JoomHelpdesk - Translation Guide

JoomHelpdesk is fully translatable. You can translate both the interface (buttons, labels, menus) and your helpdesk content (statuses, categories, priorities, etc.) into any language supported by Joomla.

1. Setting Up Your Site Language

JoomHelpdesk automatically uses whatever languages you have installed in Joomla. To add a new language:

1. In the Joomla admin, go to System > Install > Languages
2. Find and install the language you need
3. Go to System > Manage > Content Languages and make sure the language is published

Once a language is installed, JoomHelpdesk will show its interface in that language for users who have selected it. If a translation is not yet available for your language, JoomHelpdesk falls back to English.

How Interface Translation Works

JoomHelpdesk's interface strings (all the labels, buttons, messages, and system text you see throughout the component) are stored in language files (.ini files). These are the files that get translated on Crowdin by the community. Languages that reach 50% or more translation progress on Crowdin are included in releases, so your site will automatically receive those translations when you update JoomHelpdesk.

If your language is not yet included or is only partially translated, untranslated strings will appear in English. You can help by contributing translations on Crowdin (see Help Translate JoomHelpdesk below).

2. Translating Helpdesk Content

JoomHelpdesk allows you to translate your own helpdesk content into multiple languages. When a user visits the site, the system checks their language preference and displays the translated text if available, or falls back to the default text.

What Can Be Translated

How to Translate Content

1. Navigate to the item you want to translate in the admin panel

   • Example: Components > JoomHelpdesk > Ticket Status

2. Edit the item you want to translate

3. Click the "Translate" button in the toolbar (has a flag icon)

4. A modal popup will appear showing:

   • The current value of each translatable field
   • Input fields for each installed Joomla language

5. Enter translations for each language

   • Leave fields blank to use the default (original) text

6. Click "Save" in the translation modal

7. Save the item using the Save button in the toolbar

   Important: The translation is only stored when you save the main item!

Example: Translating a Ticket Status

1. Go to Components > JoomHelpdesk > Ticket Statuses
2. Click on a status (e.g., "Open")
3. Click the Translate button in the toolbar
4. In the popup:
   • You'll see "Current: Open" with the current value
   • Enter "Abierto" for Spanish (Espanol)
   • Enter "Ouvert" for French (Francais)
5. Click Save in the popup
6. Click Save in the main toolbar

3. Menu Translation

Special Feature for Main Menus

The Main Menu items have a special feature: "Convert To Language ini"

This converts your custom menu text to use Joomla's language system instead of hardcoded text, enabling full multilingual support.

How It Works

1. Go to Components > JoomHelpdesk > Main Menus
2. Note the warning box about translations
3. Click "Convert To Language ini" button
4. Your menu text will now be managed through the language system

When to Use This

• Use this if you want full multilingual support for your menus
• Don't use this if you only need simple menu customization
• Warning: This will overwrite any custom text you've entered

4. Tips and Best Practices

1. Install languages first - Make sure all needed Joomla languages are installed before translating content

2. Test translations - Switch your Joomla frontend language to verify translations appear correctly

3. Consistent terminology - Use consistent terminology across all translations

4. Don't forget to save - Always save the main item after closing the translation modal

5. Empty = Default - Leave translation fields empty to fall back to the default language text

6. Frontend and Admin - Content translations work on both frontend and admin based on user's language setting

5. Help Translate JoomHelpdesk

JoomHelpdesk uses Crowdin, an online translation platform, to manage community translations of the interface. Crowdin provides a user-friendly web editor so you can contribute translations without any technical knowledge.

What Gets Translated on Crowdin

The Crowdin project contains all of JoomHelpdesk's interface language files (.ini files) -- these cover every label, button, message, and system text in the component, modules, and plugins.

How to Contribute

1. Visit the JoomHelpdesk Crowdin project: crowdin.com/project/joomhelpdesk
2. To get access, open a support ticket at joomboost.com requesting an invitation to the Crowdin project
3. Once invited, you can start translating strings into your language directly in the Crowdin web editor

When Do Translations Ship?

Languages that reach 50% or more translation progress on Crowdin are automatically included in the next JoomHelpdesk release. The more complete your language's translation, the better the experience for users in that language. Untranslated strings fall back to English.

Your contributions help make JoomHelpdesk accessible to users worldwide.