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Version: 4.xx.xx

i18n Provider

Internationalization (i18n) is a process that allows software applications to be localized for different regions and languages. refine can work with any i18n framework, but needs an i18nProvider to be created based on the chosen library.

This document will help you add languages other than English, the default language of refine, to your app. If you don't want to do that, you can skip it.

Usage​

First of all, refine expects the i18nProvider type as follows:

import { I18nProvider } from "@refinedev/core";

const i18nProvider: I18nProvider = {
    translate: (key: string, options?: any, defaultMessage?: string) => string,
    changeLocale: (lang: string, options?: any) => Promise,
    getLocale: () => string,
};

After creating a i18nProvider, you can pass it to the <Refine> component:

src/App.tsx
import { Refine } from "@refinedev/core";

import i18nProvider from "./i18nProvider";

const App: React.FC = () => {
    return (
        <Refine
            i18nProvider={i18nProvider}
            /* ... */
        >
            {/* ... */}
        </Refine>
    );
};

This will allow us to put translation features to the followings hooks:

Example​

Let's add multi-language support to our application using the react-i18next framework. When we are done, our application will support both German and English.

For more information, refer to the react-i18next documentation→

TIP

We recommend using create refine-app to initialize your refine projects as it configures the project according to your needs, i18n support included if you choose it in the CLI

If you choose to have

CAUTION

The following parts of the document are for SPA react apps, for Next.js refer to i18n Nextjs example→

Installation​

To install both react-i18next and i18next packages, run the following command within your project directory:

npm install react-i18next i18next i18next-http-backend i18next-browser-languagedetector

Creating the i18n Instance​

First, we will create an i18n instance using react-i18next.

src/i18n.ts
import i18n from "i18next";
import { initReactI18next } from "react-i18next"; // https://react.i18next.com/latest/using-with-hooks
import Backend from "i18next-http-backend"; // For lazy loading for translations: https://github.com/i18next/i18next-http-backend
import detector from "i18next-browser-languagedetector"; // For auto detecting the user language: https://github.com/i18next/i18next-browser-languageDetector

i18n.use(Backend)
    .use(detector)
    .use(initReactI18next)
    .init({
        supportedLngs: ["en", "de"],
        backend: {
            loadPath: "/locales/{{lng}}/{{ns}}.json", // locale files path
        },
        ns: ["common"],
        defaultNS: "common",
        fallbackLng: ["en", "de"],
    });

export default i18n;

Wrapping the app with React.Suspense​

Then we will import the i18n instance we created and wrap the application with React.Suspense.

src/index.tsx
import React from "react";
import { createRoot } from "react-dom/client";
import App from "./App";

import "./i18n";

const container = document.getElementById("root");
const root = createRoot(container!);
root.render(
    <React.StrictMode>
        <React.Suspense fallback="loading">
            <App />
        </React.Suspense>
    </React.StrictMode>,
);
TIP

We use React.Suspense because it improves performance by preventing the app from rendering unnecessarily.

Creating the i18n Provider​

Next, we will include the i18n instance and create the i18nProvider using react-i18next.

src/App.tsx
import type { I18nProvider } from "@refinedev/core";
import { Refine } from "@refinedev/core";
import { useTranslation } from "react-i18next";

const App: React.FC = () => {
    const { t, i18n } = useTranslation();

    const i18nProvider: I18nProvider = {
        translate: (key: string, options?: any) => t(key, options),
        changeLocale: (lang: string) => i18n.changeLanguage(lang),
        getLocale: () => i18n.language,
    };

    return (
        <Refine
            i18nProvider={i18nProvider}
            /* ... */
        >
            {/* ... */}
        </Refine>
    );
};

After we pass the i18nProvider to the <Refine> component, all three translation hooks (useTranslate, useSetLocale, useGetLocale) will be ready for use.

Adding the Translations Files​

Before we get started, let's look at which parts are going to be translated:

