[feature] Federate status language in and out (#2366)

* [feature] Federate status language in + out

* go fmt

* tests, little fix

* improve comments

* unnest a bit

* avoid unnecessary nil check

* use more descriptive variable for contentMap

* prefer instance languages when selecting from contentMap

* update docs to reflect lang selection

* rename rdfLangString -> rdfLangs

* update comments to mention Pollable

* iter through slice instead of map

15 files changed, 756 insertions, 166 deletions

diff --git a/docs/federation/federating_with_gotosocial.md b/docs/federation/federating_with_gotosocial.md
index a977ee0e9..fc02d1977 100644
--- a/docs/federation/federating_with_gotosocial.md
+++ b/docs/federation/federating_with_gotosocial.md
@@ -482,3 +482,64 @@ For the convenience of remote servers, GoToSocial will always provide both the `
 GoToSocial tries to parse incoming Mentions in the same way it sends them out: as a `Mention` type entry in the `tag` property. However, when parsing incoming Mentions it's a bit more relaxed with regards to which properties must be set.
 
 GoToSocial will prefer the `href` property, which can be either the ActivityPub ID/URI or the web URL of the target; if `href` is not present, it will fall back to using the `name` property. If neither property is present, the mention will be considered invalid and discarded.
+
+## Content, ContentMap, and Language
+
+In line with other ActivityPub implementations, GoToSocial uses `content` and `contentMap` fields on `Objects` to infer content and language of incoming posts, and to set content and language on outgoing posts.
+
+### Outgoing
+
+If an outgoing `Object` (usually a `Note`) has content, it will be set as stringified HTML on the `content` field.
+
+If the `content` is in a specific user-selected language, then the `Object` will also have the `contentMap` property set to a single-entry key/value map, where the key is a BCP47 language tag, and the value is the same content from the `content` field.
+
+For example, a post written in English (`en`) will look something like this:
+
+```json
+{
+  "@context": "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams",
+  "type": "Note",
+  "attributedTo": "http://example.org/users/i_p_freely",
+  "to": "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public",
+  "cc": "http://example.org/users/i_p_freely/followers",
+  "id": "http://example.org/users/i_p_freely/statuses/01FF25D5Q0DH7CHD57CTRS6WK0",
+  "url": "http://example.org/@i_p_freely/statuses/01FF25D5Q0DH7CHD57CTRS6WK0",
+  "published": "2021-11-20T13:32:16Z",
+  "content": "<p>This is an example note.</p>",
+  "contentMap": {
+    "en": "<p>This is an example note.</p>"
+  },
+  "attachment": [],
+  "replies": {...},
+  "sensitive": false,
+  "summary": "",
+  "tag": {...}
+}
+```
+
+GoToSocial will always set the `content` field if the post has content, but it may not always set the `contentMap` field, if an old version of GoToSocial is in use, or the language used by a user is not set or not a recognized BCP47 language tag.
+
+### Incoming
+
+GoToSocial uses both the `content` and the `contentMap` properties on incoming `Object`s to determine the content and infer the intended "primary" language for that content. It uses the following algorithm:
+
+#### Only `content` is set
+
+Take that content only and mark language as unknown.
+
+#### Both `content` and `contentMap` are set
+
+Look for a language tag as key in the `contentMap`, with a value that matches the stringified HTML set in `content`.
+
+If a match is found, use this as the post's language.
+
+If a match is not found, keep content from `content` and mark language as unknown.
+
+#### Only `contentMap` is set
+
+If `contentMap` has only one entry, take the language tag and content value as the "primary" language and content.
+
+If `contentMap` has multiple entries, we have no way of determining the intended preferred content and language of the post, since map order is not deterministic. In this case, try to pick a language and content entry that matches one of the languages configured in the GoToSocial instance's [configured languages](../configuration/instance.md). If no language can be matched this way, pick a language and content entry from the `contentMap` at random as the "primary" language and content.
+
+!!! Note
+    In all of the above cases, if the inferred language cannot be parsed as a valid BCP47 language tag, language will fall back to unknown.
diff --git a/internal/ap/ap_test.go b/internal/ap/ap_test.go
index 6a5073c63..583a37c53 100644
--- a/internal/ap/ap_test.go
+++ b/internal/ap/ap_test.go
@@ -93,6 +93,12 @@ func noteWithMentions1() vocab.ActivityStreamsNote {
 
 	content := streams.NewActivityStreamsContentProperty()
 	content.AppendXMLSchemaString("hey @f0x and @dumpsterqueer")
+
+	rdfLangString := make(map[string]string)
+	rdfLangString["en"] = "hey @f0x and @dumpsterqueer"
+	rdfLangString["fr"] = "bonjour @f0x et @dumpsterqueer"
+	content.AppendRDFLangString(rdfLangString)
+
 	note.SetActivityStreamsContent(content)
 
 	return note
diff --git a/internal/ap/extract.go b/internal/ap/extract.go
index 424f77409..3d92fa2ba 100644
--- a/internal/ap/extract.go
+++ b/internal/ap/extract.go
@@ -631,27 +631,34 @@ func ExtractPublicKey(i WithPublicKey) (
 	return nil, nil, nil, gtserror.New("couldn't find public key")
 }
 
-// ExtractContent returns a string representation of the
-// given interface's Content property, or an empty string
-// if no Content is found.
-func ExtractContent(i WithContent) string {
-	contentProperty := i.GetActivityStreamsContent()
-	if contentProperty == nil {
-		return ""
+// ExtractContent returns an intermediary representation of
+// the given interface's Content and/or ContentMap property.
+func ExtractContent(i WithContent) gtsmodel.Content {
+	content := gtsmodel.Content{}
+
+	contentProp := i.GetActivityStreamsContent()
+	if contentProp == nil {
+		// No content at all.
+		return content
 	}
 
-	for iter := contentProperty.Begin(); iter != contentProperty.End(); iter = iter.Next() {
+	for iter := contentProp.Begin(); iter != contentProp.End(); iter = iter.Next() {
 		switch {
-		// Content may be parsed as IRI, depending on
-		// how it's formatted, so account for this.
-		case iter.IsXMLSchemaString():
-			return iter.GetXMLSchemaString()
-		case iter.IsIRI():
-			return iter.GetIRI().String()
+		case iter.IsRDFLangString() &&
+			len(content.ContentMap) == 0:
+			content.ContentMap = iter.GetRDFLangString()
+
+		case iter.IsXMLSchemaString() &&
+			content.Content == "":
+			content.Content = iter.GetXMLSchemaString()
+
+		case iter.IsIRI() &&
+			content.Content == "":
+			content.Content = iter.GetIRI().String()
 		}
 	}
 
