Display Current Language in WordPress Site Header Easily

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Explanation

Want to show the current language on your WordPress site header? This code snippet does just that, using popular multilingual plugins like Polylang or WPML.

Here's how it works:

If you're using Polylang, the code checks if it's active and fetches the current language name.
If you're using WPML, it checks for active languages and displays the current one.
If neither plugin is active, it simply shows a message saying "Language not detected."

The language name is displayed in a neat little box at the top right of your site, styled with a bit of CSS for a clean look.

Just make sure you have either Polylang or WPML installed and activated for this to work. If not, you'll see the default message.

Code
<?php
// Function to display the current language in the WordPress header
function wp_dudecom_display_current_language() {
    // Check if the Polylang plugin is active
    if (function_exists('pll_current_language')) {
        // Get the current language name
        $current_language = pll_current_language('name');
        
        // Escape the output for security
        echo esc_html($current_language);
    } elseif (function_exists('icl_get_languages')) {
        // Check if WPML is active and get the current language
        $languages = icl_get_languages('skip_missing=0');
        if (!empty($languages)) {
            foreach ($languages as $language) {
                if ($language['active']) {
                    // Escape the output for security
                    echo esc_html($language['native_name']);
                    break;
                }
            }
        }
    } else {
        // Default message if no multilingual plugin is active
        echo esc_html__('Language not detected', 'text-domain');
    }
}

// Hook the function to display the current language in the header
add_action('wp_head', 'wp_dudecom_add_language_to_header');

function wp_dudecom_add_language_to_header() {
    ?>
    <style>
        .wp-dudecom-language-indicator {
            position: absolute;
            top: 10px;
            right: 10px;
            background-color: #f1f1f1;
            padding: 5px 10px;
            border-radius: 5px;
            font-size: 14px;
        }
    </style>
    <div class="wp-dudecom-language-indicator">
        <?php wp_dudecom_display_current_language(); ?>
    </div>
    <?php
}
?>

Instructions

File Location: Add the code to your theme's functions.php file or a custom plugin file.

Prerequisites:

Ensure you have either the Polylang or WPML plugin installed and activated.

Implementation Steps:

Open your WordPress admin dashboard.
Navigate to Appearance > Theme Editor if you are adding the code to functions.php. Alternatively, use a code editor if you are working with a custom plugin file.
Locate and open the functions.php file of your active theme or your custom plugin file.
Copy and paste the provided code snippet into the file.
Save the changes.
Visit your website to ensure the current language is displayed in the header as expected.

If you encounter any issues or need further customization, consider reaching out to wp-dude.com for expert assistance.