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How to Internationalize Your Next.js App: From Localization to RTL Support
1. Why Internationalization Matters (Beyond Just Translation)
When I first started, I thought internationalization was just about changing text from English to French. But there’s so much more:
● Currency formats (e.g., $1,000 vs. €1.000)
● Date/time formats
● Text direction (LTR vs. RTL)
● Localized routing and SEO
● Pluralization and contextual strings
Getting this wrong doesn’t just hurt UX, it makes your app feel broken for global users.
2. First Step: Use Next.js Built-in i18n Support
Next.js has built-in support for internationalized routing, which is super helpful.
Update your next.config.js:
module.exports = {
i18n: {
locales: [’en’, ’fr’, ’de’, ’ar’],
defaultLocale: ’en’,
localeDetection: true,
},
};
Now, your routes look like:
/en/products
/fr/products
/ar/products
This gives you auto-prefixed URLs based on locale. Great start!
3. Adding Translations with next-i18next
Next, I integrated next-i18next. It makes loading translation files easy.
Install it:
yarn add next-i18next react-i18next i18next
Create a config:
// next-i18next.config.js
module.exports = {
i18n: {
defaultLocale: ’en’,
locales: [’en’, ’fr’, ’de’, ’ar’],
},
};
Then use it in _app.tsx:
import { appWithTranslation } from ’next-i18next’;
export default appWithTranslation(MyApp);
Create your locale files:
/public/locales/en/common.json
/public/locales/fr/common.json
And use translations like this:
import { useTranslation } from ’next-i18next’;
const { t } = useTranslation(’common’);
return <p>{t(’welcome’)}</p>;
4. Dynamic Routing for Localized Content
I messed this up the first time. If your routes are dynamic (like /products/[id]), you need to generate them for each locale:
Code Example:
export async function getStaticPaths() {
const products = await getProducts();
const paths = [];
[’en’, ’fr’].forEach((locale) => {
products.forEach((product) => {
paths.push({ params: { id: product.id }, locale });
});
});
return { paths, fallback: false };
}
This makes sure that every product page is built per locale.
5. Formatting Dates, Times, and Currency
Here’s where things got messy for me. Showing the same currency/date for every user? Nope.
Solution: Use Intl
const formatted = new Intl.NumberFormat(’fr-FR’, {
style: ’currency’,
currency: ’EUR’,
}).format(1000); // "1 000,00 €"
For dates:
const date = new Intl.DateTimeFormat(’ar-EG’, {
weekday: ’long’,
year: ’numeric’,
month: ’long’,
day: ’numeric’,
}).format(new Date());
You’d be surprised how much this improves the localized experience.
6. RTL (Right-to-Left) Support
Supporting Arabic or Hebrew? You need to flip the layout.
I did it like this:
<body dir={locale === ’ar’ ? ’rtl’ : ’ltr’}>
Or use Tailwind’s RTL plugin to mirror layout direction.
Be careful with spacing, alignment and icon. RTL is more than just flipping text.
7. Common Mistakes I Made
● Hardcoding strings in components.
● Ignoring dynamic content translation (like button labels from a CMS).
● Assuming LTR for all users.
● Forgetting to update locale in stateful routes (like filters or search).
Final Thoughts
Internationalizing your Next.js app isn’t just a feature, it’s a sign of respect for your global users. It’s not always easy, but once I started centralizing translations, formatting correctly, and handling routing smartly, everything fell into place.
If you’re building for the world, this effort is totally worth it.
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