Interactive Translation of Tiki Interface


This permits web-based, in-context translations.

The feature was added in Tiki2 and underwent an overhaul in Tiki5, and further improvements in Tiki6 and Tiki7. As of Tiki6.1, this tool can't translate the strings in JavaScript functions, so you still need to edit manually the ./lang/xx/language.js file from your xx language.

To setup interactive translation

  1. Enable Multilingual and Use database for translation on the i18n/Multilingual control panel ( tiki-admin.php?page=i18n )
  2. Give the permission tiki_p_edit_languages to the group that should be allowed to edit languages. If you skip this step, only admins will be able to. Please note that if you give tiki_p_edit_languages to regular (non-admin users), they'll only be able to translate non-admin interfaces.
  3. Add the module switch_lang

To use interactive translation

  1. Using the module switch_lang select the language you want to translate to
  2. From tiki-edit_languages.php (Admin -> Edit languages), Use Toggle interactive translation ON.

    Translation Toggle
    Note: You may need to add an item in a Menu or a link to "tiki-edit_languages.php".
    • The tools will be enabled for your session. You will need to turn it off from the same location.
    • The tools appear as a green bar at the top of the screen
  3. Navigate to the page containing the string you want to translate, or change locally if for an English website.
  4. Check the Interactive Translation checkbox in the green toolbar. Uncheck it when you want to continue navigating.

    Translation Greenbar
  5. Click on the string you wish to translate. A window will open displaying related strings.

    Translation Modal
  6. Modify the strings and save the translations. Changes will appear immediately.


Selecting a string may occasionally lead to false positives being listed. The most relevant options are generally on top, but be careful when translating the text.

You should likely make sure your database & Tiki are properly setup to use UTF-8: Understanding Encoding

Related pages

Alias