Make your WordPress web site multilingual

1. Going global
how to make your WordPress site
multilingual

2. About me & OnTheGoSystems
Amit Kvint - (i18n) @amitkvint
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Father & (ex)hippie
living in South of Spain
Front-end & WordPress
themer
WPML Support &
Theme compatibility
OnTheGoSystems
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WPML
Toolset plugins
iCanLocalize

3. Agenda
● Multilingual website –
why it is worth
investing
● What is a multilingual
site and what it is not
● How to turn your
WordPress site into a
full multilingual site
● Tips and hints

4. Languages of the World

5. Languages on the Internet
source: wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.
The number of non-English pages is rapidly expanding. The use of English online increased by around
org/wiki/Languages_used_on_the_Internet
281% from 2001 to 2011, however this is far less than Spanish (743%), Chinese (1,277%), Russia

6. The benefits of having a multilingual site
For the site owner
● you reach more
customers
● you enhance your
professional image
● you increase the trust of
your visitors
● better search engine
visibility
For the WP developer
● you eliminate show
stoppers for projects
with multilingual
requirements
● you present a wider
range of services

7. Multilingual vs. Multirigional
● Offering a website in two
or more languages
● Focusing on clients or
users from specific
regions

8. Google's directives
● Google tries to determine
the main language of
each one of your pages
● Google ignores all codelevel language info
● You can help by:
○ sticking to only one
language per page
○ using the same
● Help Google bots to get
your site indexed
● automated
translations will be
ignored!
● cross-link page by
page
● avoid automatic
redirections
● provide valuable

9. How to do it right

10. Making your WordPress site a multilingual site
Steps
1. choose your solution
2. install and configure
3. insert the language
switcher
4. translate your content
5. keep updated

11. Making your WordPress site a multilingual site
Different possibilities
Steps
● Multiple WP installs
● WordPress MultiSite
● Plugins
○ qTranslate
○ WPML
○ Multilingual Press
○ Stella
○ xili-language
1. choose your solution
2. install and configure
3. insert language
switcher
4. translate your content
5. keep updated

12. Making your WordPress site a multilingual site
What to handle
Steps
● select site languages
● select language URL
format
● select admin language
1. choose your solution
2. install and configure
3. insert language
switcher
4. translate your content
5. keep updated

13. Making your WordPress site a multilingual site
Tips and hints
Steps
● cross-link all pages
● custom lang switcher check ahead what your
plugin allows for
1. choose your solution
2. install and configure
3. insert language
switcher
4. translate your content
5. keep updated

14. Making your WordPress site a multilingual site
Steps
1. choose your solution
2. install and configure
3. insert language
switcher
4. translate your content
5. keep updated

15. Making your WordPress site a multilingual site
What to translate
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site title
pages and posts
categories, tags
images, menus
widgets
custom post types
custom fields
theme localization
theme options
sticky links ...
Steps
1. choose your solution
2. install and configure
3. insert language
switcher
4. translate your content
5. keep updated

16. Making your WordPress site a multilingual site
When you are done,
your site will start
living its own life
● let your site be easy to
maintain by different
users
● be predictable, think
ahead about future
enhancements
Steps
1. choose your solution
2. install and configure
3. insert language
switcher
4. translate your content
5. keep updated

17. Different user roles, different needs
Site visitors
WP developers
● comfortable, please
● I’d like to understand
everything
● how quickly?
● which elements to
handle?
Content editors
Google
● quick and easy, please
● don’t make me think
● will I recognize the
language?
● translated by human?

18. Make it comfortable for non-technicals
● can you copy from
original?
● can you change your
admin language?
● can you translate
images?
● how about the menu
synchronization?

19. Keep your site up to date for all languages
● turn ordinary WP users
into translators
● let your translators be
notified quickly
● while translating let them
see both language
versions
● be professional, if you
need help ask a qualified
translator

20. Time is money. Be predictable
● Check ahead if your
theme is compatible
with your multilingual
plugin
● When you get stuck,
ask for support
● Your site will grow.
Think ahead, think
about the future

21. Don’t let eCommerce surprise you
● the number of WP
eCommerce shops is
rapidly growing
● check ahead if your
multilingual plugin
supports eCommerce

22. Summing up
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No SEO, no customers. Don’t
ignore Google directives.
Identify all elements to be
translated. Make sure your plugin
can handle them all
Remember there are different user
needs. Simplify non-techies lives.
Think ahead about the future
enhancements
handle all the
requirements with WPML

23. Paid doesn't mean more expensive
● How much is your time
worth? Don’t reinvent
the wheel. Save your
time with permanent
access to support.
● How many sites per
year do you build? Buy
one license for all your
sites.
● Don’t disappoint your
customer. Be up to date
with WordPress
releases.
● Limit the work you
need to do. Think ahead
about themes and
plugin compatibility.

24. Questions - or catch me later
- @amitkvint
- amit.k@icanlocalize.com
- wpclases.com
* having a drink upstairs