Inhaltsverzeichnis
Python i18n: Von gettext zu modernen Übersetzungs-Workflows
Python verfügt über eines der reichhaltigsten i18n-Ökosysteme aller Programmiersprachen, das durch jahrzehntelange Investitionen aus großen mehrsprachigen Anwendungen – insbesondere Djangos weltweit eingesetztem Web-Framework und der weit verbreiteten Nutzung von Python in wissenschaftlichen Berechnungen und Datenwerkzeugen, die internationale Gemeinschaften bedienen müssen – geprägt wurde.
Dieser Leitfaden deckt die gesamte Python-i18n-Landschaft ab: vom klassischen gettext-Ansatz der Standardbibliothek über Babels umfassende Locale-Datenbibliothek bis hin zu framework-spezifischen Lösungen für Django und Flask sowie modernen Ansätzen mit Fluent.
Python i18n-Optionen im Überblick
| Bibliothek / Ansatz | Am besten geeignet für |
|---|---|
| gettext (stdlib) | Einfache Skripte und Anwendungen |
| Babel | Zahlen-, Datums-, Währungsformatierung; Verwaltung von PO-Dateien |
| Django i18n | Django-Webanwendungen |
| Flask-Babel | Flask-Webanwendungen |
| fluent.runtime | Anwendungen, die Mozillas Fluent-Format verwenden |
| Babel + gettext | Die meisten produktiven Python-Webdienste |
gettext: Pythons eingebautes i18n
Pythons Standardbibliothek enthält gettext, das die GNU-gettext-Internationalisierungs-API implementiert. Es ist das Fundament, auf dem viele übergeordnete Bibliotheken aufbauen.
Wie gettext funktioniert
gettext verwendet .po-Dateien (Portable Object) zur Übersetzungsspeicherung und kompiliert diese in binäre .mo-Dateien (Machine Object) für das Laden zur Laufzeit.
Ablauf:
- Zeichenketten im Quellcode mit
_()odergettext()markieren - Markierte Zeichenketten mit
xgettextoderpybabelin eine.pot-Vorlage extrahieren - Locale-spezifische
.po-Dateien aus der Vorlage erstellen - Übersetzer füllen die Übersetzungen aus
.po-Dateien zu.mo-Dateien kompilieren- Zur Laufzeit basierend auf der Benutzer-Locale laden
Grundlegende gettext-Verwendung
import gettext
import locale
def setup_i18n(lang: str) -> gettext.GNUTranslations:
"""Load translations for the given language."""
translation = gettext.translation(
domain='messages',
localedir='locales',
languages=[lang],
fallback=True # Fall back to msgid (source string) if not found
)
return translation
# Setup for the application
trans = setup_i18n('fr')
_ = trans.gettext
ngettext = trans.ngettext # Plural-aware translation
# Usage
print(_("Hello, world!"))
print(_("Welcome, %(name)s!") % {"name": "Alice"})
# Plural forms
count = 3
print(ngettext(
"%(count)d item", # singular form
"%(count)d items", # plural form
count # the number that determines form
) % {"count": count})
Zeichenketten zur Extraktion markieren
# Direct marking with _()
title = _("Dashboard")
error = _("An error occurred: %(message)s") % {"message": str(e)}
# For strings that need to be defined before i18n is set up,
# use a deferred translation pattern:
def _(s):
return s # No-op at definition time
# These strings are extracted but not translated until runtime
ERROR_MESSAGES = {
"not_found": _("Resource not found"),
"unauthorized": _("You are not authorized to perform this action"),
}
# At runtime, translate with the actual _ function:
def get_error_message(key: str, translation_func) -> str:
return translation_func(ERROR_MESSAGES[key])
Babel: Die umfassende Python-i18n-Bibliothek
Babel erweitert gettext um vollständige CLDR-basierte Locale-Daten für Zahlen, Währungen, Datumsangaben und mehr. Es ist die umfassendste Python-i18n-Bibliothek.
