How can I dynamically generate translated routes in Laravel with a single routes file?

When your routes file is compiled, the calls to translation functions (like __()) are evaluated immediately, before any middleware (like your SetLocale) has a chance to run. This means that the language context you want isn’t available yet, and the routes won’t “dynamically” change based on the client's locale.

Here are a couple of approaches to work around this:

1. Register Routes for Each Locale

You can iterate over your supported locales and register the translated routes explicitly. For example:

PHPCopied
$supportedLocales = ['en', 'de'];

foreach ($supportedLocales as $locale) {
    // Optionally use a route group with a locale prefix
    Route::group(['prefix' => $locale], function () use ($locale) {
        // Here you force the locale for translation calls by passing it to __()
        Route::get(
            __(
                'routes.createAccount', 
                [], 
                $locale
            ),
            [RegistrationController::class, 'route']
        )->name('createAccount.' . $locale);
    });
}

This way, you have a separate route (or route group) for each locale, and translation strings are evaluated in the correct context.

2. Use a URL Prefix for Locale

Another common solution is to include the locale in the URL itself (e.g., /en/create-account or /de/account-anlegen). This lets you capture the language from the URL and then set the locale in your middleware accordingly. An example:

PHPCopied
Route::group(['prefix' => '{locale}', 'middleware' => 'setLocale'], function () {
    Route::get(
        __(
            'routes.createAccount'
        ),
        [RegistrationController::class, 'route']
    )->name('createAccount');
});

Inside your middleware (e.g., setLocale), you can then grab the {locale} parameter to set the application locale:

PHPCopied
public function handle($request, Closure $next)
{
    if ($locale = $request->route('locale')) {
        App::setLocale($locale);
    }
    return $next($request);
}

Summary

You cannot have a single route definition dynamically change its path based on middleware because the routes are resolved at compile time. Instead, either register the routes for each locale or use a URL prefix to capture the locale before the routes are matched. Both solutions are commonly used in multi-language Laravel applications.