Translate Websites

How to Translate Websites Effectively: A Guide by ConveyThis

In today’s interconnected world, expanding your online presence to a global audience is not just an option but a necessity. Whether you’re running a personal blog or an international e-commerce site, reaching customers from different countries in their native languages can significantly enhance your brand’s reach. That’s where website translation comes in. In this article, we will explore how to translate websites effectively and the tools that make the process seamless.

Why Should You Translate Your Website?

Before diving into how to translate websites, it’s essential to understand why translation is crucial for your business or project. Here are some compelling reasons:

• Increase in Global Reach: By translating your website, you open your doors to a broader audience. Over 75% of internet users prefer to shop in their native language, and if your content isn’t available in their language, they are likely to move on to a competitor who does.
• Improved User Experience: A website that speaks the user’s language enhances trust and engagement, resulting in better user experience and higher conversion rates.
• SEO Benefits: Translating your site can boost your search engine rankings in different regions. Search engines favor local content, so having a multilingual website improves your visibility in international markets.
• Competitive Edge: In a saturated market, offering localized content gives you an edge over competitors who haven’t invested in website translation.

Methods to Translate Your Website

There are multiple ways to translate a website, each with its own set of advantages and drawbacks. Here’s a rundown of the most common methods:

1. Manual Translation

Manual translation involves hiring professional translators to manually translate your website content into different languages. This method ensures high-quality, culturally appropriate translations that are accurate and well-localized.

• Pros: Highly accurate, tailored to the target audience, context-aware.
• Cons: Time-consuming and expensive, especially for websites with a lot of content.

2. Automatic or Machine Translation

Automatic translation relies on AI-driven tools such as Google Translate or ConveyThis, which use machine learning algorithms to translate content. These tools are quick and can handle large volumes of text almost instantaneously.

• Pros: Fast, cost-effective, can translate multiple languages simultaneously.
• Cons: May lack accuracy, and the translations may not always be contextually appropriate.

3. Hybrid Approach

The hybrid approach combines both machine translation and human editing. You can use an automatic tool to get the bulk of the work done, and then hire a human translator to review and improve the quality. This approach balances speed and accuracy.

• Pros: More accurate than pure machine translation, faster than manual translation.
• Cons: Still involves some costs, and the review process can be time-consuming.

How to Translate Your Website Using ConveyThis

ConveyThis simplifies the website translation process, making it accessible to anyone, even without coding skills. Here’s a step-by-step guide to get your website translated using ConveyThis:

1. Sign Up on ConveyThis

Start by creating an account on ConveyThis. After signing up, you will have access to a dashboard where you can manage all your website translation needs.

2. Install the ConveyThis Plugin

ConveyThis offers plugins for various content management systems (CMS), such as WordPress, Shopify, and Joomla. For WordPress, for example, you can simply install the plugin from the WordPress Plugin Directory and activate it.

3. Select Languages

Once the plugin is installed, choose the original language of your website and the target languages you want to translate your content into. ConveyThis supports over 100 languages, making it suitable for a global audience.

4. Automatic Translation

ConveyThis uses advanced machine translation to quickly translate your website’s content. The process is automatic, and the translations are applied almost instantly.

5. Human Translation (Optional)

For businesses that need more refined translations, ConveyThis offers human translation services. You can request professional translators to review the machine-translated content and make any necessary adjustments.

6. Customize the Language Switcher

ConveyThis allows you to customize the appearance of the language switcher on your website. You can choose the location, design, and language flags that best suit your site’s design.

7. Optimize for SEO

ConveyThis ensures that your translated website is SEO-friendly. It generates unique URLs for each language version of your site, allowing search engines to index your pages separately and boost your rankings in different regions.

8. Monitor Performance

Using the ConveyThis dashboard, you can track the performance of your translated content, view language statistics, and make adjustments as necessary.

Best Practices for Translating Websites

• Localization: Translation isn’t just about converting words from one language to another. It’s about localizing your content so it resonates with the culture and preferences of your target audience. Pay attention to cultural nuances, idiomatic expressions, and even local laws and regulations.
• Consistent Updates: Keep your translated content up to date as your website grows. Ensure that any new content on your original site is translated promptly to maintain consistency.
• Optimize for Mobile: Ensure that your translated website is mobile-friendly, as mobile traffic continues to dominate the web. ConveyThis ensures responsive design compatibility across different devices.
• Test the User Experience: Regularly test how the translated versions of your website perform. Check for broken links, formatting issues, or mistranslations that could hinder the user experience.

Conclusion:

Translating your website is a powerful way to broaden your audience, improve engagement, and increase your global presence. With tools like ConveyThis, website translation is easier, faster, and more affordable than ever. Whether you opt for automatic, manual, or hybrid translation, the key is to ensure your content is localized, SEO-optimized, and updated regularly. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can successfully translate your website and tap into the growing global marketplace.