Viewing the maps, the whole map, with as much translated names as possible. Preferably, translated to English

How can I set the default language for every map to English?

2 Likes

Some vector maps offer multilingual names, for example https://americanamap.org/ (language preference selector in bottom right of the screen)

3 Likes

Here’s an incomplete list of OSM-based maps that label features in particular languages instead of the default.

3 Likes

The suggested incomplete list has a screen shot of Europe with place names in Japanese.
Suppose I have a map of the USA with place names in English on screen. And I want to see a map of Europe with place names in Japanese. I guess the first step is to navigate to see a map of Europe. What should I do next in order to see the map (of Europe) with place names in Japanese? I don’t speak Japanese. The instructions can confuse me. Still, I hope the first few steps will give me a hint.

The map layers featured on the homepage don’t currently do any localization. They simply label everything based on the name=* key, which is generally in the local language of a given place. There’s a proposal to install another map layer that would respect the languages you’ve set in your account preferences.

In the meantime, the list I posted points to external sites that use OSM data to produce a similar map but in a language of your choice. For example, @Jarek mentioned OSM Americana, which automatically defaults to the language you use on your computer or phone, but you can click the “Change” button in the lower-right corner to switch to hundreds of other languages. Some of the other maps require you to adjust the URL – look for a language code like ja and replace it with a different ISO language code.

There isn’t a great way to discover these external sites at the moment, other than the documentation I pointed to. Americana is affiliated with OSM’s U.S. local chapter, so you can also find it on OSMUS’s homepage. Wikimedia Maps is integrated into Wikipedia articles; you’d see maps in Japanese if you visit the Japanese Wikipedia.

Did you found this map: Maps | MapTiler ? There you can choose language for all names on whole map.

I noticed Maps | MapTiler only after you mentioned it. Indeed the language selector is more noticeable. But, at least for me, it does occupy precious screen area. And so do the selection criteria (streets map, basic map and so on) on the left.

1 Like

Could you elaborate on what you’re trying to do? Are you interested in browsing the map for your own day-to-day activities, or visually inspecting the map for gaps in language coverage in order to contribute more translations, or embedding a localized map in your own website or application, or something else?

True, but two of them (cycle map and transport map) do have labels in English, as well as the local name.

1 Like

you can use:
osmap.uk