How to Create Multilingual Webpart in SharePoint 2010?

What is Localization/Multilingual and Globalization?
The term "Localization" defined as "Process of translating resources for a specific culture/languages", where "Globalization" defined "Process of designing applications that can adapt to different cultures/languages". When we publish a site for different regions then it'll be great if the site content is displayed in that regional language. SharePoint provides Language Packs which can be downloaded and installed from Microsoft Site. but the limitation in this is only the SharePoint site labels/text will be displayed in selected language and the user defined contents won't be translated by SharePoint.

How to enable Localization in SharePoint 2010?
Assume we develop a webpart that has a registration form. A user from German wish to register and he needs the form in German/Dutch language. Even though Dutch language pack installed and enabled in SharePoint, the webpart text won't be translated/displayed in German. So how to make webpart that can adapt different languages. For those working in .Net platform knows it can be done with Resource files (.resx). Resource files are nothing but Key/Value Pair defined XML format files.

Here the steps to create a Webpart that detects the selected language in SharePoint and display contents that fetched from Resource Files.

Open Visual Studio 2010 -> File -> New -> Project
Select [Template] Visual C# -> SharePoint -> 2010 [Framework] .Net Framework 3.5 [Project] -> Empty SharePoint 2010 Project. Name of the Project : vsProject

New Empty SharePoint Project
In the SharePoint Customization Wizard, enter the URL of the local site (http://vsnet/) and select Deploy as a farm solution.
Create Resource Files
1. Resource files should be present in SharePoint Root "Resources" folder. In Solution Explorer select project "vsProject", right click and select Add -> SharePoint Mapped Folder.
  
  Add SharePoint Mapped Folders
2. In the Window select "Resources" Folder.
  
  Add "Resources" Folder
3. Now an empty "Resources" folder is created inside SharePoint project. Any files placed inside this folder will be copied to SharePoint Root (14)\Resources Folder while deploying.
4. Right click on Resources folder and select Add -> New Folder -> vsProject [Folder Name]. Always create folder and place files. This will avoid the files getting deleted when any SharePoint service pack installed.
5. Right click on Newly created folder [vsProject] and select New -> New Item.
6. In the New Item window select [Template] Visual C# -> General -> Resources File -> Name the files as "vsProject.resx". This is for default language which in English (LCID : 1033).
  
  New Resource File
7. Select vsProject.resx file, right click and Open.
8. Add Name and Value pairs as required.
  
  Add Name/Value Pairs
9. Repeat Step "f." and provide name "vsProject.de-DE.resx". This file is for Dutch language. Refer the end of the article to get full list.
10. Open "vsProject.de-DE.resx" and enter the same Name as in vsProject.resx and provide value in German Language. Here "Comment" Field is optional.
Create Webpart
The Resource file is ready to use and now need to create Web part that get value from those resource files.
1. Right Click on the Project "vsProject" and "Add -> New Item"
2. Select "Visual C# -> SharePoint -> 2010 -> Web Part". Name : "LocalizationDemo".
3. Copy paste the below code inside LocalizationDemo class or just refer it.
  protected override void CreateChildControls()
  { int intLCID = System.Threading.Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture.LCID;
  Label lblWelcomeText = new Label();
  lblWelcomeText.Text = "Value : " + getLocalizedValue("WelcomeText", intLCID);
  this.Controls.Add(lblWelcomeText);
  }
  
  public string getLocalizedValue(string strInput, int intLCID)
  { // Function to retreive specified Language Variation Value string strLocalizedValue = "";
  
  strLocalizedValue = Microsoft.SharePoint.Utilities.SPUtility.GetLocalizedString("$Resources: " + strInput, "vsProject\\vsProject", (uint)intLCID);
  return strLocalizedValue;
  }
4. Save all files, Build and Deploy. The solution will be deployed in SharePoint and ready to use.
5. Open the SharePoint site any page and click "Edit" Icon on top (or Site Actions -> Edit page).
6. Select "Editing Tools [Tab] -> Insert [Tab] -> Web Part -> Custom [Categories] -> LocalizationDemo -> Add [Button]".
  
  Add the Web Part to SharePoint Page
7. Once the webpart added to the page select "Save and close" Icon.
Now it'll show the content in default language (English - 1033). Select "User Menu" at top right and select "Select Display Language -> Deutsch".
The page will be refreshed the Web Part will show the German Content which specified in the resource file.

