Title: Question about language files
Last modified: August 21, 2016

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# Question about language files

 *  [fwu](https://wordpress.org/support/users/fwu/)
 * (@fwu)
 * [11 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/question-about-language-files/)
 * hello,
 * In my wordpress install I have a languages folder inside the wp-content folder.
 * In this languages folder I have a .po and .mo file specific to my native language,
   and with the theme name in the filen name. For instance:
    twentyfourteen-xx_XX.
   po and twentyfourteen-xx_XX.mo.
 * I set the wp-config to use that language and everything works.
 * My question is: if we put this translation files inside this folder, why each
   theme folder has its own folder language? Shouldnt the two files being inside
   the languages folder of the corresponding theme?
 * What is the rule wordpress uses to find and use these files?
 * thank you,
 * fwu

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)

 *  [esmi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/esmi/)
 * (@esmi)
 * [11 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/question-about-language-files/#post-5028539)
 * There shouldn’t be a languages folder inside wp-content. Each theme and each 
   plugin has it;’s own language files & folders.
 *  Thread Starter [fwu](https://wordpress.org/support/users/fwu/)
 * (@fwu)
 * [11 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/question-about-language-files/#post-5028577)
 * yes, but it works in that folder. Why?
 * also, in the documentation they say to create a languages folder:
    [http://codex.wordpress.org/Installing_WordPress_in_Your_Language](http://codex.wordpress.org/Installing_WordPress_in_Your_Language)
 *  [esmi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/esmi/)
 * (@esmi)
 * [11 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/question-about-language-files/#post-5028583)
 * Translations for core WordPress have nothing to do with translations for themes&
   plugins.
 *  Thread Starter [fwu](https://wordpress.org/support/users/fwu/)
 * (@fwu)
 * [11 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/question-about-language-files/#post-5028589)
 * In that language folder inside wp-content I actually have a theme folder, and
   is in that folder that I have the theme language files. So this is a big mess.
 * But will wordpress look for these files in this folders, or something was change
   in the wordpress core code?
 * thank you,
 * fwu
 *  [esmi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/esmi/)
 * (@esmi)
 * [11 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/question-about-language-files/#post-5028597)
 * > So this is a big mess.
 * What theme did this? Language files for themes should always be inside the individual
   theme folder within wp-content/themes. See wp-content/themes/twentyfourteen/languages
   for an example.
 *  Thread Starter [fwu](https://wordpress.org/support/users/fwu/)
 * (@fwu)
 * [11 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/question-about-language-files/#post-5028624)
 * I was looking for the wordpress deploy of the pt_PT wordpress install.
 *  Thread Starter [fwu](https://wordpress.org/support/users/fwu/)
 * (@fwu)
 * [11 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/question-about-language-files/#post-5028652)
 * hello,
 * It is not a theme. It is a wordpress intall package in another language. You 
   can get it here: [http://pt.wordpress.org/wordpress-3.9.1-pt_PT.zip](http://pt.wordpress.org/wordpress-3.9.1-pt_PT.zip)
 * I was trying to translate my development wordpress theme. I searched the web 
   and I couldnt find working translated files, so I took to a wordpress package
   in another language and tried to get the translated files.
 * It was then when I saw this organization of translated files. Because I was trying
   to install more languages just to try understand how wordpress works relating
   with languages, I really got even more confused. And I can´t understand how is
   this working… 🙂
 * thank you,
 * fwu

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)

The topic ‘Question about language files’ is closed to new replies.

## Tags

 * [language](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/language/)

 * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/)
 * 7 replies
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [fwu](https://wordpress.org/support/users/fwu/)
 * Last activity: [11 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/question-about-language-files/#post-5028652)
 * Status: not resolved

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