What are the potential benefits and drawbacks of using if statements in PHP to handle language switching?

When handling language switching in PHP, using if statements can be a straightforward way to determine which language to display based on user preferences or other factors. However, as the number of languages supported increases, the code can become cumbersome and difficult to maintain. Additionally, using if statements for language switching may not be the most efficient solution compared to using arrays or databases for language mappings.

<?php
// Example of using if statements for language switching
$language = 'en';

if ($language == 'en') {
    echo 'Hello!';
} elseif ($language == 'es') {
    echo '¡Hola!';
} elseif ($language == 'fr') {
    echo 'Bonjour!';
}
?>