When thinking about the structure and the audience your website will bring in it is becoming more and more important to ensure your website can be viewed and read by as many visitors as possible. When we speak with our clients about starting there web design we always bring up the ability to make there website translatable across numerous languages.
While some browsers such as Chrome, already have a built in translation feature, we cannot rely on the fact that everyone is using the Chrome browser. Fortunately, there are some great options for adding multilingual support your website. We’ve done a few so far and have used these two approaches.
Automatic Web Design Translation:
This option creates a universal translation of all elements across your website. Automatic translation can be beneficial if you are in a time crunch or just want to provide your visitors an easy way to view your content.
Pros: Inexpensive, and easy to use, with many languages supported.
Cons: Translations are not precise, and you must rely on third party service; it can slow things down a bit, and can break menus and layouts.
When should you use automatic translation?
If you have a target audience and it is primarily one language such as English, then automatic translation provides a quick and easy method to reach non-native speakers.
Chances are good that if a visitor is looking for information or services from your site and need a translation, they have used online translation services before. Supplying in-page translation services removes that extra step needed by the visitor and provides a better experience.
Manual translation of your Website:
Pros: Perfect translations and end-user experience.
Cons: Can be expensive and you need to decide which languages your website will provide.
When manual website translation is beneficial?
Manual translations are advantageous when your audience has more than one (but not too many) primary languages. In these situations, it is more considerable to maximize the quality of your audience versus maximizing its size. Most translation services charge by the word, but what you get in return is a near perfect translation.
