Creating a Multilingual Website with WordPress
Hello Dear Reader!
Let’s dive, headfirst, into the crazy-yet-awesome world of creating a multilingual website with WordPress. If you’re here, you have probably already felt the biting curiosity of how you can extend your website’s reach to not just one, but numerous linguistic communities. Or maybe you just lost your way while learning to code. Either way, get yourself some ice cream because we’re in for a thrill!
The Big ‘Why’ Behind a Multilingual Website
The power of a website lies in its ability to reach far and wide. In a world where 75% of people prefer consuming content in their native language, if your website only caters to one language, now is the time to wake up and smell the espresso. Multilingual websites are like those big fancy coffee shops that have a menu in about 5000 languages. What does that mean? More customers, more business.
Step 1: Choose A Multilingual Plugin
Creating a multilingual website in WordPress is like Bob the Builder’s job – Fortunately, we’ve got more than a talking excavator to help us; you’ve got a whole crew of multilingual plugins. But, like picking out the perfect avocado from the pile, you need to pick the perfect plugin for your website. WPML, Polylang, and TranslatePress are typically franchises in the multilingual plugin business.
Step 2: Installing and Setting it up
Just like how superheroes gear up, after selecting a multilingual plugin, it’s time to install and setup. In the words of every DIY video ever, installation is just a click away – go to the plugin section, search your plugin, install and activate. “But what about setting up”, you ask? Well that’s like personalizing your donut – it depends on your tastes and the functionality of the plugin you chose. Typically, you will define the default language, add more languages and set a language switcher.
Step 3: Translating The Content
Now, with your multilingual site set up, let’s walk into the valley of translation. If you were hoping this would be like that Babel Fish from “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, I hate to break it to you – you won’t be that lucky. However, many plugins offer automatic translation services, but usually the best approach is manual translations or professional translation services.
The Magic of Automatic Translation
Some plugins offer automatic translation, which is like having a mini-UN assembly in your website engine. But remember: like how auto-correct texts can land you in a soup, auto-translations can also go wrong, resulting in hilarious or disastrous miscommunication.
The Art of Manual Translations
When in doubt about the magic of technology, manual translations are your best bet. It’s straightforward – you or a professional translator translates the content to various languages. It’s like talking to your international friends – but with more languages.
Step 4: Save and Test
And Voila, you have a multilingual WordPress site. But don’t celebrate just yet – You need to test it first to ensure your site hasn’t turned into a linguistic labyrinth. Check if the language switcher works and whether website elements are well translated.
If everything checks out, then Bazinga, you have successfully made a multilingual WordPress site! So dive in, experiment with plugins, lose your way a bit, find it again. In this thrilling journey of creating a multilingual site, here’s one Japanese phrase to remember – Ganbatte, or Good luck! You’ll do great!