Localization English and After changing language to Deutsch

Reference List - Locale ID (LCID) and Language

HTTP

LCID

Language

1033

Default

1078

Afrikaans

1052

Albanian

ar-sa

1025

Arabic(Saudi Arabia)

ar-iq

2049

Arabic(Iraq)

ar-eg

3073

Arabic(Egypt)

ar-ly

4097

Arabic(Libya)

ar-dz

5121

Arabic(Algeria)

ar-ma

6145

Arabic(Morocco)

ar-tn

7169

Arabic(Tunisia)

ar-om

8193

Arabic(Oman)

ar-ye

9217

Arabic(Yemen)

ar-sy

10241

Arabic(Syria)

ar-jo

11265

Arabic(Jordan)

ar-lb

12289

Arabic(Lebanon)

ar-kw

13313

Arabic(Kuwait)

ar-ae

14337

Arabic(U.A.E.)

ar-bh

15361

Arabic(Bahrain)

ar-qa

16385

Arabic(Qatar)

1069

Basque

1026

Bulgarian

1059

Belarusian

1027

Catalan

zh-tw

1028

Chinese(Taiwan)

zh-cn

2052

Chinese(PRC)

zh-hk

3076

Chinese(Hong Kong)

zh-sg

4100

Chinese(Singapore)

1050

Croatian

1029

Czech

1030

Danish

1043

Dutch(Standard)

nl-be

2067

Dutch(Belgian)

English

en-us

1033

English(United States)

en-gb

2057

English(British)

en-au

3081

English(Australian)

en-ca

4105

English(Canadian)

en-nz

5129

English(New Zealand)

en-ie

6153

English(Ireland)

en-za

7177

English(South Africa)

en-jm

8201

English(Jamaica)

9225

English(Caribbean)

en-bz

10249

English(Belize)

en-tt

11273

English(Trinidad)

1061

Estonian

1080

Faeroese

1065

Farsi

1035

Finnish

1036

French(Standard)

fr-be

2060

French(Belgian)

fr-ca

3084

French(Canadian)

fr-ch

4108

French(Swiss)

fr-lu

5132

French(Luxembourg)

1071

FYRO Macedonian

1084

Gaelic(Scots)

gd-ie

2108

Gaelic(Irish)

1031

German(Standard)

de-ch

2055

German(Swiss)

de-at

3079

German(Austrian)

de-lu

4103

German(Luxembourg)

de-li

5127

German(Liechtenstein)

1032

Greek

1037

Hebrew

1081

Hindi

1038

Hungarian

1039

Icelandic

1057

Indonesian

1040

Italian(Standard)

it-ch

2064

Italian(Swiss)

1041

Japanese

1042

Korean

2066

Korean(Johab)

1062

Latvian

1063

Lithuanian

1086

Malaysian

1082

Maltese

1044

Norwegian(Bokmal)

2068

Norwegian(Nynorsk)

1045

Polish

pt-br

1046

Portuguese(Brazil)

2070

Portuguese(Portugal)

1047

Rhaeto-Romanic

1048

Romanian

ro-mo

2072

Romanian(Moldavia)

1049

Russian

ru-mo

2073

Russian(Moldavia)

1083

Sami(Lappish)

3098

Serbian(Cyrillic)

2074

Serbian(Latin)

1051

Slovak

1060

Slovenian

1070

Sorbian

1034

Spanish(Spain - Traditional Sort)

es-mx

2058

Spanish(Mexican)

3082

Spanish(Spain - Modern Sort)

es-gt

4106

Spanish(Guatemala)

es-cr

5130

Spanish(Costa Rica)

es-pa

6154

Spanish(Panama)

es-do

7178

Spanish(Dominican Republic)

es-ve

8202

Spanish(Venezuela)

es-co

9226

Spanish(Colombia)

es-pe

10250

Spanish(Peru)

es-ar

11274

Spanish(Argentina)

es-ec

12298

Spanish(Ecuador)

es-c

13322

Spanish(Chile)

es-uy

14346

Spanish(Uruguay)

es-py

15370

Spanish(Paraguay)

es-bo

16394

Spanish(Bolivia)

es-sv

17418

Spanish(El Salvador)

es-hn

18442

Spanish(Honduras)

es-ni

19466

Spanish(Nicaragua)

es-pr

20490

Spanish(Puerto Rico)

1072

Sutu

1053

Swedish

sv-fi

2077

Swedish(Finland)

1054

Thai

1073

Tsonga

1074

Tswana

1055

Turkish

1058

Ukrainian

1056

Urdu

1075

Venda

1066

Vietnamese

1076

Xhosa

1085

Yiddish

1077

Zulu

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