How to localize a Linux Mint ISO

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Written by:

clem

Score: 40
votes: 44
Format: Article

Introduction

Linux Mint provides downloadable ISO images for live CDs and DVDs. Although the images are in English, the installer gives you the choice to select your own language, it downloads the associated language packs from the Internet during the installation and sets up a localized version of Linux Mint for you. Once installed, your system uses your favorite language.

There are two problems with this:

The live session itself is in English, and not in your language. If you're using it only to install Linux Mint that's fine, if you're using it often for other purposes then it would be better if it was localized.
If the system isn't connected to the Internet during the installation, it cannot download the language packs. As a result, the system installed on your machine could use English instead of your own language.

The solution is to use a tool called "iso-localize" which reads a Linux Mint ISO file and creates a localized version of it. It adds the language packs for your language to the ISO and configures it to use this language by default. It also lets you change the labels in the liveCD menu.

Installing iso-localize

You can install iso-localize from the Linux Mint repository. Open a terminal and type:

apt update

apt install iso-localize

If you are running a version older than Linux Mint 9 Isadora, or another distribution, you can get the iso-localize package from the Isadora repositories at http://packages.linuxmint.com

Using iso-localize

Iso-localize is a command-line tool. Open a terminal and simply run iso-localize with your ISO file as an argument:

sudo iso-localize /path/to/your_ISO_file.iso

Follow the instructions on the screen:

iso-localize will show you the available languages, pick your language and enter the associated language code using the keyboard (for instance: fr)
iso-localize will find all the labels used by the liveCD/DVD and ask you to translate them. For instance, it will show "Start Linux Mint" and ask you to translate it. In French, you would type "Demarrer Linux Mint".

Limitations

Non-ascii characters: Don't use accentuated or non-ascii characters in the labels. They won't show correctly.

Temporary mounts: If you see errors mentioning /proc and permissions and the tool hangs, simply reboot your computer. Alternatively, check the mounted filesystems using "mount" and umount the ones related to iso-localize manually.

Umount warnings: Ignore error/warning messages related to umount.

Licensing

Because the tool only lets you change the localization of the ISO, you do not require the permission of the distribution to distribute your custom ISO files under the name "Linux Mint".

If you were to perform additional changes, the project would ask you to brand your product under a different name. This is not the case here. You can use this tool to quickly localize Mint ISOs and distribute them as if they were official.

When and if you do redistribute your ISOs, please indicate that they were localized using this tool.

Tags: iso locale localize language change linux mint live cd dvd livecd livedvd
Created: 2 years ago.
Last edited: 2 years ago.
Read 12258 times.

Comments
10 months ago	smth	Thank you for the tutorial. long story short. i was able to get results with 'install iso-localize' while i was having difficulties with a md5 check of a mint debian download. the initial md5 check, output a list of files and the first file string in the list was attributed to the absence of a iso-localize file.
1 year ago	ultimatorius	There is no Turkish (tr) language in list. Why ?
2 years ago	Lirex	I find the idea great and hope that this tool will also be adapted for LMDE.
2 years ago	clem	@masoko: Try to put it in a place where the path doesn't contain any special characters.
2 years ago	canci	Cool HOWTO! Just an idea: Wouldn't it be cool to make a web interface where jigdo or something similar makes a custom language OS prior to download? Slap me with the largest fish if this is too impractical! :)
2 years ago	masoko	Hi,I have this problem Please select a language: es umount2: Argumento inválido umount: /tmp/iso-localize-cdrom: no montado umount2: Argumento inválido umount: /tmp/iso-localize-squash: no montado *** Extracting ISO file home/masoko/Imágenes/mint.iso: No existe el fichero ó directorio ------- Copying files ------- Decompressing filesystem /tmp/iso-localize-cdrom/casper/filesystem.squashfs: No existe el fichero ó directorio umount2: Argumento inválido umount: /tmp/iso-localize-squash: no montado chmod: no se puede acceder a «/tmp/iso-localize/root/usr/bin/sudo»: No existe el fichero ó directorio chmod: no se puede acceder a «/tmp/iso-localize/root/etc/sudoers»: No existe el fichero ó directorio umount2: Argumento inválido umount: /tmp/iso-localize-cdrom: no montado *** Localizing system cp: no se puede crear el fichero regular «/tmp/iso-localize/root/etc/resolv.conf»: No existe el fichero ó directorio mount: el punto de montaje /tmp/iso-localize/root/proc no existe mv: no se puede efectuar «stat» sobre «/tmp/iso-localize/root/etc/wgetrc»: No existe el fichero ó directorio cp: no se puede crear el fichero regular «/tmp/iso-localize/root/etc/wgetrc»: No existe el fichero ó directorio ------- Modifying liveCD menu Traceback (most recent call last): File "/usr/bin/iso-localize", line 185, in rec = Localizer(sys.argv[1]) File "/usr/bin/iso-localize", line 71, in __init__ self.chroot_operations() File "/usr/bin/iso-localize", line 84, in chroot_operations file = open(os.path.join(self.base_dir, "remaster/isolinux/isolinux.cfg"), "r") IOError: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: '/tmp/iso-localize/remaster/isolinux/isolinux.cfg' My ISO file is located in home/masoko/Imágenes/mint.iso, any help? thanks
2 years ago	kneekoo	I commented some stuff on the blog. I thought I should mention it in here, just in case people aren't looking there. http://www.linuxmint.com/blog/?p=1457#comment-23918
2 years ago	solayagim	I have downloaded the program and ran but it is not support Turkish. I saw many languages but there is no Turkish so why is that?
2 years ago	thx1138	Thank you. Your tool works without issues (i tested it on all available Mint 9 based editions; yes KDE rc too). I'm really glad to see Mint supporting officially international releases.
2 years ago	hamburn	I have tested it today. With "sudo" it didn't work. Some files, all in tmp/---/root/---, could not be created. I tried it three times. With new starts of the compu between them. Then I changed to my root account and there it worked in the first try (I know why I insisted last year that Mint should have a root account). Tomorrow I will give it a try with SU
2 years ago	CBindahouse	Just make sure that people translate the labels properly, or else you could end up with labels that are badly translated but the CD is still branded as Linux Mint.
2 years ago	baffle-boy	it's a good idea, now people from other countries can have live sessions in their own language!

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