-	return ""
+	return content
 }
 
 // ExtractAttachments attempts to extract barebones MediaAttachment objects from given AS interface type.
diff --git a/internal/ap/extractcontent_test.go b/internal/ap/extractcontent_test.go
index 590d1b931..c899a10e1 100644
--- a/internal/ap/extractcontent_test.go
+++ b/internal/ap/extractcontent_test.go
@@ -30,10 +30,11 @@ type ExtractContentTestSuite struct {
 
 func (suite *ExtractContentTestSuite) TestExtractContent1() {
 	note := suite.noteWithMentions1
-
 	content := ap.ExtractContent(note)
 
-	suite.Equal("hey @f0x and @dumpsterqueer", content)
+	suite.Equal("hey @f0x and @dumpsterqueer", content.Content)
+	suite.Equal("bonjour @f0x et @dumpsterqueer", content.ContentMap["fr"])
+	suite.Equal("hey @f0x and @dumpsterqueer", content.ContentMap["en"])
 }
 
 func TestExtractContentTestSuite(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/internal/ap/normalize.go b/internal/ap/normalize.go
index 192a2d740..a27527b84 100644
--- a/internal/ap/normalize.go
+++ b/internal/ap/normalize.go
@@ -20,11 +20,12 @@ package ap
 import (
 	"github.com/superseriousbusiness/activity/pub"
 	"github.com/superseriousbusiness/activity/streams"
+	"github.com/superseriousbusiness/gotosocial/internal/gtserror"
 	"github.com/superseriousbusiness/gotosocial/internal/text"
 )
 
 /*
-	NORMALIZE INCOMING
+	INCOMING NORMALIZATION
 	The below functions should be called to normalize the content
 	of messages *COMING INTO* GoToSocial via the federation API,
 	either as the result of delivery from a remote instance to this
@@ -84,39 +85,84 @@ func NormalizeIncomingActivity(activity pub.Activity, rawJSON map[string]interfa
 	}
 }
 
-// NormalizeIncomingContent replaces the Content of the given item
-// with the sanitized version of the raw 'content' value from the
-// raw json object map.
+// normalizeContent normalizes the given content
+// string by sanitizing its HTML and minimizing it.
 //
-// noop if there was no content in the json object map or the
-// content was not a plain string.
-func NormalizeIncomingContent(item WithContent, rawJSON map[string]interface{}) {
-	rawContent, ok := rawJSON["content"]
-	if !ok {
-		// No content in rawJSON.
-		// TODO: In future we might also
-		// look for "contentMap" property.
-		return
+// Noop for non-string content.
+func normalizeContent(rawContent interface{}) string {
+	if rawContent == nil {
+		// Nothing to fix.
+		return ""
 	}
 
 	content, ok := rawContent.(string)
 	if !ok {
-		// Not interested in content arrays.
-		return
+		// Not interested in
+		// content slices etc.
+		return ""
+	}
+
+	if content == "" {
+		// Nothing to fix.
+		return ""
 	}
 
-	// Content should be HTML encoded by default:
+	// Content entries should be HTML encoded by default:
 	// https://www.w3.org/TR/activitystreams-vocabulary/#dfn-content
 	//
 	// TODO: sanitize differently based on mediaType.
 	// https://www.w3.org/TR/activitystreams-vocabulary/#dfn-mediatype
 	content = text.SanitizeToHTML(content)
 	content = text.MinifyHTML(content)
+	return content
+}
 
-	// Set normalized content property from the raw string;
-	// this replaces any existing content property on the item.
+// NormalizeIncomingContent replaces the Content property of the given
+// item with the normalized versions of the raw 'content' and 'contentMap'
+// values from the raw json object map.
+//
+// noop if there was no 'content' or 'contentMap' in the json object map.
+func NormalizeIncomingContent(item WithContent, rawJSON map[string]interface{}) {
+	var (
+		rawContent    = rawJSON["content"]
+		rawContentMap = rawJSON["contentMap"]
+	)
+
+	if rawContent == nil &&
+		rawContentMap == nil {
+		// Nothing to normalize,
+		// leave no content on item.
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Create wrapper for normalized content.
 	contentProp := streams.NewActivityStreamsContentProperty()
-	contentProp.AppendXMLSchemaString(content)
+
+	// Fix 'content' if applicable.
+	content := normalizeContent(rawContent)
+	if content != "" {
+		contentProp.AppendXMLSchemaString(content)
+	}
+
+	// Fix 'contentMap' if applicable.
+	contentMap, ok := rawContentMap.(map[string]interface{})
+	if ok {
+		rdfLangs := make(map[string]string, len(contentMap))
+
+		for lang, rawContent := range contentMap {
+			content := normalizeContent(rawContent)
+			if content != "" {
+				rdfLangs[lang] = content
+			}
+		}
+
+		if len(rdfLangs) != 0 {
+			contentProp.AppendRDFLangString(rdfLangs)
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Replace any existing content property
+	// on the item with normalized version.
 	item.SetActivityStreamsContent(contentProp)
 }
 