The translation file
{
    "pages": {
        "login": {
            "title": "Sign in to your account",
            "signin": "Sign in",
            "signup": "Sign up",
            "divider": "or",
            "fields": {
                "email": "Email",
                "password": "Password"
            },
            "errors": {
                "validEmail": "Invalid email address"
            },
            "buttons": {
                "submit": "Login",
                "forgotPassword": "Forgot password?",
                "noAccount": "Don’t have an account?",
                "rememberMe": "Remember me"
            }
        },
        "forgotPassword": {
            "title": "Forgot your password?",
            "fields": {
                "email": "Email"
            },
            "errors": {
                "validEmail": "Invalid email address"
            },
            "buttons": {
                "submit": "Send reset instructions"
            }
        },
        "register": {
            "title": "Sign up for your account",
            "fields": {
                "email": "Email",
                "password": "Password"
            },
            "errors": {
                "validEmail": "Invalid email address"
            },
            "buttons": {
                "submit": "Register",
                "haveAccount": "Have an account?"
            }
        },
        "updatePassword": {
            "title": "Update password",
            "fields": {
                "password": "New Password",
                "confirmPassword": "Confirm new password"
            },
            "errors": {
                "confirmPasswordNotMatch": "Passwords do not match"
            },
            "buttons": {
                "submit": "Update"
            }
        },
        "error": {
            "info": "You may have forgotten to add the {{action}} component to {{resource}} resource.",
            "404": "Sorry, the page you visited does not exist.",
            "resource404": "Are you sure you have created the {{resource}} resource.",
            "backHome": "Back Home"
        }
    },
    "actions": {
        "list": "List",
        "create": "Create",
        "edit": "Edit",
        "show": "Show"
    },
    "buttons": {
        "create": "Create",
        "save": "Save",
        "logout": "Logout",
        "delete": "Delete",
        "edit": "Edit",
        "cancel": "Cancel",
        "confirm": "Are you sure?",
        "filter": "Filter",
        "clear": "Clear",
        "refresh": "Refresh",
        "show": "Show",
        "undo": "Undo",
        "import": "Import",
        "clone": "Clone",
        "notAccessTitle": "You don't have permission to access"
    },
    "warnWhenUnsavedChanges": "Are you sure you want to leave? You have unsaved changes.",
    "notifications": {
        "success": "Successful",
        "error": "Error (status code: {{statusCode}})",
        "undoable": "You have {{seconds}} seconds to undo",
        "createSuccess": "Successfully created {{resource}}",
        "createError": "There was an error creating {{resource}} (status code: {{statusCode}})",
        "deleteSuccess": "Successfully deleted {{resource}}",
        "deleteError": "Error when deleting {{resource}} (status code: {{statusCode}})",
        "editSuccess": "Successfully edited {{resource}}",
        "editError": "Error when editing {{resource}} (status code: {{statusCode}})",
        "importProgress": "Importing: {{processed}}/{{total}}"
    },
    "loading": "Loading",
    "tags": {
        "clone": "Clone"
    },
    "dashboard": {
        "title": "Dashboard"
    },
    "documentTitle": {
        "default": "refine",
        "suffix": " | refine",
        "post": {
            "list": "Posts | refine",
            "show": "#{{id}} Show Post | refine",
            "edit": "#{{id}} Edit Post | refine",
            "create": "Create new Post | refine",
            "clone": "#{{id}} Clone Post | refine"
        }
    },
    "autoSave": {
        "success": "saved",
        "error": "auto save failure",
        "loading": "saving...",
        "idle": "waiting for changes"
    }
}

Now, let's add the language files:

