages
Step 3: Enter the language you would like to install (e.g. ‘Portuguese’) in the Search field and click search icon (you can also scroll down and search for the language manually).
Step 4: Check the box for the desired language and click Install Stay on this page and wait until you see a message saying the new language’s been installed successfully.
Step 5: Now go to Extensions -> Language Manager.
Step 6: Click on the Content tab and then click New.
Step 7: Set a new content language with give it completely new parameters (again we are using Portuguese as example) .
Step 8: Click on Save and Close. A message “Content Language successfully saved” will show.
Step 9: Then go to Extensions -> Plugin Manager.
Step 10: Find the option System – > Language Filter and enable it
Step 11: To set a language switch functionality, go to Extensions -> Module Manager.
Step 12: Click New
Step 13: Select Language Switcher
Step 14: Enter the module name, set it published, select its position and click Save.

What needs to be done next is to create a menu for every installed language and add one extrs for both languages. Select which of your menus will be the default one (it will have a home icon). After that you will need to create two more Main Menus – one for English and one for the new language. Go to Menus -> Menu Manager -> Add New Menu

Step 15: Fill in the necessary fields for English and click Save and Close
Step 16: Go to Menus -> Menu Manager -> Add New Menu again and fill in the same fields for your new language (e.g. Portuguese) and click Save and Close
Step 17: Next you will have to add new menu tabs for each of the main menus, identical with the ones already created for the default Main Menu. You can go to Menus -> Main Menu for Eng -> Add New to add the menu. However, it will be easier to just copy the exiting menus by going to Menus -> Main Menu -> select the default menu tab like Home and click Save as Copy
Step 18: Under “MessageMenu item successfully saved” you will have to change the fields for the new languages (example: for English under the Details tab you should enter the Menu Title, the Alias, set the Status to Published, choose the Main Menu English you created in the Menu Location drop-down, change the Default Page to Yes, in the Language drop-down choose English).
Step 19: Click Save and Close.
Step 20: Go through steps 22- 23 with the new language, as well.

(However, for this one under Advanced Options you will also have to click Select Categories and select the category for the new language. If you don’t have the new category ready yet, go to Content -> category manager and create it. The new category will have to have articles in the new language added to it. This can be done at any given time).

Step 21: Now, goes as plammed, under Menu you should see flag icons added to the main menus.
Step 22: Next you have to duplicate the top menu module for English and the new language. Go to Extensions -> Module Manager
Step 23: Now locate the module used for the top menu, e.g. Superfish Menu. Check it and click Duplicate.
Step 24: Click the menu you duplicated. For English, under Details: you are going to change the Name (e.g. to Superfish Menu Eng), change the Status to Published, in the Language drop-down select English.
Step 25: Under Options: in the Select Menu drop-down select Main Menu eng (the one you created in 19);
Step 26: under Menu Assignment: select Only on pages Selected in the Module Assignment drop-down box, then click Select None and check Home Eng under Main Menu eng(the one you created in 23).
Step 27: Click Save and Close.
Step 28: Do the the same to create a menu module for the new language.
Step 29: Disable the created menu (we used Superfish menu as an example) for all languages
Step 30: Then go to Menus -> Main menu -> Home -> Module Assignment for this Menu Item and check Hide Unassigned Modules.
Step 31: The new Home menus should have identical modules if you want your multilingual versions of the site to look the same. Click each module which has “yes” under Display and in the Menu Assignment select the two menu tabs you added (i.e. Home for eng and Home for pt) and click Save and Close.
Repeat for the rest of the modules that have “yes” under Display, then click Save.

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