pip install Babel
Zahlen- und Währungsformatierung
from babel.numbers import format_number, format_currency, format_percent
from babel import Locale
# Locale objects
en_us = Locale('en', 'US')
de_de = Locale('de', 'DE')
ja_jp = Locale('ja', 'JP')
# Number formatting
amount = 1234567.89
print(format_number(amount, locale='en_US')) # 1,234,567.89
print(format_number(amount, locale='de_DE')) # 1.234.567,89
print(format_number(amount, locale='en_IN')) # 12,34,567.89
# Currency formatting
print(format_currency(1234.56, 'USD', locale='en_US')) # $1,234.56
print(format_currency(1234.56, 'EUR', locale='de_DE')) # 1.234,56 €
print(format_currency(1234.56, 'JPY', locale='ja_JP')) # ¥1,235 (no decimals)
# Percentage
print(format_percent(0.8527, locale='en_US')) # 85%
print(format_percent(0.8527, '#.##%', locale='de_DE')) # 85,27%
Datums- und Zeitformatierung
from babel.dates import format_date, format_datetime, format_time, get_timezone
from datetime import datetime, date
dt = datetime(2024, 3, 15, 14, 30, 0)
d = date(2024, 3, 15)
# Date formats
print(format_date(d, locale='en_US')) # Mar 15, 2024
print(format_date(d, locale='de_DE')) # 15.03.2024
print(format_date(d, locale='ja_JP')) # 2024/03/15
print(format_date(d, format='full', locale='fr_FR')) # vendredi 15 mars 2024
# Datetime with timezone
tz = get_timezone('Europe/Berlin')
print(format_datetime(dt, locale='de_DE', tzinfo=tz))
# Relative time (e.g., "3 hours ago")
from babel.dates import format_timedelta
from datetime import timedelta
delta = timedelta(hours=-3)
print(format_timedelta(delta, locale='en_US', add_direction=True)) # 3 hours ago
print(format_timedelta(delta, locale='fr_FR', add_direction=True)) # il y a 3 heures
PO-Dateien mit Babel verwalten
Babel stellt pybabel bereit, ein Kommandozeilenwerkzeug zur Verwaltung von Übersetzungsdateien:
# 1. Extract translatable strings from Python source pybabel extract -F babel.cfg -o messages.pot . # babel.cfg configures which files to extract from: # [python: **.py] # [jinja2: **/templates/**.html] # 2. Initialize a new language (creates locales/fr/LC_MESSAGES/messages.po) pybabel init -i messages.pot -d locales -l fr # 3. After making source changes, update existing .po files pybabel update -i messages.pot -d locales # 4. Compile .po files to .mo files for runtime use pybabel compile -d locales
Pluralformen in Babel/gettext
# In .po file (French):
# msgid "%(count)d item"
# msgid_plural "%(count)d items"
# msgstr[0] "%(count)d élément"
# msgstr[1] "%(count)d éléments"
# In Python:
from babel.support import Translations
translations = Translations.load('locales', ['fr'])
ngettext = translations.ngettext
for count in [0, 1, 2, 10]:
msg = ngettext("%(count)d item", "%(count)d items", count) % {"count": count}
print(msg)
Django i18n
Django verfügt über umfassende eingebaute i18n-Unterstützung, die tief in Templates, Modelle und das ORM integriert ist.
Django i18n-Einrichtung
# settings.py
LANGUAGE_CODE = 'en-us'
LANGUAGES = [
('en', 'English'),
('fr', 'Français'),
('de', 'Deutsch'),
('ja', '日本語'),
('ar', 'العربية'),
]
USE_I18N = True
USE_L10N = True # Locale-aware number/date formatting
USE_TZ = True
LOCALE_PATHS = [BASE_DIR / 'locale']
MIDDLEWARE = [
'django.middleware.locale.LocaleMiddleware', # Sets language from request
# ... other middleware
]
TEMPLATES = [{
'OPTIONS': {
'context_processors': [
'django.template.context_processors.i18n',
# ...
],
},
}]
Django-Übersetzung in Python-Code
from django.utils.translation import gettext as _, ngettext, gettext_lazy as _lazy
# Eager translation (evaluated immediately)
message = _("Welcome!")
# Lazy translation (evaluated when string is accessed - for model fields and class attrs)
class Article(models.Model):
title = models.CharField(max_length=200)
class Meta:
verbose_name = _lazy("article")
verbose_name_plural = _lazy("articles")
# Plural forms
def item_message(count: int) -> str:
return ngettext(
"You have %(count)d item",
"You have %(count)d items",
count
) % {"count": count}
# String formatting - use named parameters for translatability
def welcome(name: str) -> str:
return _("Welcome, %(name)s!") % {"name": name}
# Context-sensitive translation (same string, different meaning)
from django.utils.translation import pgettext
month = pgettext("month name", "May") # vs "May" as a verb
Django-Template-Übersetzung
{% load i18n %}
{# Simple translation #}
<h1>{% trans "Dashboard" %}</h1>
{# Translation with variables #}
{% blocktrans with name=user.first_name %}
Welcome, {{ name }}!
{% endblocktrans %}
{# Plural forms in templates #}
{% blocktrans count count=items|length %}
You have {{ count }} item.
{% plural %}
You have {{ count }} items.
