Adding Website Language Translation Can Help You Reach More People
Website language translation is the process of making your website content available in more than one language. For example, if you have a website in English, you might want to translate it into Spanish, French, German, Italian, Arabic, and other languages.
Translating your website can help you expand your audience and reach more people. By adding a Spanish translation to your website, you’re making your website available for all the people who speak Spanish.
There are several ways to add website language translation to your website. In this post, we’ll explain when you should consider adding website language translation as well as how to do it.
When You Should Add Website Language Translation
If you’re just getting started or if you have a business that caters to primarily local customers, adding a website language translation should only be considered if you live in a diverse area that has a significant number of people that speak another language.
If you want to expand your marketbase and you’re noticing an uptick in website visitors from other countries, it’s a good idea to consider adding website language translation to your to do list.
Similarly, if you’re already reaching people that speak another language, adding language translation is the next logical step.
How to Add Website Language Translation
When it comes to adding website language translation, you have a few choices. For starters, you can manually translate your website yourself or hire a professional translator if you have the budget for it. Beware of hiring an overseas design company to handle the translations.
Hiring a professional translator can be quite costly, especially if you publish a lot of new content that needs to be translated on the regular. In addition to that, it can be quite time-consuming since you need to wait for the translation to come back to you.
Another option is to rely on users to self-translate your site using Google Translate Chrome extension. With this extension installed, all a visitor has to do is highlight the text on your site, right-click, and select the Translate option. However, relying on this option is not very user-friendly since there is no guarantee that a user has that extension installed.
The third option is to use a WordPress multilingual plugin. You can find both free and paid plugins and most of them will automatically translate the website for you, leaving you with the task of double-checking the translation to ensure it’s correct. This option is not only budget-friendly but also fast.
WordPress Multilingual Plugins
Here are a few WordPress multilingual plugins that you can consider using to translate your website.
TranslatePress
TranslatePress is a multilingual WordPress plugin that allows you to translate your entire website from the front-end. It integrates with automatic translation services and is compatible with popular page builders, WooCommerce, and complex themes. Core features are available for free. Paid plans start at €79/year for one site.
WPML
WPML is one of the oldest translation multilingual plugins for WordPress. It allows you to translate pages, posts, custom types, taxonomy, menus and even the theme’s texts. Pricing starts at $39/year for one website.
Loco Translate
Loco Translate can be downloaded for free from the official repository. The plugin offers in-browser tools to translate your website and you can get up to 2000 translations for free. Paid plans start at €6.95/mo.
GTranslate
If you’re looking for a quick, easy, and free solution, the GTranslate plugin will translate your website using Google’s automatic translation service. You can translate your WordPress site to 103 languages and the plugin includes support for plugin and theme translation, RTL support, and menu and widget translation. Paid plans start at $7.99/mo.
Weglot
Weglot offers automatic website language translation that supports not only pages, posts, and custom taxonomies but also dynamic content and content from third-party apps and plugins. This is a paid plugin that gives you a free trial for up to 2000 words. Paid plans start at €9.90/mo.
Website Language Translation Tips
Now that you know the benefits of adding website language translation and how to do it, here are some tips that will help you create a multilingual website.
Consider Manually Translating Core Pages That Don’t Change Often
While automatic translation can greatly speed things up, nothing beats manual translation. Your core pages such as About and Services page don’t change as often as your blog page or specific landing pages. It’s a good idea to translate them manually to ensure they’re as accurate as possible.
Make it Easy to Find the Language Switcher
You’ve done all the hard work of translating your website. Don’t make it difficult for your visitors to switch to their native or preferred language. Include the language switcher in your top navigation or add it as a sticky button that stays visible no matter how far down visitors scroll.
Don’t Forget to Translate Menus
Some translation plugins won’t automatically translate your menus. Be sure to check your website and manually translate all the navigation menus, including any drop-down and footer menus.
Translate Images That Contain Text
If you have images that contain text, you’ll need to manually translate them too. Most translation plugins won’t be able to automatically translate text that’s a part of the image itself.
Consider Culturally Relevant Photos
If your site isn’t already using a diverse set of images, you may want to upload alternate images that are used when the language is changed. This will appeal not only to the language of the intended audience but also their culture.
Need Help?
Need help adding language translation to your website? Contact us for a free quote and let’s talk about making your site multilingual.
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