This article was published 4 years ago, therefore the contents of this post may be out of date.

Although English continues to be the most common written language online, you can reach more international internet users by translating your website content into other languages.

This can be all down to choosing a WordPress translation plugins, there are many cost-effective ways of publishing content in multiple languages, you can either choose a free and premium translation option.

Choosing a Translation Plugin

WordPress makes it easy to create a multilingual website and you can even translate the WordPress dashboard area. So when it comes for you to choose a translation plugin for WordPress, there’s are a couple of things to keep in mind:

The process:

Understanding the translation process is one of the most important things, you need to check before you just installing a plugin on your site.
Firstly, you need to ask yourself these simple questions:

  • Does it require you to download a language pack?
  • Does it make use of a third-party web app?
  • Does this plugin offer manual or automatic translation?

SEO:

Like i mentioned above, having a multilingual website, you can reach a wider audience. But if your translation plugin isn’t optimised for search engines, all of your marketing efforts will backfire. So you need to keep in mind to check if your translation plugin is SEO-friendly.

Automated or Human Translation:

If you want to create a localised website, then it is in your best to hire a human translator rather than relying on an automated translation service.

If you want to allow users to specify a language optionally, then having an automated translator might be the right solution.

In this WordPress Wednesday, I would like to share with you the 6 WordPress translation plugins on the market.

1. TranslatePress

Translatepress Translate Multilingual Sites

With this plugin, translations are displayed in real-time, and also there’s support for both manual and automatic translation methods. Plus this plugin is compatible with Gutenberg blocks, shortcodes, WooCommerce, and also with most themes. You will also be able to translate metadata with its SEO pack, add language switchers with a simple shortcode, and the ability to translate dynamic gettext added by WordPress plugins and themes.

Price: Free

2. Google Website Translator

Google Website Translator

Use the power of Google Translate, with this plugin called Google Website Translator, this plugin is by Prisna and the plugin can be used as either a widget or a shortcode. In addition, it’s a fast and a light-weight option since it doesn’t rely on any external javascript and CSS the way other translation plugins do.

Price: Free

3. Polylang

Polylang

Polylang is a WordPress self-translation language plugin where you choose your preferred option from your profile and automatically download the corresponding language pack. The plugin adds a widget in the nav menu for switching between languages, and it can separate versions of your site onto subdomains for each language.

Price: Free

4. Babble

Babble

With Babble, all you’ll have to do is get a new language pack, so just install Babble, and enable your new language, then translate. Once it’s done working the magic, it will tell your translators that it is ready for their attention.

So, Babble will then displays two versions of the WordPress visual editor: one with the original content and the other with everything a translator needs before going live.

Price: Free

5. WPML

Wpml WordPress Multilingual Plugin

The plugin can tackle both the multilingual management and the translation process itself. WPML gives you an option of translations being placed on either the same domain, a subdomain, or a completely different domain.

Some features of this plugin include multilingual eCommerce support, translation widgets, and synchronisation with ICanLocalize and Cloud services for auto-translations. It sends the content to your preferred translation tool and efficiently puts high-quality translated materials at your disposal.

Price: Starting from $29.00

6. Weglot

Weglot

With more than 100 translation languages available, the Weglot Translate is a lightweight WordPress plugin that offers automatic translations and access to professional translators if you need. You can manage translated content from a single dashboard, and it includes the ability to make edits also it can even handle your WooCommerce product pages and checkout.

Price: Starting at €99.00 per year

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WordPress Wednesday – 6 WordPress Translation Plugins