Are you keen to expand your customer base and penetrate new markets? If consumers in any of those markets speak another language, you’ll need to think about translating your website content. Using a WordPress website? If full-scale localization isn’t an option, a WordPress translation plugin can save you a lot of hassle.
Below, we’ll explain why you should be using WordPress translation plugins, what to look for when selecting one, and explore some of the best plugin options currently available.
Currently, WordPress doesn’t offer an integrated translation feature. Many assume that this leaves the likes of Google Translate being the only solution for localizing content for multilingual markets. However, while Google website translator tools can provide convenient in-browser translations, they’re not your only option. Instead, you can leverage the power of WordPress translation tools to retool your content for foreign markets.
WordPress translation plugins effectively translate the content of your site into any number of languages. This way, site visitors are able to explore your content in their native tongue. Essential for improving user experience, WordPress translation plugins typically come in one of two varieties.
The first are automatic translation plugins, which use machine-enabled translations from services like Google Translate. Manual translation plugins like WBGlobus are another option. Although these call for a lot of input and administration, the quality of translations is considerably higher. Some plugins like Loco Translate, bring together the best features of both manual and automatic translation.
Of course, not all WordPress translation plugins are created equal. Need some help finding the best solution for your requirements? Below, we’ve summed up some of the most important points to consider.
To make life easier, look for a plugin with a beginner-friendly interface. This is particularly important if you have zero experience with translation plugins. If you’re thinking about using a manual translation plugin, a pared-back interface that doesn’t complicate the process is even more essential.
There’s no point investing time and energy into adapting your website content to new languages if that translated content doesn’t have any SEO value. To overcome this issue, only choose plugins with SEO compatibility. This way, you can be confident that any content you translate can be properly indexed by search engines, increasing your odds of ranking well.
Some plugins put more of a drain on site performance than others. Take the time to experiment with different plugins to see how they impact the performance of your website. The main thing you’ll want to focus on here is page loading times.
Ideally, you’ll want a plugin that supports translations in as many languages as possible. You might not need additional languages right now, but you may in the future when you decide to expand further.
Some translation plugins might cause issues for other WordPress themes and plugins you’re running. As such, it’s important to test the stability of any translation plugin for compatibility issues before settling on a single solution.
If money is tight, price can be the determining factor when choosing a WordPress translation plugin. Some plugins can be unlocked with a one-off payment, but you may have to pay a premium to access advanced features. Subscription-based plugins may seem like an expensive option, but they generally allow greater access to premium features.
Now you know what to bear in mind when selecting a plugin, let’s take a look at some of the best options out there.
Looking for a powerful plugin to localize your WordPress site? BLEND‘s localization and translation platform integrates with WPML, so you can seamlessly translate and manage your content in multiple languages.
Say goodbye to the hassle of managing translations through spreadsheets or endless email chains.
With BLEND, you no longer have to worry about manually translating each page of your website. Our platform automatically syncs with WPML, pulling in all of the text from your WordPress site for easy translation.
This innovative solution allows you to submit web pages for translation directly from your CMS, simplifying workflows and saving you precious time. What’s more, your website will be completely updated after every piece of translation work is carried out. This means site visitors benefit from your translating efforts, improving user experience.
Despite offering a raft of first-class features, BLEND’s WordPress plugin is one of the more accessible options on the market. You don’t need to be armed with any coding skills to deploy this plugin, while an intuitive dashboard provides you with constant oversight of your translation projects. Need help with something? With 24/7 customer support, you won’t be left dealing with a problem for long. Another huge benefit of this plugin is that you can connect with BLEND’s extensive network of professional translators. BLEND works with over 25,000 linguists, providing localized content in more than 120 languages.
If you’re looking for a translation solution for an eCommerce platform, Lokalise is a good choice. Renowned for its speed and user-friendliness, Lokalise’s fuss-free installation makes it a good choice for the novice, while a pared-back interface allows linguists to carry out real-time translations with ease. You can add new members to translation teams quickly, while there’s seamless integration with platforms other than WordPress, such as Spotify.
While you can try before you buy with a free trial, Lokalise doesn’t currently offer a free version. Generally speaking, it’s a fairly costly option, with a high monthly subscription fee and extra charges for premium services.
Weglot is one of the more user-friendly plugins out there, with fuss-free installation and automatic detection of all website content. Once activated, Weglot integrates with your website in just a few moments. Once it’s successfully integrated, Weglot scans and texts all of your text and image assets, along with SEO metadata, automatically. This saves you the hassle of having to source website content manually.
With support for more than 110 languages, Weglot is a good choice for those with far-reaching ambitions. What’s more, with its automated workflows and coding-free design, there’s very little learning curve to worry about. Multilingual SEO capabilities make it a worthwhile choice, but it does lack some of the advanced features and control of some manual translation plugins.
It’s easy to see why WPML is one of the most popular WordPress translation plugins on the market. You can translate just about every website asset going, while it brings together the best features of manual and automatic translation plugins. Using language switcher solutions like DeepL and Google Translate, the automatic translation results of WPML are incredibly accurate, although there’s still scope for bringing in the services of human linguists.
