# I18n

## Translations

There are two separate translation systems in InvenioRDM: the python translations provided by the `invenio-i18n` package using the python `babel` library, and the javascript translations provided by the `i18next` library.

### Python Translations

The python translations are stored in the `translations` directory in the root of the repository. These are then gathered with babel translations from other Invenio packages into the `translations` directory in the instance directory of the running instance (`/opt/invenio/var/instance/translations`).

### Javascript Translations

#### The structure of the Javascript translation packages

The javascript translations are created and compiled by every InvenioRDM package that provides javascript UI components. These are found in the `assets/semantic-ui/translations` directory in each package. In the case of the `kcworks` package, these are found in the `assets/semantic-ui/translations/kcworks` directory.

In addition, KCWorks provides translations for the javascript components that live outside the installable `kcworks` python package: overridden components and custom field templates in `assets/js`. These translations are compiled and stored in the top-level `assets/translations` directory of the source folder.

So, for KCWorks, there are separate translation packages that are compiled independently in the following locations:

- `assets/translations`
- `site/kcworks/assets/semantic-ui/translations/kcworks`
- `site/kcworks/dependencies/invenio-modular-deposit-form/invenio_modular_deposit_form/assets/semantic-ui/translations/invenio_modular_deposit_form`
- `site/kcworks/dependencies/invenio-modular-detail-page/invenio_modular_detail_page/assets/semantic-ui/translations/invenio_modular_detail_page`

These are in addition to the translations provided by other InvenioRDM packages that come precompiled.

Each of these translation directories functions as a freestanding translation package, with its own `package.json` file, dependencies, and copies of the `i18next` object. The translation commands for each package are defined in that package's `package.json` file and are executed from the root of that translation directory.

In each of these locations a separate instance of the `i18next` object is created in a freestanding `i18next.js` file. The components then import the `i18next` object from the translation directory attached to their own packages.

#### Compiling Translations

```bash
npm install  // this installs the dependencies
npm run extract_messages  // this extracts translatable strings from the javascript components, compiles them in a json file,and creates .pot files in the translations directory
npm run json_to_po  // this creates the .po files from the .json files
npm run compile_catalog  // this compiles the .po files into .mo files
npm run init_catalog language en  // this initializes a new language and adds it to the language list of the local package.json file
```