Working with Internationalization and Localization

In the digital age, applications are accessed by users from every corner of the world. Catering to a global audience requires more than just translating content; it’s about providing a seamless user experience that respects cultural nuances and user preferences. Ensuring that your application speaks the user’s language, both literally and figuratively, can significantly enhance user satisfaction and engagement.

So, throughout this chapter, our primary objective is to equip you with the knowledge and tools necessary to make your applications universally accessible and user-friendly. We’ll do this by deeply exploring the realms of internationalization and localization, guiding you through the process of making your Angular applications globally friendly with the aid of PrimeNG components. By the end of this chapter, you’ll be adept at configuring language support, ensuring your application resonates with...

Technical requirements

This chapter contains various working code samples on internationalization and localization. You can find the related source code in the chapter-12 folder of the following GitHub repository: https://github.com/PacktPublishing/Next-Level-UI-Development-with-PrimeNG/tree/main/apps/chapter-12.

Introducing internationalization and localization

In the realm of global web development, ensuring that applications cater to a worldwide audience is paramount. This is where internationalization (i18n) and localization (l10n) come into play, especially in the context of Angular applications.

Introducing internationalization (i18n) in Angular applications

Internationalization, often abbreviated as i18n (because there are 18 letters between the ‘i’ and the ‘n’), is the process of designing and preparing your application to be usable in different languages. For instance, i18n requires considering language and cultural variations during product design, including the use of Unicode character encoding, avoiding hardcoded text, and allowing sufficient room for text expansion.

Note

Unicode provides universal character encoding, which means that each character is assigned a unique code point regardless of the platform, language, or application. It ensures...

Exploring popular internationalization libraries for Angular

i18n is a crucial aspect of building Angular applications that cater to a global audience. Fortunately, there are several reliable i18n libraries available for Angular that simplify the process of translating and localizing applications. In this section, we will explore some popular i18n libraries for Angular, including @angular/localize, ngx-translate, @ngneat/transloco, and angular-i18next.

Here are the current stats of those libraries from NPM trends:

Figure 12.1 - Angular i18n library stats from NPM trends

From the trend, it is evident that @angular/localize and ngx-translate are the prominent players with approximately 500,000 downloads per day, whereas @ngneat/transloco receives around 100,000 downloads per day and angular-i18next about 13,000 downloads per day. The latest updates also have been made to @angular/localize and @ngneat/transloco.

Important note

Considering security...

Working with ngx-translate for internationalization

By building upon the previous section, ngx-translate offers a simple and adaptable method for translating Angular applications. In this section, we will delve into the steps of integrating ngx-translate into an Angular application and provide valuable insights and strategies for maximizing productivity with ngx-translate.

Integrating ngx-translate into an Angular application

To get started with ngx-translate, follow these steps to integrate it into your Angular application:

1. First, install the ngx-translate library. Open a terminal and navigate to your Angular project’s root directory. Then, run the following command to install ngx-translate:

   npm install @ngx-translate/core @ngx-translate/http-loader --save

   This command will install the core and http-loader package for initializing and loading the translation from the files using HttpClient.

2. In your Angular application, open the app.config.ts file and import the...

Working with PrimeNG Locale

PrimeNG Locale is a feature provided by PrimeNG that enables you to configure and customize the l10n settings for its components. It allows you to define the locale-specific configurations, such as language, date format, time format, and number format. By utilizing PrimeNG Locale, you can ensure your application caters to the needs of users from different regions and cultures.

To utilize PrimeNG Locale, it is necessary to comprehend the configuration and application process within your Angular project. By default, PrimeNG only includes English translations for the locale. To localize PrimeNG components, manually updating the translations is required.

For example, the following are locale options along with their corresponding translations for the PrimeNG Calendar component:

Figure 12.7 – Example of translation for calendar component

Based on the code, it is clear that PrimeNG incorporates these wordings for English...

Summary

Throughout this chapter, we’ve embarked on a journey through the realms of i18n and l10n within the Angular framework, focusing on how PrimeNG components can be leveraged to create applications that resonate with a global audience. We’ve delved into the intricacies of adapting applications to various locales, ensuring that every user experiences the application in a way that feels native to them.

We’ve uncovered the significance of i18n and l10n, understanding that while they are closely related, they serve distinct purposes. i18n is the process of designing a software application so that it can be adapted to various languages and regions without engineering changes. l10n, on the other hand, is the process of adapting internationalized software for a specific region or language by adding locale-specific components and translating text.

We discussed the different options for i18n in Angular and showcased the ngx-translate library as a powerful tool...