@@ -299,3 +345,204 @@ func NormalizeIncomingPollOptions(item WithOneOf, rawJSON map[string]interface{}
 		NormalizeIncomingName(choiceable, rawChoice)
 	}
 }
+
+/*
+	OUTGOING NORMALIZATION
+	The below functions should be called to normalize the content
+	of messages *GOING OUT OF* GoToSocial via the federation API,
+	either as the result of delivery to a remote instance from this
+	instance, or as a result of a remote instance doing an http call
+	to us to dereference something.
+*/
+
+// NormalizeOutgoingAttachmentProp replaces single-entry Attachment objects with
+// single-entry arrays, for better compatibility with other AP implementations.
+//
+// Ie:
+//
+//	"attachment": {
+//	  ...
+//	}
+//
+// becomes:
+//
+//	"attachment": [
+//	  {
+//	    ...
+//	  }
+//	]
+//
+// Noop for items with no attachments, or with attachments that are already a slice.
+func NormalizeOutgoingAttachmentProp(item WithAttachment, rawJSON map[string]interface{}) {
+	attachment, ok := rawJSON["attachment"]
+	if !ok {
+		// No 'attachment',
+		// nothing to change.
+		return
+	}
+
+	if _, ok := attachment.([]interface{}); ok {
+		// Already slice,
+		// nothing to change.
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Coerce single-object to slice.
+	rawJSON["attachment"] = []interface{}{attachment}
+}
+
+// NormalizeOutgoingContentProp normalizes go-fed's funky formatting of content and
+// contentMap properties to a format better understood by other AP implementations.
+//
+// Ie., incoming "content" property like this:
+//
+//	"content": [
+//	  "hello world!",
+//	  {
+//	    "en": "hello world!"
+//	  }
+//	]
+//
+// Is unpacked to:
+//
+//	"content": "hello world!",
+//	"contentMap": {
+//	  "en": "hello world!"
+//	}
+//
+// Noop if neither content nor contentMap are set.
+func NormalizeOutgoingContentProp(item WithContent, rawJSON map[string]interface{}) {
+	contentProp := item.GetActivityStreamsContent()
+	if contentProp == nil {
+		// Nothing to do,
+		// bail early.
+		return
+	}
+
+	contentPropLen := contentProp.Len()
+	if contentPropLen == 0 {
+		// Nothing to do,
+		// bail early.
+		return
+	}
+
+	var (
+		content    string
+		contentMap map[string]string
+	)
+
+	for iter := contentProp.Begin(); iter != contentProp.End(); iter = iter.Next() {
+		switch {
+		case iter.IsRDFLangString() &&
+			contentMap == nil:
+			contentMap = iter.GetRDFLangString()
+
+		case content == "" &&
+			iter.IsXMLSchemaString():
+			content = iter.GetXMLSchemaString()
+		}
+	}
+
+	if content != "" {
+		rawJSON["content"] = content
+	} else {
+		delete(rawJSON, "content")
+	}
+
+	if contentMap != nil {
+		rawJSON["contentMap"] = contentMap
+	} else {
+		delete(rawJSON, "contentMap")
+	}
+}
+
+// NormalizeOutgoingObjectProp normalizes each Object entry in the rawJSON of the given
+// item by calling custom serialization / normalization functions on them in turn.
+//
+// This function also unnests single-entry arrays, so that:
+//
+//	"object": [
+//	  {
+//	    ...
+//	  }
+//	]
+//
+// Becomes:
+//
+//	"object": {
+//	  ...
+//	}
+//
+// Noop for each Object entry that isn't an Accountable or Statusable.
+func NormalizeOutgoingObjectProp(item WithObject, rawJSON map[string]interface{}) error {
+	objectProp := item.GetActivityStreamsObject()
+	if objectProp == nil {
+		// Nothing to do,
+		// bail early.
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	objectPropLen := objectProp.Len()
+	if objectPropLen == 0 {
+		// Nothing to do,
+		// bail early.
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	// The thing we already serialized has objects
+	// on it, so we should see if we need to custom
+	// serialize any of those objects, and replace
+	// them on the data map as necessary.
+	objects := make([]interface{}, 0, objectPropLen)
+	for iter := objectProp.Begin(); iter != objectProp.End(); iter = iter.Next() {
+		if iter.IsIRI() {
+			// Plain IRIs don't need custom serialization.
+			objects = append(objects, iter.GetIRI().String())
+			continue
+		}
+
+		var (
+			objectType = iter.GetType()
+			objectSer  map[string]interface{}
+		)
+
+		if objectType == nil {
+			// This is awkward.
+			return gtserror.Newf("could not resolve object iter %T to vocab.Type", iter)
+		}
+
+		var err error
+
+		// In the below accountable and statusable serialization,
+		// `@context` will be included in the wrapping type already,
+		// so we shouldn't also include it in the object itself.
+		switch tn := objectType.GetTypeName(); {
+		case IsAccountable(tn):
+			objectSer, err = serializeAccountable(objectType, false)
+
+		case IsStatusable(tn):
+			// IsStatusable includes Pollable as well.
+			objectSer, err = serializeStatusable(objectType, false)
+
+		default:
+			// No custom serializer for this type; serialize as normal.
+			objectSer, err = objectType.Serialize()
+		}
+
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+
+		objects = append(objects, objectSer)
+	}
+
+	if objectPropLen == 1 {
+		// Unnest single object.
+		rawJSON["object"] = objects[0]
+	} else {
+		// Array of objects.
+		rawJSON["object"] = objects
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/internal/ap/normalize_test.go b/internal/ap/normalize_test.go
index cd1affe60..33b1f6ea6 100644
--- a/internal/ap/normalize_test.go
+++ b/internal/ap/normalize_test.go
@@ -46,6 +46,9 @@ func (suite *NormalizeTestSuite) getStatusable() (vocab.ActivityStreamsNote, map
 		  "https://example.org/users/someone/followers"
 		],
 		"content": "UPDATE: As of this morning there are now more than 7 million Mastodon users, most from the <a class=\"hashtag\" data-tag=\"twittermigration\" href=\"https://example.org/tag/twittermigration\" rel=\"tag ugc\">#TwitterMigration</a>.<br><br>In fact, 100,000 new accounts have been created since last night.<br><br>Since last night&#39;s spike 8,000-12,000 new accounts are being created every hour.<br><br>Yesterday, I estimated that Mastodon would have 8 million users by the end of the week. That might happen a lot sooner if this trend continues.",
+		"contentMap": {
+			"en": "UPDATE: As of this morning there are now more than 7 million Mastodon users, most from the <a class=\"hashtag\" data-tag=\"twittermigration\" href=\"https://example.org/tag/twittermigration\" rel=\"tag ugc\">#TwitterMigration</a>.<br><br>In fact, 100,000 new accounts have been created since last night.<br><br>Since last night&#39;s spike 8,000-12,000 new accounts are being created every hour.<br><br>Yesterday, I estimated that Mastodon would have 8 million users by the end of the week. That might happen a lot sooner if this trend continues."
+		},
 		"context": "https://example.org/contexts/01GX0MSHPER1E0FT022Q209EJZ",
 		"conversation": "https://example.org/contexts/01GX0MSHPER1E0FT022Q209EJZ",
 		"id": "https://example.org/objects/01GX0MT2PA58JNSMK11MCS65YD",
@@ -182,7 +185,15 @@ func (suite *NormalizeTestSuite) getAccountable() (vocab.ActivityStreamsPerson,
 
 func (suite *NormalizeTestSuite) TestNormalizeActivityObject() {
 	note, rawNote := suite.getStatusable()
-	suite.Equal(`update: As of this morning there are now more than 7 million Mastodon users, most from the <a class="hashtag" data-tag="twittermigration" href="https://example.org/tag/twittermigration" rel="tag ugc">#TwitterMigration%3C/a%3E.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EIn%20fact,%20100,000%20new%20accounts%20have%20been%20created%20since%20last%20night.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3ESince%20last%20night&%2339;s%20spike%208,000-12,000%20new%20accounts%20are%20being%20created%20every%20hour.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EYesterday,%20I%20estimated%20that%20Mastodon%20would%20have%208%20million%20users%20by%20the%20end%20of%20the%20week.%20That%20might%20happen%20a%20lot%20sooner%20if%20this%20trend%20continues.`, ap.ExtractContent(note))
+	content := ap.ExtractContent(note)
+	suite.Equal(
+		`update: As of this morning there are now more than 7 million Mastodon users, most from the <a class="hashtag" data-tag="twittermigration" href="https://example.org/tag/twittermigration" rel="tag ugc">#TwitterMigration%3C/a%3E.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EIn%20fact,%20100,000%20new%20accounts%20have%20been%20created%20since%20last%20night.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3ESince%20last%20night&%2339;s%20spike%208,000-12,000%20new%20accounts%20are%20being%20created%20every%20hour.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EYesterday,%20I%20estimated%20that%20Mastodon%20would%20have%208%20million%20users%20by%20the%20end%20of%20the%20week.%20That%20might%20happen%20a%20lot%20sooner%20if%20this%20trend%20continues.`,
+		content.Content,
+	)
+
+	// Malformed contentMap entry
+	// will not be extractable yet.
+	suite.Empty(content.ContentMap["en"])
 
