How to set up Zen Cart languages for different countries?

If one want to set up a shop for various countries (e.g. England, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, USA), how could one handle the language? So how could I Zen Cart make to automatically show the language of the land the visitor comes from or / and offer a switcher (e.g. different flags) to be used by a visitor?

And how would one have to manage the different rights of the countries according to the visitor's origin, so how automatically (if at all useful) or / and manually (according to the language a visitor chooses or / and his browser automatically detects) provide the right process?

Among many other things, ZC has been written with the global community in mind. To first address the language, there is a languages directory that would need to be populated with each language in which the site is to be displayed. The version of ZC offered from this site includes English (though it typically comes with the british flag the text is more in American English than it is in British English. For example the use of the word color instead of colour.)

If you look through the plugins area you can or should be able to download a language pack for the desired language. If the language pack is available only up to a certain ZC version and even if it matches your current version the language files should be reviewed to validate that all defined language constants are present so that applicable text is displayed rather than the constant itself.

Then there is the issue of currency which is a little less involved but the currency conversion rate does need to be at least periodically updated.

As to modifying the site to operate differently based on the location from which the customer is accessing the site or which language they have chosen, either is possible and mostly a factor of which is considered appropriate for the method to be used. For example a foreigner in a country may want to use a familiar language but may be using a currency within that country and shipping things to yet another location.

As for shipping (and payment) there are zones that apply to each and this may require cloning a module so that the desired options are made available based on origin/destination. For example I believe I recently saw someone describe a payment method that is considered to only be available to people that live in a specific area. Therefore it should not be made available to someone that chooses a payment address outside of that location.

At least a starting FAQ on the issue is: https://www.zen-cart.com/content.php?229-language-files-what-are-they-and-how-are-they-used
Currencies: https://www.zen-cart.com/content.php?121-how-do-i-use-my-currency-instead-of-us-dollars

Thank you very much!

Among many other things, ZC has been written with the global community in mind. To first address the language, there is a languages directory that would need to be populated with each language in which the site is to be displayed. The version of ZC offered from this site includes English (though it typically comes with the british flag the text is more in American English than it is in British English. For example the use of the word color instead of colour.)

If you look through the plugins area you can or should be able to download a language pack for the desired language. If the language pack is available only up to a certain ZC version and even if it matches your current version the language files should be reviewed to validate that all defined language constants are present so that applicable text is displayed rather than the constant itself.

This sounds like it would be quite easily be done.

Then there is the issue of currency which is a little less involved but the currency conversion rate does need to be at least periodically updated.
It has to be done manually, I assume. So just replace the old conversion rate with the updated / newest conversion rate daily or so in the back end.

As to modifying the site to operate differently based on the location from which the customer is accessing the site or which language they have chosen, either is possible and mostly a factor of which is considered appropriate for the method to be used. For example a foreigner in a country may want to use a familiar language but may be using a currency within that country and shipping things to yet another location.
Yes, indeed, realizing that appears to be complicated. May be the best option is just to go by the country into the ware is send to, I do not know at all.

As for shipping (and payment) there are zones that apply to each and this may require cloning a module so that the desired options are made available based on origin/destination. For example I believe I recently saw someone describe a payment method that is considered to only be available to people that live in a specific area. Therefore it should not be made available to someone that chooses a payment address outside of that location.
Sounds quite complicated either.

Could / should I first set up Zen Cart with a special, single language and after, when the set up of the shop is done completely (with that single language) start involving the (next) language or all of the languages at once? May be that is more circumstantial than implementing all of the languages / conditions for the rights (of the other countries) at the beginning instead of starting all over again. So what is the easier / better manner? Actually I would prefer to first have the shop running with one language and then add the next one / ones together.

Many thanks for the links.

And the articles / their names, their descriptions (one have added before) and so on can automatically be shown either according to the visitor's origin / choice?

I would say to any startup, the first thing to do is to start selling. Don't get hung up on design, bells and whistles and multiple languages or it will never be "ready".
Be methodical, get your shop running with good product descriptions and photos in one language first. Add the shipping options for other countries and then worry about other languages when you have nothing else to do.... You may never need them. If people from other countries want your products so bad they will buy them using translation in the browser.

Yes, indeed, because of designing / making the shop "ready" to forget to sell could be a danger, at least cause a big hesitation, I will try to keep this in mind.

Thank you

Cletus-:

Yes, indeed, because of designing / making the shop "ready" to forget to sell could be a danger, at least cause a big hesitation, I will try to keep this in mind.

Thank you

Also (and I fully agree with torvista's recommendation to charge forward to make money) if you follow good web-site design/management you will have at least two copies of your site. One in development and one live. Get a live product up, begin developing and keeping track of the changes necessary to make your live site act/be like your development site... Once the next "fix" is in place, then go through a process to update your live site. Call it income security if you like because the last thing you want to do is make that "one" little change that prevents you from making any sales...

Cletus-:

And the articles / their names, their descriptions (one have added before) and so on can automatically be shown either according to the visitor's origin / choice?

Typically the language which the customer has chosen (or language applicable to some initial "lookup" upon arrival) as their choice to view the site is the language that will be used for all aspects of the site, so product name, product description, etc... In fact if I remember correctly from when looking into an issue with one of the older ZC versions that I think was brought up by torvista once a new language is added, the database contents of the existing "main" language are copied over to the new language and they are then to be updated. This ensures that all such items have content associated with the product even if it is in the "wrong" language. But it is a further reason why one should develop what they have for their "primary" or "target" audience and then expand later as necessary. Quality translation is not easy or a small task.

Also (and I fully agree with torvista's recommendation to charge forward to make money) if you follow good web-site design/management you will have at least two copies of your site.
So the productive one and two copies of it (one of them a back up), the one for developing (if you can call what I am doing like this) on XAMPP. Or should I rather have the development copy of the productive site on a (the same) server, too?

Also (and I fully agree with torvista's recommendation to charge forward to make money) if you follow good web-site design/management you will have at least two copies of your site. One in development and one live. Get a live product up, begin developing and keeping track of the changes necessary to make your live site act/be like your development site... Once the next "fix" is in place, then go through a process to update your live site. Call it income security if you like because the last thing you want to do is make that "one" little change that prevents you from making any sales...
Alright, yes, I understand, very plausible.

Typically the language which the customer has chosen (or language applicable to some initial "lookup" upon arrival) as their choice to view the site is the language that will be used for all aspects of the site, so product name, product description, etc... In fact if I remember correctly from when looking into an issue with one of the older ZC versions that I think was brought up by torvista once a new language is added, the database contents of the existing "main" language are copied over to the new language and they are then to be updated. This ensures that all such items have content associated with the product even if it is in the "wrong" language. But it is a further reason why one should develop what they have for their "primary" or "target" audience and then expand later as necessary.
Alright, very good to know. Vielen Dank.

Quality translation is not easy or a small task.
Yes, indeed, it is unbelievable complex / circumstantial. I hadn't expected it (although not yet done it). And it will be one of the less complicated / circumstial actions to set up Zen Cart.

Thank you very much again