What are the potential pitfalls of using different file formats for language files in PHP, such as performance implications or ease of translation?

Using different file formats for language files in PHP can lead to performance implications due to the additional processing required to read and parse different file types. It can also make translation more difficult if translators are not familiar with the specific format being used. To solve this issue, it's recommended to stick to a standardized format such as JSON or CSV for language files to ensure easy readability and efficient parsing.

// Example of using JSON format for language files
$lang = json_decode(file_get_contents('languages/en.json'), true);

// Example of using CSV format for language files
$lang = array_map('str_getcsv', file('languages/en.csv'));