|-- public
|   |-- locales
|       |-- en
|       |   |-- common.json
|       |-- de
|           |-- common.json
|-- src
|-- package.json
|-- tsconfig.json
Show translation file
/locales/en/common.json
{
    "pages": {
        "login": {
            "title": "Sign in to your account",
            "signin": "Sign in",
            "signup": "Sign up",
            "divider": "or",
            "fields": {
                "email": "Email",
                "password": "Password"
            },
            "errors": {
                "validEmail": "Invalid email address"
            },
            "buttons": {
                "submit": "Login",
                "forgotPassword": "Forgot password?",
                "noAccount": "Don’t have an account?",
                "rememberMe": "Remember me"
            }
        },
        "forgotPassword": {
            "title": "Forgot your password?",
            "fields": {
                "email": "Email"
            },
            "errors": {
                "validEmail": "Invalid email address"
            },
            "buttons": {
                "submit": "Send reset instructions"
            }
        },
        "register": {
            "title": "Sign up for your account",
            "fields": {
                "email": "Email",
                "password": "Password"
            },
            "errors": {
                "validEmail": "Invalid email address"
            },
            "buttons": {
                "submit": "Register",
                "haveAccount": "Have an account?"
            }
        },
        "updatePassword": {
            "title": "Update password",
            "fields": {
                "password": "New Password",
                "confirmPassword": "Confirm new password"
            },
            "errors": {
                "confirmPasswordNotMatch": "Passwords do not match"
            },
            "buttons": {
                "submit": "Update"
            }
        },
        "error": {
            "info": "You may have forgotten to add the {{action}} component to {{resource}} resource.",
            "404": "Sorry, the page you visited does not exist.",
            "resource404": "Are you sure you have created the {{resource}} resource.",
            "backHome": "Back Home"
        }
    },
    "actions": {
        "list": "List",
        "create": "Create",
        "edit": "Edit",
        "show": "Show"
    },
    "buttons": {
        "create": "Create",
        "save": "Save",
        "logout": "Logout",
        "delete": "Delete",
        "edit": "Edit",
        "cancel": "Cancel",
        "confirm": "Are you sure?",
        "filter": "Filter",
        "clear": "Clear",
        "refresh": "Refresh",
        "show": "Show",
        "undo": "Undo",
        "import": "Import",
        "clone": "Clone",
        "notAccessTitle": "You don't have permission to access"
    },
    "warnWhenUnsavedChanges": "Are you sure you want to leave? You have unsaved changes.",
    "notifications": {
        "success": "Successful",
        "error": "Error (status code: {{statusCode}})",
        "undoable": "You have {{seconds}} seconds to undo",
        "createSuccess": "Successfully created {{resource}}",
        "createError": "There was an error creating {{resource}} (status code: {{statusCode}})",
        "deleteSuccess": "Successfully deleted {{resource}}",
        "deleteError": "Error when deleting {{resource}} (status code: {{statusCode}})",
        "editSuccess": "Successfully edited {{resource}}",
        "editError": "Error when editing {{resource}} (status code: {{statusCode}})",
        "importProgress": "Importing: {{processed}}/{{total}}"
    },
    "loading": "Loading",
    "tags": {
        "clone": "Clone"
    },
    "dashboard": {
        "title": "Dashboard"
    },
    "posts": {
        "posts": "Posts",
        "fields": {
            "id": "Id",
            "title": "Title",
            "category": "Category",
            "status": {
                "title": "Status",
                "published": "Published",
                "draft": "Draft",
                "rejected": "Rejected"
            },
            "content": "Content",
            "createdAt": "Created At"
        },
        "titles": {
            "create": "Create Post",
            "edit": "Edit Post",
            "list": "Posts",
            "show": "Show Post"
        }
    },
    "table": {
        "actions": "Actions"
    },
    "documentTitle": {
        "default": "refine",
        "suffix": " | refine",
        "post": {
            "list": "Posts | refine",
            "show": "#{{id}} Show Post | refine",
            "edit": "#{{id}} Edit Post | refine",
            "create": "Create new Post | refine",
            "clone": "#{{id}} Clone Post | refine"
        }
    },
    "autoSave": {
        "success": "saved",
        "error": "auto save failure",
        "loading": "saving...",
        "idle": "waiting for changes"
    }
}
TIP

We can override refine's default texts by changing the common.json files in the example above.

TIP

All of refine's components support i18n, meaning that if you want to change their text, you can create your own translation files with the reference to the keys above.

Changing The Locale​

Next, we will create a <Header> component. This component will allow us to change the language.

src/components/header.tsx
import { DownOutlined } from "@ant-design/icons";
import { useGetLocale, useSetLocale } from "@refinedev/core";
import { Avatar, Button, Dropdown, Layout, Menu, Space } from "antd";
import { useTranslation } from "react-i18next";

export const Header: React.FC = () => {
    const { i18n } = useTranslation();
    const locale = useGetLocale();
    const changeLanguage = useSetLocale();

    const currentLocale = locale();

    const menu = (
        <Menu selectedKeys={currentLocale ? [currentLocale] : []}>
            {[...(i18n.languages || [])].sort().map((lang: string) => (
                <Menu.Item
                    key={lang}
                    onClick={() => changeLanguage(lang)}
                    icon={
                        <span style={{ marginRight: 8 }}>
                            <Avatar
                                size={16}
                                src={`/images/flags/${lang}.svg`}
                            />
                        </span>
                    }
                >
                    {lang === "en" ? "English" : "German"}
                </Menu.Item>
            ))}
        </Menu>
    );

    return (
        <Layout.Header
            style={{
                display: "flex",
                justifyContent: "flex-end",
                alignItems: "center",
                padding: "0px 24px",
                height: "48px",
                backgroundColor: "#FFF",
            }}
        >
            <Dropdown overlay={menu}>
                <Button type="link">
                    <Space>
                        <Avatar
                            size={16}
                            src={`/images/flags/${currentLocale}.svg`}
                        />
                        {currentLocale === "en" ? "English" : "German"}
                        <DownOutlined />
                    </Space>
                </Button>
            </Dropdown>
        </Layout.Header>
    );
};

Then, we will pass <Header> to our <Layout> component.