 	create := testrig.WrapAPNoteInCreate(
 		testrig.URLMustParse("https://example.org/create_something"),
@@ -192,7 +203,18 @@ func (suite *NormalizeTestSuite) TestNormalizeActivityObject() {
 	)
 
 	ap.NormalizeIncomingActivity(create, map[string]interface{}{"object": rawNote})
-	suite.Equal(`UPDATE: As of this morning there are now more than 7 million Mastodon users, most from the <a class="hashtag" href="https://example.org/tag/twittermigration" rel="tag ugc nofollow noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">#TwitterMigration</a>.<br><br>In fact, 100,000 new accounts have been created since last night.<br><br>Since last night's spike 8,000-12,000 new accounts are being created every hour.<br><br>Yesterday, I estimated that Mastodon would have 8 million users by the end of the week. That might happen a lot sooner if this trend continues.`, ap.ExtractContent(note))
+	content = ap.ExtractContent(note)
+
+	suite.Equal(
+		`UPDATE: As of this morning there are now more than 7 million Mastodon users, most from the <a class="hashtag" href="https://example.org/tag/twittermigration" rel="tag ugc nofollow noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">#TwitterMigration</a>.<br><br>In fact, 100,000 new accounts have been created since last night.<br><br>Since last night's spike 8,000-12,000 new accounts are being created every hour.<br><br>Yesterday, I estimated that Mastodon would have 8 million users by the end of the week. That might happen a lot sooner if this trend continues.`,
+		content.Content,
+	)
+
+	// Content map entry should now be extractable.
+	suite.Equal(
+		`UPDATE: As of this morning there are now more than 7 million Mastodon users, most from the <a class="hashtag" href="https://example.org/tag/twittermigration" rel="tag ugc nofollow noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">#TwitterMigration</a>.<br><br>In fact, 100,000 new accounts have been created since last night.<br><br>Since last night's spike 8,000-12,000 new accounts are being created every hour.<br><br>Yesterday, I estimated that Mastodon would have 8 million users by the end of the week. That might happen a lot sooner if this trend continues.`,
+		content.ContentMap["en"],
+	)
 }
 
 func (suite *NormalizeTestSuite) TestNormalizeStatusableAttachmentsOneAttachment() {
@@ -202,12 +224,14 @@ func (suite *NormalizeTestSuite) TestNormalizeStatusableAttachmentsOneAttachment
 	// the attachment(s) should be all jacked up.
 	suite.Equal(`{
   "@context": "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams",
-  "attachment": {
-    "mediaType": "image/jpeg",
-    "name": "description: here's \u003c\u003ca\u003e\u003e picture of a #cat,%20it%27s%20cute!%20here%27s%20some%20special%20characters:%20%22%22%20%5C%20weeee%27%27%27%27",
-    "type": "Document",
-    "url": "https://files.example.org/media_attachments/files/110/258/459/579/509/026/original/b65392ebe0fb04ef.jpeg"
-  },
+  "attachment": [
+    {
+      "mediaType": "image/jpeg",
+      "name": "description: here's \u003c\u003ca\u003e\u003e picture of a #cat,%20it%27s%20cute!%20here%27s%20some%20special%20characters:%20%22%22%20%5C%20weeee%27%27%27%27",
+      "type": "Document",
+      "url": "https://files.example.org/media_attachments/files/110/258/459/579/509/026/original/b65392ebe0fb04ef.jpeg"
+    }
+  ],
   "attributedTo": "https://example.org/users/hourlycatbot",
   "id": "https://example.org/users/hourlycatbot/statuses/01GYW48H311PZ78C5G856MGJJJ",
   "to": "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public",
@@ -222,12 +246,14 @@ func (suite *NormalizeTestSuite) TestNormalizeStatusableAttachmentsOneAttachment
 	// attachment should no longer be all jacked up.
 	suite.Equal(`{
   "@context": "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams",
-  "attachment": {
-    "mediaType": "image/jpeg",
-    "name": "DESCRIPTION: here's \u003c\u003e picture of a #cat, it's cute! here's some special characters: \"\" \\ weeee''''",
-    "type": "Document",
-    "url": "https://files.example.org/media_attachments/files/110/258/459/579/509/026/original/b65392ebe0fb04ef.jpeg"
-  },
+  "attachment": [
+    {
+      "mediaType": "image/jpeg",
+      "name": "DESCRIPTION: here's \u003c\u003e picture of a #cat, it's cute! here's some special characters: \"\" \\ weeee''''",
+      "type": "Document",
+      "url": "https://files.example.org/media_attachments/files/110/258/459/579/509/026/original/b65392ebe0fb04ef.jpeg"
+    }
+  ],
   "attributedTo": "https://example.org/users/hourlycatbot",
   "id": "https://example.org/users/hourlycatbot/statuses/01GYW48H311PZ78C5G856MGJJJ",
   "to": "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public",
@@ -243,12 +269,14 @@ func (suite *NormalizeTestSuite) TestNormalizeStatusableAttachmentsOneAttachment
 	// the attachment(s) should be all jacked up.
 	suite.Equal(`{
   "@context": "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams",
-  "attachment": {
-    "mediaType": "image/jpeg",
-    "name": "description: here's \u003c\u003ca\u003e\u003e picture of a #cat,%20it%27s%20cute!%20here%27s%20some%20special%20characters:%20%22%22%20%5C%20weeee%27%27%27%27",
-    "type": "Document",
-    "url": "https://files.example.org/media_attachments/files/110/258/459/579/509/026/original/b65392ebe0fb04ef.jpeg"
-  },
+  "attachment": [
+    {
+      "mediaType": "image/jpeg",
+      "name": "description: here's \u003c\u003ca\u003e\u003e picture of a #cat,%20it%27s%20cute!%20here%27s%20some%20special%20characters:%20%22%22%20%5C%20weeee%27%27%27%27",
+      "type": "Document",
+      "url": "https://files.example.org/media_attachments/files/110/258/459/579/509/026/original/b65392ebe0fb04ef.jpeg"
+    }
+  ],
   "attributedTo": "https://example.org/users/hourlycatbot",
   "id": "https://example.org/users/hourlycatbot/statuses/01GYW48H311PZ78C5G856MGJJJ",
   "to": "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public",
@@ -263,12 +291,14 @@ func (suite *NormalizeTestSuite) TestNormalizeStatusableAttachmentsOneAttachment
 	// attachment should no longer be all jacked up.
 	suite.Equal(`{
   "@context": "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams",
-  "attachment": {
-    "mediaType": "image/jpeg",
-    "name": "DESCRIPTION: here's \u003c\u003e picture of a #cat, it's cute! here's some special characters: \"\" \\ weeee''''",
-    "type": "Document",
-    "url": "https://files.example.org/media_attachments/files/110/258/459/579/509/026/original/b65392ebe0fb04ef.jpeg"
-  },
+  "attachment": [
+    {
+      "mediaType": "image/jpeg",
+      "name": "DESCRIPTION: here's \u003c\u003e picture of a #cat, it's cute! here's some special characters: \"\" \\ weeee''''",
+      "type": "Document",
+      "url": "https://files.example.org/media_attachments/files/110/258/459/579/509/026/original/b65392ebe0fb04ef.jpeg"
+    }
+  ],
   "attributedTo": "https://example.org/users/hourlycatbot",
   "id": "https://example.org/users/hourlycatbot/statuses/01GYW48H311PZ78C5G856MGJJJ",
   "to": "https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public",
diff --git a/internal/ap/serialize.go b/internal/ap/serialize.go
index 368d7f9a2..944e67407 100644
--- a/internal/ap/serialize.go
+++ b/internal/ap/serialize.go
@@ -18,10 +18,9 @@
 package ap
 
