Current best practices for multi-language apps

Mobile Beta
1

Hey, everyone!

I was wondering what is the current “correct” way to handle more than one language inside the app.

Claude has suggested a LanguageStrings table (Key, Lang1, Lang2, Lang3) and every text inside the app is a search on that table with conditionals varying on the user chosen language.

So, would that consume too many workload units? Performance wise, could that slow down significantly the app?

Is there a better way altogether?

Thank you

2

How many languages are you looking to add?

3

Use App text instead of saving the fields. For options sets, create DisplayEN, DisplaynES, DisplayFR and so on, for the languages you need.

4

2 more besides the original, so 3 in total. But I’d like to future-proof it in case I ever decide to add more!

5

App Texts automatically change language based on the users cellphone language, correct? Can I make the option sets do that? Or the user has to manually select a language in the app for that to work?

My worry is that maybe the users cellphone is in english, but they would like to use the app in portuguese. So the App Texts itens would be in english and the other itens (from option sets) would be in portuguese

6

To utilize app text with language you need to set a language field on the user and reference that.

You can learn more about it here App texts (translations) | Bubble Docs

7

No, it is based on the User language field. As @dbom009 pointed out, read the documentation for a better understanding.

8

Awesome, got it. Read the documentation and I might be being a little slow here, but now that I created a language field on the user, how do I tell bubble that this is the language field?

The doc says “you assign that field to control the user’s language setting with the dropdown Language field on the user type.” but I don’t see a dropdown.

9

I use app texts

For option sets I make a field called langString

  1. In langString I put a “variable” that can be find and replaced reliable e.g. {{variableName}}
  2. Then when this option is used I use option’s langString find and replace {{variableName}} with AppText

In this way you can make dropdowns etc in any language you have in your AppTexts. Its all highly dynamic without need conditionals

In addition I have a google sheet set up for translation

  1. I download the AppTexts
  2. Add them to the google sheet
  3. Use the translate function to translate across like 100 languages
  4. I then upload it back into bubble

I think Buildprint has some type of translation capabilties for app texts without the muck around I mentioned with Google Sheets. I am about to find out because I am doing translations now.

10

Yes. Yes and Yes…that last Yes is true at least for Web, not 10@% sure if Mobile supports app text.

Look into app text. Doesn’t cost WUs, and method suggested by AI is just absurd to think about WU costs on such an approach in Bubble.

Only performance issue with app text as far as I can tell is when switching languages as page needs to be refreshed, but otherwise the text is already loaded when page is.

11

Looks like everyone’s been guiding you on the use of App Text for web apps, but since you posted in Mobile Beta I’m assuming you’re building a native mobile app, and if that’s the case then your assumption is correct: The language in the app is selected based on the device’s language setting.

For mobile, the language set on the user field won’t make a difference, that only applies to web apps. You also need to set which languages to support in Supported languages in the app settings.

Here’s a direct link to the section on App Text for native mobile in the manual.