How To Translate EmberJS Apps

This step-by-step guide will show you how to localize EmberJS apps.

Prerequisites

Create a new, blank EmberJS application:

ember new demoapp

Switch to the newly created demo app directory and install the i18n add-on:

npm install ember-cli-i18n --save-dev

Next, create two language files, Englisch (en) and German (de):

ember generate locale en
ember generate locale de

Language Files

Language files (locales) hold all translatable strings that are used in your application code and templates. The format is simple:

// app/locales/en.js
export default {
  "greeting": "Hello User",
  "task-create": "Create new task",
  "task-delete": "Delete task",
  "task-open": "You have open tasks"
};

Strings can also be grouped:

// app/locales/en.js
export default {
  greeting: "Hello User",
  "task": {
    "create": "Create new task",
    "fail": "Delete task",
    "open": "You have open tasks"
  }
};

You can use Placeholders…

// app/locales/en.js
export default {
  "greeting": "Hello %@",
  "task": {
    "create": "Create new task",
    "fail": "Delete task",
    "open": "You have %@ open tasks"
  }
};

… and Pluralization (CLDR pluralization format):

// app/locales/en.js
export default {
  "greeting": "Hello %@",
  "task": {
    "create": "Create new task"
    "fail": "Delete task"
    "open": {
      "zero": "Nothing to do",
      "one": "One open task",
      "other": "You have %@ open tasks"
    }
  }
};

Using Language Files

Set a default language that is used as a fallback in config/enviroment.js:

// config/enviroment.js
var ENV = {
  APP: {
    // ...
    defaultLocale: 'en',
  }
};

And in your main app/app.js, set the current locale to be used:

// app/app.js
var App = Ember.Application.extend({
  // ...
  locale: 'de'
});

In your templates and app code you can use the ‘t’ helper function (‘t’ for translate) for loading strings from the current locale. The t function is available in all templates, controllers, components, routes, and models.

You can load translated strings into your templates:

<h1>{{t 'greeting'}}</h1>
<h2>{{t 'task.create'}}</h2>
<h2>{{t 'task.delete'}}</h2>

Or in your code:

alert(this.t('task.open', 42));

Managing Translations

Working with the .js language files can be tricky and translating strings in a text editor also isn’t a very convenient workflow.

Phrase is a translation management tool that addresses some of these issues. It features a powerful In-Context Editor (Demo), making the process of translating web apps more convenient. Integrating the Phrase In-Context Editor in your EmberJS apps is easy.

Install the Phrase add-on:

npm install ember-cli-phraseapp --save-dev

Add some Phrase configuration to your app/app.js:

// app/app.js
var ENV = {
  APP: {
    // ...
    defaultLocale: 'en',
    locale: 'de',
    phraseEnabled: true,
    phrasePrefix: '{{__',
    phraseSuffix: '__}}'
  }
};

Then include the JavaScript snippet into your templates:

<script>
    window.PHRASEAPP_CONFIG = {
        projectId: "YOUR-PROJECT-ID"
    };
    (function() {
        var phraseapp = document.createElement('script'); phraseapp.type = 'text/javascript'; phraseapp.async = true;
        phraseapp.src = ['https://', 'phraseapp.com/assets/in-context-editor/2.0/app.js?', new Date().getTime()].join('');
        var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(phraseapp, s);
    })();
</script>

You can find your Project-ID in the Phrase Translation Center.

ember-cli-phraseapp acts as a replacement for ember-cli-i18n. When phraseEnabled is set to true, string keys are exposed to the to the In-Context-Editor.

Wrapping Up

We hope this short introductory guide was helpful to you. To get deeper into the EmberJS framework, make sure to go take a look at the official EmberJS website and the ember-cli-i18n GitHub repo.
If you feel like venturing a bit and exploring what software internationalization can look like in other JavaScript frameworks, feel free to drop by the following tutorials:

• Gatsby i18n: A Hands-on Guide
• The Answers to All Your Questions About Gridsome Localization
• Electron App Tutorial on Internationalization (i18n)

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