 import (
-	"fmt"
-
 	"github.com/superseriousbusiness/activity/streams"
 	"github.com/superseriousbusiness/activity/streams/vocab"
+	"github.com/superseriousbusiness/gotosocial/internal/gtserror"
 )
 
 // Serialize is a custom serializer for ActivityStreams types.
@@ -35,17 +34,20 @@ import (
 //
 // Currently, the following things will be custom serialized:
 //
-//   - OrderedCollection: 'orderedItems' property will always be made into an array.
-//   - Any Accountable type: 'attachment' property will always be made into an array.
-//   - Update: any Accountable 'object's set on an update will be custom serialized as above.
+//   - OrderedCollection:       'orderedItems' property will always be made into an array.
+//   - Any Accountable type:    'attachment' property will always be made into an array.
+//   - Any Statusable type:     'attachment' property will always be made into an array; 'content' and 'contentMap' will be normalized.
+//   - Any Activityable type:   any 'object's set on an activity will be custom serialized as above.
 func Serialize(t vocab.Type) (m map[string]interface{}, e error) {
-	switch t.GetTypeName() {
-	case ObjectOrderedCollection:
+	switch tn := t.GetTypeName(); {
+	case tn == ObjectOrderedCollection:
 		return serializeOrderedCollection(t)
-	case ActorApplication, ActorGroup, ActorOrganization, ActorPerson, ActorService:
+	case IsAccountable(tn):
 		return serializeAccountable(t, true)
-	case ActivityUpdate:
-		return serializeWithObject(t)
+	case IsStatusable(tn):
+		return serializeStatusable(t, true)
+	case IsActivityable(tn):
+		return serializeActivityable(t, true)
 	default:
 		// No custom serializer necessary.
 		return streams.Serialize(t)
@@ -61,8 +63,8 @@ func Serialize(t vocab.Type) (m map[string]interface{}, e error) {
 // See:
 //   - https://github.com/go-fed/activity/issues/139
 //   - https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/issues/24225
-func serializeOrderedCollection(orderedCollection vocab.Type) (map[string]interface{}, error) {
-	data, err := streams.Serialize(orderedCollection)
+func serializeOrderedCollection(t vocab.Type) (map[string]interface{}, error) {
+	data, err := streams.Serialize(t)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -99,7 +101,12 @@ func serializeOrderedCollection(orderedCollection vocab.Type) (map[string]interf
 // If the accountable is being serialized as part of another object (eg., as the
 // object of an activity), then includeContext should be set to false, as the
 // @context entry should be included on the top-level/wrapping activity/object.
-func serializeAccountable(accountable vocab.Type, includeContext bool) (map[string]interface{}, error) {
+func serializeAccountable(t vocab.Type, includeContext bool) (map[string]interface{}, error) {
+	accountable, ok := t.(Accountable)
+	if !ok {
+		return nil, gtserror.Newf("vocab.Type %T not accountable", t)
+	}
+
 	var (
 		data map[string]interface{}
 		err  error
@@ -115,91 +122,61 @@ func serializeAccountable(accountable vocab.Type, includeContext bool) (map[stri
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	attachment, ok := data["attachment"]
-	if !ok {
-		// No 'attachment', nothing to change.
-		return data, nil
-	}
-
-	if _, ok := attachment.([]interface{}); ok {
-		// Already slice.
-		return data, nil
-	}
-
-	// Coerce single-object to slice.
-	data["attachment"] = []interface{}{attachment}
+	NormalizeOutgoingAttachmentProp(accountable, data)
 
 	return data, nil
 }
 
-func serializeWithObject(t vocab.Type) (map[string]interface{}, error) {
-	withObject, ok := t.(WithObject)
+func serializeStatusable(t vocab.Type, includeContext bool) (map[string]interface{}, error) {
+	statusable, ok := t.(Statusable)
 	if !ok {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("serializeWithObject: could not resolve %T to WithObject", t)
+		return nil, gtserror.Newf("vocab.Type %T not statusable", t)
+	}
+
+	var (
+		data map[string]interface{}
+		err  error
+	)
+
+	if includeContext {
+		data, err = streams.Serialize(statusable)
+	} else {
+		data, err = statusable.Serialize()
 	}
 
-	data, err := streams.Serialize(t)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	object := withObject.GetActivityStreamsObject()
-	if object == nil {
-		// Nothing to do, bail early.
-		return data, nil
+	NormalizeOutgoingAttachmentProp(statusable, data)
+	NormalizeOutgoingContentProp(statusable, data)
+
+	return data, nil
+}
+
+func serializeActivityable(t vocab.Type, includeContext bool) (map[string]interface{}, error) {
+	activityable, ok := t.(Activityable)
+	if !ok {
+		return nil, gtserror.Newf("vocab.Type %T not activityable", t)
 	}
 
-	objectLen := object.Len()
-	if objectLen == 0 {
-		// Nothing to do, bail early.
-		return data, nil
+	var (
+		data map[string]interface{}
+		err  error
+	)
+
+	if includeContext {
+		data, err = streams.Serialize(activityable)
+	} else {
+		data, err = activityable.Serialize()
 	}
 
