I just start a new project - a site where you can decide betweern the languages english or german.
I think I should use for each language one sub-folder (DE and EN) But what about the start page - must the index page stay in the root of the site and can I link it to another index page in the subfolder EN ?
But it would be better for an identical navigation if both were in the same folder - is tzhere a trick ?
Here I have a site -which does what I want - but it is very slow and one cannot read the source code in firefox ...
http://indifilm.de/
Anyone knows an istruction for dual language structure ?
Thanks

How about making your index page 59% English and 50% German with button links to each language.

Hi Michael,
There are different ways of doing this, using just one folder or subfolders for one or both languages. If you make subfolders, you have to create two different projects, one for each language.

SD makes a 'one level' structure. The easiest would actually be to use just one level, and make the project in one language first. Choose the language that you want to have for the index page. If we pretend that it will be German, the German index page is the 'main index.html'.
Next you make a 'index-en.html' (in the same folder) from a copy of the German one, and translate the contents. Then you do the same with every page, duplicate the German one and call in whatever-en.html and translate it.
The German navigation was probably correct for the German version, so just change the links by appending the '-en' on the English pages. And make sure you get the links on the flags correct, to switch language.

If you want to use a subfolder for the English version, it is basically the same thing, you finish the German site first, then you do a 'save as' with the whole project and call it, whatever-en. The translation and linking in the navigation will be the same. Then make a subfolder in the root and upload it. The 'whatever' stands for any name you may choose, of course.

I guess you mean 50-50, not 59-50, hehe! The idea might have been ok in the old days, before we had to make the sites responsive.

I have done one for English and Indonesian, works a treat (don't understand the responsive bit,) it's fully responsive

all the pages are within the root, no need for 1 part in a different folder.

Michael, It IS possible to read the code in Firefox. But the site indifilm.de has been made with WordPress, so reading the code is not so very straightforward.

https://youtu.be/9sGRdQYYty8

OK, Wayan, I may have pictured the wrong thing, like having those two languages side-by-side, one dropping below the other one on narrow viewports. But of course, if you are hiding the not-relevant language after the user has made a choice. then it works.

But I'm definitely with you on using just one level and no subfolder.

Thanks Inger and Wayan - I think Inger's approach is the best for me. No hidden problems...
Wayans Idea is nice when people are mostly speaking both languages like in India or Indonesia...

It's not hiding the non relevant language page each link on the index points to the RELEVANT PAGE, which in turn the menu points to the relevant pages in the language.

Mich ael
If you are making a site in dual language then thats ok then if other visitors speak a different language , the browsers nowadays will translate the pages, according to the users preferences, so you want a website in 2 languages, make it so, then if a visitor speaks a different language, as long as your pages have the relevant language declared it will be automatically translated (as good as it can be) by the browser the user is using to the language of that user

here is a latest updated version of the previous example (still in development, but has some new features

https://youtu.be/Qd88WKGGZ64