Free Laravel localization tools

Where each tool fits in a Laravel localization workflow

Localizing a Laravel app is the same handful of steps every time, whether it is the first language or the tenth. The tools above map onto those steps, so you can use one in isolation or run through them in order.

1. Get every string out of the code

Nothing can be translated while it is still typed into a Blade template. Paste a template into the Blade scanner to see which headings, labels and attributes need a __() call, with a suggested key for each. The string extraction glossary entry explains the approach, and this article shows how to do it across a whole project.

2. Keep the lang files complete

Once keys exist, the risk moves to the files: a key added to en and forgotten in de, a placeholder renamed in one locale only, a plural line with the wrong number of forms. The lang file diff catches all of those between two locales, and the converters move the same content between PHP, JSON, YAML and CSV when a translator or another system needs a different format. On a deployed site, the key detector shows the keys that already leaked to users.

3. Test before a real translation exists

Pseudo-localization replaces your English text with accented, longer text that is still readable. Switch the app to that locale and every string that stays plain English is hardcoded, and every button that overflows will also overflow in German or Finnish. It costs nothing and finds problems before you pay for a translation.

4. Check the rules each language brings

Languages differ in more than words. Polish and Russian need more plural forms than English, Arabic needs six, and Japanese needs one. The pluralization tester shows the CLDR categories of a language, and the trans_choice() tester runs your actual pluralization line through Laravel, which uses its own rules. If you write messages in ICU MessageFormat, the ICU tester renders them with the real ICU library. Dates and relative times differ too, and the Carbon preview shows them for any locale. The trans_choice guide and the Carbon dates guide cover both in depth, and the per-language guides list the rules for 30 languages.

5. Ship it so search engines understand it

A multilingual site needs locale codes used consistently in folder names, the lang attribute and hreflang annotations. The locale lookup gives you every form of a code at once, and the hreflang generator writes and validates the tags so Google shows each visitor the right language. The multilingual SEO article explains how to wire them into Laravel routes.

6. Plan the cost of the rest

The cost calculator estimates the AI translation quota for your number of keys and languages, both for the first run and for the monthly changes after it.