How to Add Multiple Language Options to the BuddyBoss App

Introduction

The BuddyBoss App’s multilingual support allows you to add, edit, and remove complete language packs, import and export translation CSV files, and configure both automatic language detection and manual language selection

These features apply to every native UI element—buttons, labels, prompts, and menus—enabling full localization for your users.

Follow the guide below to set up Multilingual Support in your App.

Tutorial Video

Managing a New Language in the BuddyBoss App

Adding a New Language

To begin supporting additional languages, first add each language you wish to include:

1. In your WordPress admin, navigate to BuddyBoss App > Translations.

2. Click Add Language to open a pop-up with a single-select dropdown.

3. Choose your target language (options are pulled from the supported-languages list).
   

4. Click Save Changes to register the new language.

Deleting a Language

If you later decide to remove a language from the app:

1. Go to BuddyBoss App > Translations.
2. Select the language that you want to delete.
3. Scroll down the translations page.
4. Click Delete Language.
5. Confirm the prompt. The language and all its translations will be permanently removed.

Editing Default Text Strings

Once a language is added, its default text strings load automatically in that locale. You can refine these translations either directly in the BuddyBoss App admin dashboard or via CSV:

Backend Editing

You may edit the translated default text strings individually by:

1. Change the default string to your preference.
2. Click Save Changes.

CSV File Editing

To bulk-edit the default text strings, you may update the CSV language file. You can do this by:

Download the CSV Language File

1. Click Download CSV to export all translation keys and values for the selected language.
   

Upload the CSV Language File

After completing your edits to the default text strings, upload the revised CSV language file to apply your changes.

1. Click Upload CSV to import the translation file.

Note: If you upload without clicking Save Changes, a reminder prompt appears.

User Option to Switch Language

Once the new languages are added, users will be able to change the app’s language on the app’s frontend. This can be done by doing the following:

1. In the app, go to Settings > Language.
2. Select a new language from the bottom sheet.
3. The app automatically relaunches, showing UI strings in the chosen language.

Note: To enable the selection of newly added languages in the BuddyBoss app’s frontend, a new app build is needed.

When configuring build permissions, leave your site’s default language disabled if it matches the build’s default (e.g., leave English off if your WordPress site’s language is to English).

Troubleshooting and FAQs

Q: What happens when I open the app for the first time?
A: On initial launch, the app detects your phone’s default language. If that language is supported by the build, all native strings display in that language. If it’s not supported, the app falls back to the build’s default language.

Q: What if I want to translate my blog pages, posts, courses, events?
A: For post-based content (pages, posts, courses, events), you may use WPML Plugin that is integrated with BuddyBoss. WPML allows you to create language-specific versions of content, ensuring users see the appropriate translation based on their selected language.

Learn more about WPML plugin here: https://www.buddyboss.com/integrations/wpml/

Q: If I change my phone’s system language later, will the app automatically switch?
A: No. Once installed, the app retains its current language. Changing your phone’s default language after installation does not affect the app’s language until you relaunch it via manual settings.

Q: What happens if my branded font lacks glyph support for a chosen language?
A: The app will Fall back to the system default font, or display a warning message notifying the user of the limitation

Q: How many languages does the app support?
A: The app supports 29 languages, including Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian Bokmål, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, and Ukrainian.

Q: I want to add a new language to my app. Do I need a new build?
A: Yes, each time you add a new language to your app, a new build is required.