ShipThing includes a powerful internationalization package that enables you to add multiple language support to your application with minimal configuration. The package handles language detection, routing, and content management through a dictionary-based approach.

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How it works

The internationalization system is built on Next.js Internationalization’s routing system and Languine’s translation system. It’s configured by default for the web package to:
  1. Detect the user’s preferred language through browser headers
  2. Route users to language-specific paths (e.g., /en/about, /fr/about)
  3. Serve content from language-specific dictionaries
The package handles language detection and matching, ensuring users see content in their preferred language when available.

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Setup

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Set Languine environment variable

To enable automatic translations, simply create a .env file in the internationalization package and set the LANGUINE_PROJECT_ID environment variable.
.env
LANGUINE_PROJECT_ID="your-project-id"

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Login languine

Terminal
npx languine@latest auth login
Languine offers 500 translation keys for free. If you need more, you need upgrade to a paid plan.If you don’t want to use Languine, you can manually translate your content. You do not need to set the LANGUINE_PROJECT_ID environment variable in this case.

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Configuration

The internationalization package is configured through a languine.json file that defines:
  • Source locale (e.g., en)
  • Target locales (e.g., ["es", "de"])
  • Dictionary file locations

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Dictionary Structure

Dictionaries are TypeScript files that export strongly-typed content for each supported language. The type system ensures consistency across translations:
packages/internationalization/dictionaries/[locale].ts
import type { Dictionary } from '@repo/internationalization';

const dictionary: Dictionary = {};

export default dictionary;
There is no need to create a dictionary for any non-source locale, as Languine will automatically generate the translations for you.

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Usage

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Translating

To translate your application, you can run the following command:
Terminal
pnpm translate
This will translate all of the content in your application and save the translations to the dictionaries folder.

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Frontend

To use the internationalization package, you need to:
  1. Maintain a dictionary for your source locale.
  2. Import the dictionary into your application.
  3. Use the dictionary to render content.
You can find an example of a dictionary in the web package:
apps/web/app/page.tsx
import { getDictionary } from '@repo/internationalization';

type HomeProps = {
  params: Promise<{
    locale: string;
  }>;
};

const Home = async ({ params }: HomeProps) => {
  const { locale } = await params;
  const dictionary = await getDictionary(locale);

  // ...
};
You can change the locale of the application by changing the locale parameter in the URL. For example, https://example.com/en/about will render the about page in English. We’ve already configured the web package with a language switcher, so you don’t need to worry about it.

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Middleware

The internationalization package also includes a middleware component that automatically detects the user’s language and routes them to the appropriate language-specific page. This has already been configured for the web package, so you don’t need to worry about it.
apps/web/middleware.ts
import { internationalizationMiddleware } from '@repo/internationalization';

export default internationalizationMiddleware;