{% endblocktrans %}
{# Language switcher #}
{% get_available_languages as LANGUAGES %}
<ul>
{% for lang_code, lang_name in LANGUAGES %}
<li>
<a href="/{{ lang_code }}/">{{ lang_name }}</a>
</li>
{% endfor %}
</ul>
Django URL i18n-Muster
# urls.py
from django.conf.urls.i18n import i18n_patterns
from django.urls import path, include
urlpatterns = [
path('i18n/', include('django.conf.urls.i18n')), # Language switcher endpoint
]
urlpatterns += i18n_patterns(
# These URLs get a language prefix: /en/about/, /fr/about/
path('about/', views.about, name='about'),
path('products/', include('products.urls')),
prefix_default_language=False, # /about/ redirects to /en/about/
)
Flask i18n mit Flask-Babel
Flask-Babel bringt Babels Leistungsfähigkeit in Flask-Anwendungen:
pip install Flask-Babel
# app.py
from flask import Flask, g, request
from flask_babel import Babel, _, ngettext, format_currency, format_datetime
app = Flask(__name__)
app.config['BABEL_DEFAULT_LOCALE'] = 'en'
app.config['BABEL_DEFAULT_TIMEZONE'] = 'UTC'
app.config['BABEL_TRANSLATION_DIRECTORIES'] = 'translations'
def get_locale():
# 1. Check URL parameter
lang = request.args.get('lang')
if lang:
return lang
# 2. Check user preference in session/database
if hasattr(g, 'current_user') and g.current_user.language:
return g.current_user.language
# 3. Use Accept-Language header
return request.accept_languages.best_match(['en', 'fr', 'de', 'ja'])
babel = Babel(app, locale_selector=get_locale)
@app.route('/products/<int:product_id>')
def product_detail(product_id):
product = Product.query.get_or_404(product_id)
# These use the current locale automatically
price = format_currency(product.price, 'USD')
created = format_datetime(product.created_at, format='medium')
return render_template('product.html',
product=product,
price=price,
created=created,
title=_("Product: %(name)s") % {"name": product.name}
)
Moderner Ansatz: Fluent für Python
Mozillas Fluent ist in Python über fluent.runtime verfügbar:
pip install fluent.runtime
from fluent.runtime import FluentBundle, FluentResource
# Load and use Fluent files
def create_bundle(locale: str, ftl_content: str) -> FluentBundle:
bundle = FluentBundle([locale])
resource = FluentResource(ftl_content)
errors = bundle.add_resource(resource)
if errors:
raise ValueError(f"FTL errors: {errors}")
return bundle
# FTL file content
en_ftl = """
welcome = Welcome to our app!
greeting = Hello, { $name }!
items =
{ $count ->
[0] No items
[one] { $count } item
*[other] { $count } items
}
"""
bundle = create_bundle("en-US", en_ftl)
def translate(bundle: FluentBundle, message_id: str, **kwargs) -> str:
msg = bundle.get_message(message_id)
if not msg or not msg.value:
return message_id
value, errors = bundle.format_pattern(msg.value, kwargs)
return value
print(translate(bundle, "welcome"))
print(translate(bundle, "greeting", name="Alice"))
print(translate(bundle, "items", count=0))
print(translate(bundle, "items", count=1))
print(translate(bundle, "items", count=5))
Integration in CI/CD
Python-i18n-Workflows lassen sich problemlos in kontinuierliche Lokalisierungs-Pipelines integrieren:
# .github/workflows/i18n.yml
name: i18n
on:
push:
paths:
- '**.py'
- '**/templates/**.html'
jobs:
extract-and-update:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- name: Install Babel
run: pip install Babel
- name: Extract strings
run: pybabel extract -F babel.cfg -o messages.pot .
- name: Update translation files
run: pybabel update -i messages.pot -d locales
- name: Push to translation platform
run: |
# Upload messages.pot to your TMS
curl -X POST https://api.better-i18n.com/upload \
-F "file=@messages.pot" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer ${{ secrets.BETTER_I18N_API_KEY }}"
Umfassende CI/CD-i18n-Muster finden Sie unter i18n CI/CD pipeline automation.
Best Practices für die Locale-Erkennung
from babel import Locale, UnknownLocaleError
from typing import Optional
SUPPORTED_LOCALES = ['en', 'fr', 'de', 'ja', 'ar', 'pt-BR']
def parse_accept_language(header: str) -> list[str]:
"""Parse Accept-Language header into ordered list of language codes."""
locales = []
for part in header.split(','):
parts = part.strip().split(';')
lang = parts[0].strip()
# Extract quality (q=0.9) or default to 1.0
q = 1.0
for param in parts[1:]:
if param.strip().startswith('q='):
try:
q = float(param.strip()[2:])
except ValueError:
pass
locales.append((lang, q))
# Sort by quality, highest first
locales.sort(key=lambda x: x[1], reverse=True)
return [lang for lang, _ in locales]
def negotiate_locale(accept_language: str, supported: list[str] = SUPPORTED_LOCALES) -> str:
"""Find the best matching supported locale for the given Accept-Language header."""
requested = parse_accept_language(accept_language)
for requested_lang in requested:
# Exact match first
if requested_lang in supported:
return requested_lang
# Language-only match (en-US → en)
base = requested_lang.split('-')[0]
if base in supported:
return base
# Find any supported locale with the same base
for supported_locale in supported:
if supported_locale.startswith(base + '-'):
return supported_locale
return 'en' # Default fallback
Eine ausführlichere Behandlung von Pluralisierungsregeln in verschiedenen Sprachen finden Sie unter pluralization rules across languages. Einen Überblick über das Ökosystem der Übersetzungsmanagementsysteme bietet translation management systems.
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