src/App.tsx
import { Refine, Resource } from "@refinedev/core";
import { ThemedLayoutV2 } from "@refinedev/antd";

import { useTranslation } from "react-i18next";

import "./i18n";

import { Header } from "components";

const App: React.FC = () => {
    const { t, i18n } = useTranslation();

    const i18nProvider = {
        translate: (key: string, options?: any) => t(key, options),
        changeLocale: (lang: string) => i18n.changeLanguage(lang),
        getLocale: () => i18n.language,
    };

    return (
        <Refine
            i18nProvider={i18nProvider}
            /* ... */
        >
            <ThemedLayoutV2
                header={<Header />}
            >
                {/* ... */}
            </Layout>
        </Refine>
    );
};

Finally, we will create the <PostList> page and then we will translate texts using useTranslate.

src/App.tsx
import {
    useTranslate,
    useMany,
} from "@refinedev/core";
import {
    List,
    useTable,
    TextField,
    EditButton,
    ShowButton,
} from "@refinedev/antd";
import { Table, Space } from "antd";

import { IPost, ICategory } from "interfaces";

export const PostList: React.FC = () => {
    const translate = useTranslate();
    const { tableProps } = useTable<IPost>();

    const categoryIds =
        tableProps?.dataSource?.map((item) => item.category.id) ?? [];
    const { data, isLoading } = useMany<ICategory>({
        resource: "categories",
        ids: categoryIds,
        queryOptions: {
            enabled: categoryIds.length > 0,
        },
    });

    return (
        <List>
            <Table {...tableProps} rowKey="id">
                <Table.Column dataIndex="id" title="ID" />
                <Table.Column
                    dataIndex="title"
                    title={translate("posts.fields.title")}
                />
                <Table.Column
                    dataIndex={["category", "id"]}
                    title={translate("posts.fields.category")}
                    render={(value) => {
                        if (isLoading) {
                            return <TextField value="Loading..." />;
                        }

                        return (
                            <TextField
                                value={
                                    data?.data.find((item) => item.id === value)
                                        ?.title
                                }
                            />
                        );
                    }}
                />
                <Table.Column<IPost>
                    title={translate("table.actions")}
                    dataIndex="actions"
                    key="actions"
                    render={(_value, record) => (
                        <Space>
                            <EditButton size="small" recordItemId={record.id} />
                            <ShowButton size="small" recordItemId={record.id} />
                        </Space>
                    )}
                />
            </Table>
        </List>
    );
};
interfaces/index.d.ts
export interface ICategory {
    id: number;
    title: string;
}

export interface IPost {
    id: number;
    title: string;
    content: string;
    status: "published" | "draft" | "rejected";
    category: { id: number };
}

Language change action

Methods​

translate​

translate takes parameters and passes them to the provided i18nProvider and expects a string as a return value.

It has two function signatures with different parameters, which is known as function overloading.

function translate(key: string, options?: any, defaultMessage?: string): string;
function translate(key: string, defaultMessage?: string): string;

It means that you can use it in two different ways. The first one is to pass the key, options, and, defaultMessage as parameters. The second one is to pass the key and defaultMessage parameters. The options parameter is optional.

  • Example of the key and defaultMessage function signature
import { I18nProvider } from "@refinedev/core";
import { useTranslation } from "react-i18next";

// ...

const { t } = useTranslation();

const i18nProvider: I18nProvider = {
    translate: (key: string, defaultMessage?: string) => t(key, defaultMessage),
    // ...
};

// ...
import { useTranslate } from "@refinedev/core";

// ...

const translate = useTranslate();

// ...

translate("posts.fields.title", "Title");

// ...
  • Example of the key, options and, defaultMessage function signature
import { I18nProvider } from "@refinedev/core";
import { useTranslation } from "react-i18next";

// ...

const { t } = useTranslation();

const i18nProvider: I18nProvider = {
    translate: (key: string, options?: any, defaultMessage?: string) =>
        t(key, defaultMessage, options),
    // ...
};

// ...
import { useTranslate } from "@refinedev/core";

// ...

const translate = useTranslate();

// ...

const title = translate("posts.fields.title", { ns: "resources" }, "Title");

// ...

You can use the useTranslate hook to call translate method.

changeLocale​

translate takes parameters and passes them to the provided i18nProvider and expects a Promise as a return value.

changeLocale: (locale: string, options?: any) => Promise<any>;

You can use the useSetLocale hook to call changeLocale method.

getLocale​

getLocale expects a string as a return value. It should return the current locale from your i18nProvider.

getLocale: () => string;

You can use the useGetLocale hook to call getLocale method.

Example​

View Source Code
Run on your local
npm create refine-app@latest -- --example i18n-react

FAQ​

How can I create translation files for other languages in an automated way?​

You can use the following community example project as a starting point for incorporating automated translations. The project adds deepl-translate-github-action which uses DeepL, an AI translation service to translate your locales json.

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