Locale Configuration

Locale configuration enables your account to support multiple languages for curriculum content. This guide covers how to enable locales, set defaults, and manage language settings across your account.

Before You Begin

You need:

• Admin role in your account
• Understanding of your language requirements (which languages you need)
• Translation resources if you plan to translate content

Understanding Locales

A locale represents a language (and optionally a region). Locales control:

• Content translation - Which languages content can be translated into
• UI language - Interface language for users
• Formatting - Date, number, and currency formats
• Text direction - Left-to-right or right-to-left

Locale Codes

Locales use standard codes:

Use general codes (en, es) unless regional differences matter for your content.

Account-Level Locale Settings

Accessing Locale Configuration

1. Navigate to Account Settings
2. Click Locales or Language Settings
3. View enabled locales and default settings

Default Locale

The default locale is used when:

• Creating new content
• Displaying content without a translation
• New team members first access the account

To set the default locale:

1. Navigate to Account Settings → Locales
2. Find Default Locale setting
3. Select from enabled locales
4. Click Save

Enabled Locales

Enable locales your team needs for translation:

1. Navigate to Account Settings → Locales
2. View the Available Locales list
3. Toggle locales on/off as needed
4. Click Save

Considerations when enabling:
- Only enable locales you plan to use
- More locales = more translation work
- Locales can be enabled later as needed

Curriculum-Level Locale Settings

Each curriculum can have its own locale configuration within the account's enabled locales.

Curriculum Locales

To configure curriculum locales:

1. Open the curriculum
2. Navigate to Settings → Locales
3. Select which account locales apply to this curriculum
4. Set the curriculum's primary locale
5. Click Save

Primary vs. Secondary Locales

Content is authored in the primary locale, then translated to secondary locales.

Locale Inheritance in Variants

Variants inherit locale settings from their parent:

• Parent locales are available to variants
• Variants can disable inherited locales (not add new ones)
• Translation overrides work per-locale

User Locale Preferences

User Interface Language

Team members can set their preferred UI language:

1. Click profile/avatar → User Settings
2. Navigate to Language or Preferences
3. Select preferred language
4. Click Save

The UI updates to their preferred language (if available).

Content Editing Locale

When editing content, users can switch locales:

1. Open content for editing
2. Use the locale selector (usually in toolbar)
3. Select the locale to edit
4. Content displays in that locale
5. Edits save to that specific locale

Configuring Specific Locales

Enabling a New Locale

To add a new language to your account:

1. Navigate to Account Settings → Locales
2. Click Add Locale or find it in the available list
3. Toggle the locale on
4. Click Save

After enabling:
- Locale appears in locale selectors throughout the platform
- Content can be translated to this locale
- Translation status tracking begins

Disabling a Locale

To remove a language from your account:

1. Navigate to Account Settings → Locales
2. Toggle the locale off
3. Click Save

Warning: Disabling a locale:
- Does NOT delete existing translations
- Hides the locale from selectors
- Existing translations remain accessible via direct access
- Re-enabling restores access to translations

Right-to-Left (RTL) Locales

Locales like Arabic and Hebrew require RTL support:

When RTL locales are enabled:
- Text alignment adjusts automatically
- UI layout mirrors where appropriate
- Rich text editor supports RTL input

Translation Workflow Settings

Translation Status Tracking

The system tracks translation status per node per locale:

Stale Translation Alerts

When source content changes after translation:

1. System marks translation as "stale"
2. Dashboard shows stale translation count
3. Translators can filter for stale content
4. Review source changes and update translation

Configure alerts:

1. Navigate to Account Settings → Locales
2. Find Stale Translation Notifications
3. Enable/disable email notifications
4. Set notification frequency
5. Click Save

Locale-Specific Formatting

Date Formats

Different locales use different date formats:

CurryCMS applies appropriate formatting based on locale.

Number Formats

Number formatting varies by locale:

Be aware of these differences when content includes numbers.

Best Practices

Start with Required Locales Only

Enable only the locales you have resources to support:

Do:
- ✅ Start with your primary language
- ✅ Add languages as translation resources become available
- ✅ Prioritize high-demand languages

Don't:
- ❌ Enable all available locales "just in case"
- ❌ Enable locales without translation plans
- ❌ Create incomplete translations

Establish Translation Workflows

Before enabling multiple locales:

1. Identify translators - Who will translate content?
2. Define process - In-app translation or export/import?
3. Set quality standards - Review requirements
4. Plan timeline - When are translations needed?

Maintain Consistency

Across locales, maintain:

• Terminology - Use glossary for consistent term translation
• Tone - Match voice across languages
• Formatting - Preserve structure in translations
• Timing - Keep translations reasonably current

Document Locale Decisions

Record your locale strategy:

## Locale Strategy

**Primary:** English (en)
**Secondary:** Spanish (es), French-Canadian (fr-CA)

**Rationale:**
- English: Primary market
- Spanish: 30% of user base
- French-Canadian: Quebec regulatory requirement

**Not enabled (yet):**
- German: Planned for 2025
- Chinese: No current demand

Common Questions

How many locales can I enable?

This depends on your subscription tier. Most plans support at least 3-5 locales. Enterprise plans may have unlimited locales.

Does enabling a locale translate my content?

No. Enabling a locale makes translation possible. Actual translation requires manual work or integration with translation services.

Can I have different locales for different curricula?

Yes. Each curriculum can use a subset of your account's enabled locales. You don't need to translate every curriculum into every locale.

What happens to translations if I disable a locale?

Translations are preserved but hidden. Re-enabling the locale restores access.

How do I handle regional variations (US vs UK English)?

Enable both en-US and en-GB if regional differences matter. For most educational content, a single en locale is sufficient.

Can users see untranslated content in their preferred locale?

If content isn't translated, users see the fallback (usually the primary locale). Consider providing translation status indicators.

Troubleshooting

"Locale not appearing in selector"

Check:
- Is the locale enabled at account level?
- Is the locale enabled for this specific curriculum?
- Has the page been refreshed?

Solution:
Enable the locale in Account Settings → Locales, then enable for the curriculum.

"RTL text displaying incorrectly"

Check:
- Is the RTL locale properly configured?
- Is the browser supporting RTL?
- Are you using the correct locale code?

Solution:
Verify the locale code is correct (ar, he, etc.). Clear browser cache and refresh.

"Translation status not updating"

Check:
- Has the translation been saved?
- Are all required fields translated?
- Is there a caching issue?

Solution:
Save the translation, refresh the page, verify all translatable fields are complete.

"Stale translations not flagged"

Check:
- Has the source content actually changed?
- Is stale detection enabled?
- When was the source last modified?

Solution:
Verify source content modification date. Check stale detection settings in locale configuration.

Related Documentation:
- Translations - Translating content
- Translate Your Curriculum - Translation workflow guide
- Account Settings - General account configuration
- Glossary Terms - Terminology management