-	// The thing we already serialized has objects
-	// on it, so we should see if we need to custom
-	// serialize any of those objects, and replace
-	// them on the data map as necessary.
-	objects := make([]interface{}, 0, objectLen)
-	for iter := object.Begin(); iter != object.End(); iter = iter.Next() {
-		if iter.IsIRI() {
-			// Plain IRIs don't need custom serialization.
-			objects = append(objects, iter.GetIRI().String())
-			continue
-		}
-
-		var (
-			objectType = iter.GetType()
-			objectSer  map[string]interface{}
-		)
-
-		if objectType == nil {
-			// This is awkward.
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("serializeWithObject: could not resolve object iter %T to vocab.Type", iter)
-		}
-
-		switch objectType.GetTypeName() {
-		case ActorApplication, ActorGroup, ActorOrganization, ActorPerson, ActorService:
-			// @context will be included in wrapping type already,
-			// we don't need to include it in the object itself.
-			objectSer, err = serializeAccountable(objectType, false)
-		default:
-			// No custom serializer for this type; serialize as normal.
-			objectSer, err = objectType.Serialize()
-		}
-
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-
-		objects = append(objects, objectSer)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	if objectLen == 1 {
-		// Unnest single object.
-		data["object"] = objects[0]
-	} else {
-		// Array of objects.
-		data["object"] = objects
+	if err := NormalizeOutgoingObjectProp(activityable, data); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
 	return data, nil
diff --git a/internal/gtsmodel/status.go b/internal/gtsmodel/status.go
index a009a726d..9b93e34a1 100644
--- a/internal/gtsmodel/status.go
+++ b/internal/gtsmodel/status.go
@@ -237,3 +237,14 @@ const (
 	// VisibilityDefault is used when no other setting can be found.
 	VisibilityDefault Visibility = VisibilityUnlocked
 )
+
+// Content models the simple string content
+// of a status along with its ContentMap,
+// which contains content entries keyed by
+// BCP47 language tag.
+//
+// Content and/or ContentMap may be zero/nil.
+type Content struct {
+	Content    string
+	ContentMap map[string]string
+}
diff --git a/internal/typeutils/astointernal.go b/internal/typeutils/astointernal.go
index 707f51629..c7908ad24 100644
--- a/internal/typeutils/astointernal.go
+++ b/internal/typeutils/astointernal.go
@@ -244,9 +244,15 @@ func (c *Converter) ASStatusToStatus(ctx context.Context, statusable ap.Statusab
 	}
 
 	// status.Content
+	// status.Language
 	//
-	// The (html-formatted) content of this status.
-	status.Content = ap.ExtractContent(statusable)
+	// Many implementations set both content
+	// and contentMap; we can use these to
+	// infer the language of the status.
+	status.Content, status.Language = ContentToContentLanguage(
+		ctx,
+		ap.ExtractContent(statusable),
+	)
 
 	// status.Attachments
 	//
@@ -396,9 +402,6 @@ func (c *Converter) ASStatusToStatus(ctx context.Context, statusable ap.Statusab
 		return &s
 	}()
 
-	// language
-	// TODO: we might be able to extract this from the contentMap field
-
 	// ActivityStreamsType
 	status.ActivityStreamsType = statusable.GetTypeName()
 
@@ -707,7 +710,7 @@ func (c *Converter) ASFlagToReport(ctx context.Context, flaggable ap.Flaggable)
 	// For Mastodon, this will just be a string, or nothing.
 	// In Misskey's case, it may also contain the URLs of
 	// one or more reported statuses, so extract these too.
-	content := ap.ExtractContent(flaggable)
+	content := ap.ExtractContent(flaggable).Content
 	statusURIs := []*url.URL{}
 	inlineURLs := misskeyReportInlineURLs(content)
 	statusURIs = append(statusURIs, inlineURLs...)
diff --git a/internal/typeutils/astointernal_test.go b/internal/typeutils/astointernal_test.go
index 10ea422fa..851d57efc 100644
--- a/internal/typeutils/astointernal_test.go
+++ b/internal/typeutils/astointernal_test.go
@@ -45,6 +45,10 @@ func (suite *ASToInternalTestSuite) jsonToType(in string) vocab.Type {
 		suite.FailNow(err.Error())
 	}
 
+	if statusable, ok := t.(ap.Statusable); ok {
+		ap.NormalizeIncomingContent(statusable, m)
+	}
+
 	return t
 }
 
@@ -103,7 +107,8 @@ func (suite *ASToInternalTestSuite) TestParsePublicStatus() {
 	suite.NoError(err)
 
 	suite.Equal("reading: Punishment and Reward in the Corporate University", status.ContentWarning)
-	suite.Equal(`<p>&gt; So we have to examine critical thinking as a signifier, dynamic and ambiguous.  It has a normative definition, a tacit definition, and an ideal definition.  One of the hallmarks of graduate training is learning to comprehend those definitions and applying the correct one as needed for professional success.</p>`, status.Content)
+	suite.Equal(`<p>> So we have to examine critical thinking as a signifier, dynamic and ambiguous. It has a normative definition, a tacit definition, and an ideal definition. One of the hallmarks of graduate training is learning to comprehend those definitions and applying the correct one as needed for professional success.</p>`, status.Content)
+	suite.Equal("en", status.Language)
 }
 
 func (suite *ASToInternalTestSuite) TestParsePublicStatusNoURL() {
@@ -117,7 +122,7 @@ func (suite *ASToInternalTestSuite) TestParsePublicStatusNoURL() {
 	suite.NoError(err)
 
 	suite.Equal("reading: Punishment and Reward in the Corporate University", status.ContentWarning)
-	suite.Equal(`<p>&gt; So we have to examine critical thinking as a signifier, dynamic and ambiguous.  It has a normative definition, a tacit definition, and an ideal definition.  One of the hallmarks of graduate training is learning to comprehend those definitions and applying the correct one as needed for professional success.</p>`, status.Content)
+	suite.Equal(`<p>> So we have to examine critical thinking as a signifier, dynamic and ambiguous. It has a normative definition, a tacit definition, and an ideal definition. One of the hallmarks of graduate training is learning to comprehend those definitions and applying the correct one as needed for professional success.</p>`, status.Content)
 
 	// on statuses with no URL in them (like ones we get from pleroma sometimes) we should use the AP URI of the status as URL
 	suite.Equal("http://fossbros-anonymous.io/users/foss_satan/statuses/108138763199405167", status.URL)
diff --git a/internal/typeutils/internaltoas.go b/internal/typeutils/internaltoas.go
index 16467be40..ff502296b 100644
--- a/internal/typeutils/internaltoas.go
+++ b/internal/typeutils/internaltoas.go
@@ -607,9 +607,17 @@ func (c *Converter) StatusToAS(ctx context.Context, s *gtsmodel.Status) (ap.Stat
 	// conversation
 	// TODO
 
