1. Configure Locale Settings

The first step is to set the default language for your application. Open the config/app.php file and update the 'locale' setting with your desired default language:

'locale' => 'en',
                        

The above setting ensures that your application defaults to the English language unless changed by the user.

2. Create Language Files

Next, create language files for each language you want to support. Laravel stores language files in the resources/lang directory. For example, you can create files for English and Spanish:

resources/lang/en/messages.php
resources/lang/es/messages.php
                        

In each language file, you will define the translations as key-value pairs. For example, in resources/lang/en/messages.php:

return [
    'welcome' => 'Welcome to our application!',
];
                        

3. Use Translations in Views

Now that you've set up the language files, you can use them in your views with the __() helper function:

messages.welcome
                        

The __('messages.welcome') function will fetch the correct translation from the current locale.

4. Switch Languages

To allow users to switch languages, you can update the locale dynamically. For example, you can use the App::setLocale() method in a controller or middleware:

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\App;

public function switchLanguage($lang)
{
    App::setLocale($lang);
    return redirect()->back();
}
                        

You can now use this method to switch languages based on user input, such as a language selector.

5. Testing Translations

Finally, test your translations by switching between different languages on your application. Make sure all translated strings are correctly displayed based on the selected language.