FAQ About Gravity Forms Language Translation Files

Introduction

Language files provide translations of many of the most common Gravity Forms text and UI strings into additional languages. The way language translation files are accessed, loaded and stored has changed with Gravity Forms 2.5. This article provides information about how they are handled now.

Frequently Asked Questions?

What has changed for Gravity Forms language files?

Previously, all the core translation files were included in the Gravity Forms files package with each download. From Gravity Forms 2.5 though, language files are now hosted by the TranslationsPress service, and are downloaded as required during a few key events based on the languages specified in your WordPress admin. This provides a reduction in the overall size of the core file package, and it has also has changed where the files are stored.

What triggers a language file download?

Gravity Forms will trigger the download and installation of appropriate language files on the following events:

  • The installation of the Gravity Forms core plugin or a Gravity Forms add-on.
  • The update of the Gravity Forms core plugin or a Gravity Forms add-on.
  • When the site language is changed on the WordPress My Site → Settings page.
  • When using the WP-CLI wp language plugin commands.

There are also a few conditions that can stop the download of the language file, such as if the installed translation last updated date is the same as the available version, or the translation language/locale is not found.

Can I download language files manually?

Language files can be downloaded for manual installation from the Translations page, which is accessible from the Help menu on the Gravity Forms site.

What locale translation files are managed by Gravity Forms?

There are a certain list of core locales that are updated and reviewed directly by Gravity Forms teams. These are generally checked for updates and updated monthly.

  • Brazilian (pt_BR)
  • Dutch (nl_NL)
  • French (fr_FR)
  • German (de_DE)
  • Hebrew (he_IL)
  • Hindi (hi_HI)
  • Italian (it_IT)
  • Japanese (ja)
  • Portuguese (pt_PT)
  • Russian (ru_RU)
  • Spanish (es_ES)
  • Swedish (sv_SE)
  • Turkish (tr_TR)

What other locale translation files are available?

With customers all over the world, there are many other language translations for Gravity Forms that have been authored and reviewed by volunteer contributors. A full list of these can be found on the Translations page on our website, noted under the manual download menu. Note that these are unofficial translations. Although as much care is taken as possible, Gravity Forms cannot guarantee the accuracy, speed or coverage of these updates. We do log all feedback received through our support channels, and provide it back to the contributors responsible.

To volunteer as a translation contributor, please see the Translation page.

Where are the language files stored now?

The translations are stored in WP_LANG_DIR/plugins/, where WP_LANG_DIR is your WordPress language directory. For example, /wp-content/languages/plugins/.

They can also be stored in WP_LANG_DIR/gravityforms/, and files here will be loaded before those in the default location mentioned above.

What about if the WordPress user has their own selected locale?

Support for the user selected locale was added in Gravity Forms v2.5.6. The user locale will be used first if set, and the default locale otherwise.