-	// content -- the actual post itself
+	// content -- the actual post
+	// itself, plus the language
 	contentProp := streams.NewActivityStreamsContentProperty()
 	contentProp.AppendXMLSchemaString(s.Content)
+
+	if s.Language != "" {
+		contentProp.AppendRDFLangString(map[string]string{
+			s.Language: s.Content,
+		})
+	}
+
 	status.SetActivityStreamsContent(contentProp)
 
 	// attachments
diff --git a/internal/typeutils/internaltoas_test.go b/internal/typeutils/internaltoas_test.go
index 01dde66fb..878040dcc 100644
--- a/internal/typeutils/internaltoas_test.go
+++ b/internal/typeutils/internaltoas_test.go
@@ -340,6 +340,9 @@ func (suite *InternalToASTestSuite) TestStatusToAS() {
   "attributedTo": "http://localhost:8080/users/the_mighty_zork",
   "cc": "http://localhost:8080/users/the_mighty_zork/followers",
   "content": "hello everyone!",
+  "contentMap": {
+    "en": "hello everyone!"
+  },
   "id": "http://localhost:8080/users/the_mighty_zork/statuses/01F8MHAMCHF6Y650WCRSCP4WMY",
   "published": "2021-10-20T12:40:37+02:00",
   "replies": {
@@ -379,16 +382,21 @@ func (suite *InternalToASTestSuite) TestStatusWithTagsToASWithIDs() {
 	// http://joinmastodon.org/ns, https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams --
 	// will appear, so trim them out of the string for consistency
 	trimmed := strings.SplitAfter(string(bytes), `"attachment":`)[1]
-	suite.Equal(` {
-    "blurhash": "LNJRdVM{00Rj%Mayt7j[4nWBofRj",
-    "mediaType": "image/jpeg",
-    "name": "Black and white image of some 50's style text saying: Welcome On Board",
-    "type": "Document",
-    "url": "http://localhost:8080/fileserver/01F8MH17FWEB39HZJ76B6VXSKF/attachment/original/01F8MH6NEM8D7527KZAECTCR76.jpg"
-  },
+	suite.Equal(` [
+    {
+      "blurhash": "LNJRdVM{00Rj%Mayt7j[4nWBofRj",
+      "mediaType": "image/jpeg",
+      "name": "Black and white image of some 50's style text saying: Welcome On Board",
+      "type": "Document",
+      "url": "http://localhost:8080/fileserver/01F8MH17FWEB39HZJ76B6VXSKF/attachment/original/01F8MH6NEM8D7527KZAECTCR76.jpg"
+    }
+  ],
   "attributedTo": "http://localhost:8080/users/admin",
   "cc": "http://localhost:8080/users/admin/followers",
   "content": "hello world! #welcome ! first post on the instance :rainbow: !",
+  "contentMap": {
+    "en": "hello world! #welcome ! first post on the instance :rainbow: !"
+  },
   "id": "http://localhost:8080/users/admin/statuses/01F8MH75CBF9JFX4ZAD54N0W0R",
   "published": "2021-10-20T11:36:45Z",
   "replies": {
@@ -446,16 +454,21 @@ func (suite *InternalToASTestSuite) TestStatusWithTagsToASFromDB() {
 	// http://joinmastodon.org/ns, https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams --
 	// will appear, so trim them out of the string for consistency
 	trimmed := strings.SplitAfter(string(bytes), `"attachment":`)[1]
-	suite.Equal(` {
-    "blurhash": "LNJRdVM{00Rj%Mayt7j[4nWBofRj",
-    "mediaType": "image/jpeg",
-    "name": "Black and white image of some 50's style text saying: Welcome On Board",
-    "type": "Document",
-    "url": "http://localhost:8080/fileserver/01F8MH17FWEB39HZJ76B6VXSKF/attachment/original/01F8MH6NEM8D7527KZAECTCR76.jpg"
-  },
+	suite.Equal(` [
+    {
+      "blurhash": "LNJRdVM{00Rj%Mayt7j[4nWBofRj",
+      "mediaType": "image/jpeg",
+      "name": "Black and white image of some 50's style text saying: Welcome On Board",
+      "type": "Document",
+      "url": "http://localhost:8080/fileserver/01F8MH17FWEB39HZJ76B6VXSKF/attachment/original/01F8MH6NEM8D7527KZAECTCR76.jpg"
+    }
+  ],
   "attributedTo": "http://localhost:8080/users/admin",
   "cc": "http://localhost:8080/users/admin/followers",
   "content": "hello world! #welcome ! first post on the instance :rainbow: !",
+  "contentMap": {
+    "en": "hello world! #welcome ! first post on the instance :rainbow: !"
+  },
   "id": "http://localhost:8080/users/admin/statuses/01F8MH75CBF9JFX4ZAD54N0W0R",
   "published": "2021-10-20T11:36:45Z",
   "replies": {
@@ -519,6 +532,9 @@ func (suite *InternalToASTestSuite) TestStatusToASWithMentions() {
     "http://localhost:8080/users/the_mighty_zork"
   ],
   "content": "hi @the_mighty_zork welcome to the instance!",
+  "contentMap": {
+    "en": "hi @the_mighty_zork welcome to the instance!"
+  },
   "id": "http://localhost:8080/users/admin/statuses/01FF25D5Q0DH7CHD57CTRS6WK0",
   "inReplyTo": "http://localhost:8080/users/the_mighty_zork/statuses/01F8MHAMCHF6Y650WCRSCP4WMY",
   "published": "2021-11-20T13:32:16Z",
diff --git a/internal/typeutils/util.go b/internal/typeutils/util.go
index a19588221..8a8d4123b 100644
--- a/internal/typeutils/util.go
+++ b/internal/typeutils/util.go
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ import (
 	apimodel "github.com/superseriousbusiness/gotosocial/internal/api/model"
 	"github.com/superseriousbusiness/gotosocial/internal/config"
 	"github.com/superseriousbusiness/gotosocial/internal/gtsmodel"
+	"github.com/superseriousbusiness/gotosocial/internal/language"
+	"github.com/superseriousbusiness/gotosocial/internal/log"
 	"github.com/superseriousbusiness/gotosocial/internal/regexes"
 	"github.com/superseriousbusiness/gotosocial/internal/text"
 )
@@ -184,3 +186,102 @@ func placeholdUnknownAttachments(arr []apimodel.Attachment) (string, []apimodel.
 
