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Changing the WordPress language

WordPress supports many different languages, making it easy to localize your site for global audiences. On ruachost.com, you can change the language during installation, manually, or by using a plugin.

  • Reach a wider audience by offering content in their native language.
  • Improve usability for site administrators and contributors.
  • Support multilingual websites and regional localization.
  • If installing WordPress via Softaculous in cPanel, you can select your preferred language during setup.
  • This is the easiest way to start with the correct language.

If you already have WordPress installed:

  1. Go to WordPress Translate.

    • Find your desired language code (e.g., fr_FR for French).
  2. Visit WordPress SVN Repository.

    • Locate the directory for your language code.
  3. Download the .mo language file(s) from the messages subdirectory.

  4. Upload the .mo file(s) to:

    /wp-content/languages/

    (Create the languages folder if it doesn’t exist.)

  5. Enable the new language:

    • WordPress 4.0 or newer → Log in → Go to Settings → General → Site Language → Select your language → Save.

    • WordPress 3.9.2 or older → Edit wp-config.php and add:

      define('WPLANG', 'xx_YY');

For easier management:

  1. Log in to WordPress as the administrator.
  2. Go to Plugins → Add New.
  3. Search for WordPress Language (or similar multilingual plugins).
  4. Install and activate the plugin.
  5. Use the plugin’s interface to switch between languages or download additional language packs.