How to Make a Multilingual Website Using WordPress

If you target international markets, having a multilingual website is important, because it helps show that your brand provides equal support for all customers. In fact, 58% of contact center leaders agree that translated content can increase brand loyalty. 

Also, a multilingual website eliminates the need to spend money building different websites for each language. 

Don’t worry; creating a multilingual website in WordPress can be less hassle than it seems, especially if you follow the step-by-step guide below. 

1. Purchase a Domain Name and a WordPress Hosting Plan

The first step is purchasing a domain name that will act as a website’s unique address. You can buy it from a registrar or choose a WordPress hosting provider that offers one for free with its hosting plan.

Make sure you choose a short and unique domain name to make your website memorable. 

Then, pick a hosting plan that suits your needs. For new bloggers, shared hosting can be a great choice since it’s affordable. 

However, consider investing in a more robust service like cloud or VPS hosting for large websites and eCommerce stores. These types of hosting offer more resources and storage space. 

2. Set Up Your WordPress Website

First, install WordPress via the hosting control panel. Many web hosts have a one-click installation tool so that you don’t have to install it manually. 

After that, pick a translation-ready theme. To do this, go to wordpress.org/themes and click Feature Filter.

Then, tick the box next to Translation Ready and click Apply Filters. It will show you all the themes in this category.

3. Choose Your Preferred Multilingual Plugin

Here are the most popular multilingual plugins to help you pick the best option for your website:

• TranslatePress. Its main feature is translating directly from the frontend letting you see a live preview. It also offers automatic translation using the Google Translate API.
• WordPress Multi-lingual (WPML). It translates all website elements, from the theme to plugins and widgets. It’s available in more than 60 languages, and you can add your own language variants.
• Polylang. This plugin has a user-friendly interface, and its free version can accommodate basic needs. However, it only supports manual translation without addons and isn’t compatible with WooCommerce.
• Weglot. It uses machine translation on the whole website and adds a language switcher. However, Weglot has a monthly subscription fee, so it’s more expensive than the previous options.

4. Set Up the Plugin

This section will show you how to create a multilingual website with WPML and TranslatePress to give you an overview of translating from both the backend and the frontend. 

Making a Multilingual Website Using WPML

Follow these steps to build a multilingual website from the backend or WordPress dashboard with WPML. 

1. Purchase and Install the Plugin

Purchase and download the plugin from WPML.org. WPML plugin comes in three plans: Multilingual Blog, Multilingual CMS, and Multilingual Agency. We recommend subscribing to Multilingual CMS because the Blog plan doesn’t include widget translation.

Here’s how to install the WPML plugin:

1. On your WordPress dashboard, click Plugins -> Add New and then Upload Plugin at the top of the page.
2. Select Choose File and upload the WPML file you downloaded.

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3. Click Install Now -> Activate.

Next, click the WPML menu on your WordPress dashboard. This will direct you to the Settings Wizard, where you’ll have to select the translation languages and language switcher options. Here, you’ll also need to input your registration key. 

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2. Start Translating Your Content

To translate your content, go to your Posts page. Here, you should see a flag of each target language. Underneath the flag, there’s a + icon you can click to start translating. 

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The translation editor page is split into two sections for you to fill out: the left is in the original language, and the right is in the target language. After translating each section, tick the Translation Complete box.

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If you purchased the Multilingual CMS or Multilingual Agency plan, it’s possible to employ machine translation. However, check the translation results because the tool may sometimes be inaccurate. 

WPML also offers a Translation Management service to accommodate multiple users in case you hire a translator. The tool can calculate the word count and set a deadline for the translator. 

To translate categories and tags, go to the WPML menu from your dashboard and select Taxonomy Translation. Click the + icon to translate the tag or category name,its slug, and description. 

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Making a Multilingual Website Using TranslatePress

Here are the steps of making a multilingual WordPress website from the frontend with TranslatePress.

1. Install and Configure the Plugin

Compared to WPML, there is no need to download TranslatePress from a third-party website.

Here’s how to install it:

1. Select Plugins on your WordPress dashboard.
2. Click Add New.
3. Search for “TranslatePress” and click Install -> Activate.

4. After activating the plugin, navigate to Settings -> TranslatePress to choose your current and target languages. Then, click the Add button. It would look like this if you wanted to translate your site from English to Spanish:

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5. Next, press the Save Changes button.

2. Translate Your Site

Start translating your content by clicking the Translate Page button from a page or post. The translation editor will look like a regular WordPress customizer. 

To add a translation, hover over the website element and click the pencil icon. Alternatively, use the drop-down menu on the left sidebar to view all of your page’s elements, including the slug. Once you’ve selected something to translate, the edit section will appear on the sidebar. 

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We used Elementor to edit the page, but the interface will be familiar if you’ve used other plugins, such as:

• The eCommerce plugin WooCommerce.

• The WordPress form WPForms.

3. Choose the Language Switcher Button

By default, this plugin comes with a floating language switcher for visitors to choose their display language. 

However, it’s possible to change it into a dedicated menu or set it on a sidebar or footer. 

Just go to the plugin settings and click Translate Site. Configure the Language Switcher section and hit the Save Changes button. 

4. Use the Automatic Translation If Necessary

If you want to utilize automatic translation, you’ll have to purchase a subscription to the Google Cloud Platform and have access to its Cloud Translation API. Once you have it, copy and paste the credentials into the Google Translate API Key field under the Automatic Translation tab. 

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Note that the TranslatePress plugin available on the official WordPress directory is the free version. To access its Premium features, you need to buy a license key from the official website. 

One of the best features of TranslatePress’s Pro plans is the SEO pack addon. It can automatically translate your YoastSEO metadata, including the alt text of images and meta descriptions. 

Conclusion

Now you know how to build a multilingual website with WordPress. 

Let’s recap the steps listed in this article:

1. First, purchase a domain name and a hosting plan.
2. Install WordPress and a theme that is translation-ready.
3. Then, choose the best translation plugin for you.
4. Set up the plugin and purchase its pro version if needed.
5. Start translating the content of your website and its other elements, including widgets and slugs.

Some of the above steps may be more difficult than others. So, start as soon as you can. You’re always welcome to come back to this article later as you build your multilingual website.