 	return text.SanitizeToHTML(aside.String()), arr
 }
+
+// ContentToContentLanguage tries to
+// extract a content string and language
+// tag string from the given intermediary
+// content.
+//
+// Either/both of the returned strings may
+// be empty, depending on how things go.
+func ContentToContentLanguage(
+	ctx context.Context,
+	content gtsmodel.Content,
+) (
+	string, // content
+	string, // language
+) {
+	var (
+		contentStr string
+		langTagStr string
+	)
+
+	switch contentMap := content.ContentMap; {
+	// Simplest case: no `contentMap`.
+	// Return `content`, even if empty.
+	case contentMap == nil:
+		return content.Content, ""
+
+	// `content` and `contentMap` set.
+	// Try to infer "primary" language.
+	case content.Content != "":
+		// Assume `content` is intended
+		// primary content, and look for
+		// corresponding language tag.
+		contentStr = content.Content
+
+		for t, c := range contentMap {
+			if contentStr == c {
+				langTagStr = t
+				break
+			}
+		}
+
+	// `content` not set; `contentMap`
+	// is set with only one value.
+	// This must be the "primary" lang.
+	case len(contentMap) == 1:
+		// Use an empty loop to
+		// get the values we want.
+		// nolint:revive
+		for langTagStr, contentStr = range contentMap {
+		}
+
+	// Only `contentMap` is set, with more
+	// than one value. Map order is not
+	// guaranteed so we can't know the
+	// "primary" language.
+	//
+	// Try to select content using our
+	// instance's configured languages.
+	//
+	// In case of no hits, just take the
+	// first tag and content in the map.
+	default:
+		instanceLangs := config.GetInstanceLanguages()
+		for _, langTagStr = range instanceLangs.TagStrs() {
+			if contentStr = contentMap[langTagStr]; contentStr != "" {
+				// Hit!
+				break
+			}
+		}
+
+		// If nothing found, just take
+		// the first entry we can get by
+		// breaking after the first iter.
+		if contentStr == "" {
+			for langTagStr, contentStr = range contentMap {
+				break
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	if langTagStr != "" {
+		// Found a lang tag for this content,
+		// make sure it's valid / parseable.
+		lang, err := language.Parse(langTagStr)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Warnf(
+				ctx,
+				"could not parse %s as BCP47 language tag in status contentMap: %v",
+				langTagStr, err,
+			)
+		} else {
+			// Inferred the language!
+			// Use normalized version.
+			langTagStr = lang.TagStr
+		}
+	}
+
+	return contentStr, langTagStr
+}
diff --git a/internal/typeutils/util_test.go b/internal/typeutils/util_test.go
index e6610574b..0f852d399 100644
--- a/internal/typeutils/util_test.go
+++ b/internal/typeutils/util_test.go
@@ -18,7 +18,12 @@
 package typeutils
 
 import (
+	"context"
 	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/superseriousbusiness/gotosocial/internal/config"
+	"github.com/superseriousbusiness/gotosocial/internal/gtsmodel"
+	"github.com/superseriousbusiness/gotosocial/internal/language"
 )
 
 func TestMisskeyReportContentURLs1(t *testing.T) {
@@ -44,3 +49,112 @@ misskey-formatted`
 		t.Fatalf("wanted 0 urls, got %d", l)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestContentToContentLanguage(t *testing.T) {
+	type testcase struct {
+		content           gtsmodel.Content
+		instanceLanguages language.Languages
+		expectedContent   string
+		expectedLang      string
+	}
+
+	ctx, cncl := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	defer cncl()
+
+	for i, testcase := range []testcase{
+		{
+			content: gtsmodel.Content{
+				Content:    "hello world",
+				ContentMap: nil,
+			},
+			expectedContent: "hello world",
+			expectedLang:    "",
+		},
+		{
+			content: gtsmodel.Content{
+				Content: "",
+				ContentMap: map[string]string{
+					"en": "hello world",
+				},
+			},
+			expectedContent: "hello world",
+			expectedLang:    "en",
+		},
+		{
+			content: gtsmodel.Content{
+				Content: "bonjour le monde",
+				ContentMap: map[string]string{
+					"en": "hello world",
+					"fr": "bonjour le monde",
+				},
+			},
+			expectedContent: "bonjour le monde",
+			expectedLang:    "fr",
+		},
+		{
+			content: gtsmodel.Content{
+				Content: "bonjour le monde",
+				ContentMap: map[string]string{
+					"en": "hello world",
+				},
+			},
+			expectedContent: "bonjour le monde",
+			expectedLang:    "",
+		},
+		{
+			content: gtsmodel.Content{
+				Content: "",
+				ContentMap: map[string]string{
+					"en": "hello world",
+					"ru": "Привет, мир!",
+					"nl": "hallo wereld!",
+					"ca": "Hola món!",
+				},
+			},
+			instanceLanguages: language.Languages{
+				{TagStr: "en"},
+				{TagStr: "ca"},
+			},
+			expectedContent: "hello world",
+			expectedLang:    "en",
+		},
+		{
+			content: gtsmodel.Content{
+				Content: "",
+				ContentMap: map[string]string{
+					"en": "hello world",
+					"ru": "Привет, мир!",
+					"nl": "hallo wereld!",
+					"ca": "Hola món!",
+				},
+			},
+			instanceLanguages: language.Languages{
+				{TagStr: "ca"},
+				{TagStr: "en"},
+			},
+			expectedContent: "Hola món!",
+			expectedLang:    "ca",
+		},
+	} {
+		langs, err := language.InitLangs(testcase.instanceLanguages.TagStrs())
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		config.SetInstanceLanguages(langs)
+
+		content, language := ContentToContentLanguage(ctx, testcase.content)
+		if content != testcase.expectedContent {
+			t.Errorf(
+				"test %d expected content '%s' got '%s'",
+				i, testcase.expectedContent, content,
+			)
+		}
+
+		if language != testcase.expectedLang {
+			t.Errorf(
+				"test %d expected language '%s' got '%s'",
+				i, testcase.expectedLang, language,
+			)
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/typeutils/wrap_test.go b/internal/typeutils/wrap_test.go
index 9d6d95983..453073ed6 100644
--- a/internal/typeutils/wrap_test.go
+++ b/internal/typeutils/wrap_test.go
@@ -85,6 +85,9 @@ func (suite *WrapTestSuite) TestWrapNoteInCreate() {
     "attributedTo": "http://localhost:8080/users/the_mighty_zork",
     "cc": "http://localhost:8080/users/the_mighty_zork/followers",
     "content": "hello everyone!",
+    "contentMap": {
+      "en": "hello everyone!"
+    },
     "id": "http://localhost:8080/users/the_mighty_zork/statuses/01F8MHAMCHF6Y650WCRSCP4WMY",
     "published": "2021-10-20T12:40:37+02:00",
     "replies": {