Extensive theme and plugin compatibility, not to mention some impressive SEO capabilities, make WPML something to seriously consider. Customer support is also above average. However, with so much on offer, WPML may prove overwhelming, especially if you have zero experience with translation plugins.
If your main focus is multilingual SEO, Polylang could be the plugin for you. A good choice for those who want their website to rank well across every language, Polylang lets you translate everything from blog posts to site taxonomies.
Despite being a fairly comprehensive solution, it’s one of the most user-friendly options out there. The setup wizard makes this plugin accessible to even the novice, while its manual translation capabilities make it a must if you’re after full control of localized content. While there’s lots to love about Polylang, you’ll need to be prepared for a steep learning curve to access its most advanced features.
With its intuitive interface and coding-free approach, TranslatePress is yet another plugin solution that will suit the needs of the beginner. With an almost identical dashboard to WordPress itself, this plugin instantly feels like familiar territory.
However, it’s the visual translation editor that really sets this plugin apart from many of its competitors. With it, you can visualize how translations will look once complete, ensuring your translated pages hit all the right notes, every time. Almost every aspect of your website can be translated, including dynamic content like custom fields and sliders. However, you won’t be able to access multilingual SEO right off the bat. SEO support features are available as an add-on, but you’ll need to cough up a premium to access them.
This cloud-based plugin not only delivers when it comes to first-rate translation features, it also boasts some nifty collaboration tools. Perfect if you’re relying on a scattered team of networks and want to keep translation projects as simple as possible. This plugin comes with a full-featured translation management system, allowing you to monitor project progress, assign tasks to team members, and keep on top of quality assurance.
Don’t have a team at your disposal? Not to worry. With Lingotek, you can connect with a wide network of experienced linguists working in many languages. Once again, getting to grips with the ins and outs of this plugin takes time. What’s more, there’s no free or trial version available, meaning you can’t sample the goods before parting with your hard-earned cash.
Looking for a straightforward solution? MultilingualPress is a solid bet thanks to its simplicity. There aren’t any time-consuming setup wizards to endure here, while stripped-back interfaces ensure there’s minimal screen clutter distracting you from your translation projects.
You can translate your site content into many different languages, while superior SEO features mean you don’t have to worry about multilingual content coming second best. With seamless integration with a host of different WordPress plugins, you also don’t need to fret over compatibility issues. The downside? There’s no free version currently available, and there aren’t any integrations with popular translation tools like Google Translate and DeepL.
Powered by Google Translate API, Prisna GWT scores well for accuracy and reliability. More than a hundred languages are currently supported, with Google’s ever-improving neutral translation capabilities delivering increasingly impressive results. The intuitive design of Prisna GWT is also noteworthy. While it’s designed with the beginner in mind, all essential plugin settings are easy to find and there’s very little learning curve.
This WordPress translation plugin should also appeal to site owners worried about performance issues. It’s been optimized with page loading times in mind, so your multilingual website will perform well in the speed stakes. However, there are some limits to what you can actually translate here. If you’re looking for a solution that will let you adapt content across the board, you’re best advised to look elsewhere.
Want to get your translation projects done and dusted as quickly as possible? Think about giving GTranslate a try. With its automatic translation feature, GTranslate lets you convert all website content from one language to another in just a few clicks. While the automatic translation feature is enabled by Google, you are free to undertake manual translations if you’d rather put human linguists on the case for those more important pieces of content.
GTranslate also impresses when it comes to responsiveness, with the plugin working well across all device types. Perfect if the bulk of your traffic comes from mobile users. While GTranslate’s neural and machine translations seem impressive, some users have reported less than accurate results. What’s more, customer service isn’t always as reliable as it could be.
If you’re serious about taking your business to the next level, a multilingual website is the way to go. The wider your reach, the more opportunities there are for growing your customer base and building your brand. When it comes to creating a multilingual website, WordPress translation plugins are your secret weapon. The best solutions provide powerful localization services, helping your content rank higher and strike the right note with new audiences.
When choosing the perfect plugin for your website, never overlook the importance of user-friendliness. A coding-free solution with an intuitive dashboard will make any plugin feel instantly familiar and flatten any learning curve. What’s more, you’ll need to ensure that any plugin you choose supports the languages you’re looking to target, while SEO compatibility is another must-have. If you’re opting for a plugin that supports manual translations, it’s also a good idea to pick something with tools that streamline collaboration.
Looking for a translation plugin that connects you with thousands of linguists working in more than 120 languages? BLEND has the ideal solution. Offering real-time updates, round-the-clock support, and one of the most user-friendly interfaces around, it’s an easy choice.
Got a question about BLEND? Get in touch today.
As BLEND’s Localization Solutions Engineer, Fouad is a seasoned expert in translation technologies, including TMS, CAT tools, AI and MT. With over 14 years of industry experience, Fouad ensures our clients receive the best and most efficient localization processes.
What our customers are saying
