There are many automated translation tools available for Joomla and other web applications. They sound too good to be true and they are. You still need human beings to translate and manage the text and the excellent JoomFish component for Joomla can help you.

Automated translation engines are just not good enough. They are great to get an idea about an article, but certainly will cost you money if you try to impress customers with weird automated translations.

We have developed a few multilingual websites and the free Joomfish component is the leading translation management system to use. The system is capable of managing an unlimited number of translations, alphabets and languages.The system manages translations, it does not translate the text!

Below are two screen shots of a multilingual website we developed for an NGO in Afghanistan with JoomFish. The first screen shot is from the English version of the site.

The screen shot below is from the Dari version of the site. Please note that not only the text, but also all the menus and even the polling module are translated into Dari. The alignment of the text is to the right, since Dari is read from the right to the left (this is done automatically by the system).

Installing a multilingual site is not difficult:

Step 1: Install the languages you need for your site. Please visit the Joomla language pack repository. You normally would only need a language pack, not the full translation of Joomla. Full translations are available in the JED.

Step 2: Install the language like you would install a component, plugin or module.

Step 3: Download and install the JoomFish component.

Step 4: Activate the language pack and you can start with the translation of your site.

You can find the JoomFish component in the JED. The JoomFish website has great tutorials on how to use the system.

Step 1: First you need to install the xml files for the Docman Component. You can download the docman.zip file from here: http://joomlacode.org/gf/project/joomfish/frs/

Step 2: Unzip it to your local machine > you will have next xml-files. Then:

Step 3: Rename the xml-files:

docman.docman.xml > rename to docman.xml
docman.groups.xml > rename to docman_groups.xml
docman.licenses.xml > rename to docman_licenses.xml

Step 4: Install each file one by one using the J!F Content element installer (J!F Content element > Install). Please do not use the normal Joomla installer.

Source: Tassu

To be able to translate the Docman categories you need to:

Step 1: Go to the following file on the server: administrator>components>com_joomfish>contentelements>categories.xml

Step 2: Change in the categories.xml: <field type="text" name="name" translate="0">Name</field>

Into:

<field type="text" name="name" translate="1">Name</field>

Source:  GranAntonio