Creating a multilingual WordPress site is essential for those who want to expand their “range” by involving a foreign market. This is not only valid for e-commerce but also for those who own a blog and would like to address an international user but also for those who have a simple showcase site.
Setting up a multilingual WordPress site isn’t as complicated as you might think. Simply download the appropriate plug-ins. It is a sort of “piece of code” or even programs that interact with WordPress and allow you to increase the functionality of your site. A bit like the apps on your smartphone, which you use every day, so to speak.
To download a plugin it is not necessary to rely on expert web designers, (although a trip to a specialized agency may not hurt). That said, let’s now find out which plugins to use to build a multilingual WordPress site and how to build one without plugins.
WMPL
It is the best plugin for creating multilingual sites on WordPress. It offers users the right to choose between three packages with excellent translations for each page of the portal. All translated texts can adapt to the space offered by the site to avoid confusion. Obviously, WMPL is a paid plug-in with a base cost of $29 but that increases.
Those who opt for the blog package, they benefit from translations for all articles. With the Multilingual CMS package (the most complete), the plugin translates not only texts but also widgets, menus, forms, etc. Finally, the Agency package allows you to translate a multitude of sites.
Google Language Translator
If you don’t have a big budget for translating your site, then you can integrate Google Language Translator into WordPress. None other than the Google home plug-in. The advantage of this is that it is totally free and easy to use. The translations obtained may not be perfect. For this reason, it is particularly suitable especially for those who only want a translated site but with simple contents, without too many pretensions.
Polylang
Polylang is always a free plug-in but with better performance than Google Language Translator. With this, you can create several multilingual WordPress sites with translation not only of texts but also of widgets. It is also compatible with many themes, so it can be a good solution for those who want a good final result but without spending a fortune.
Multilingual WordPress site: what if I don’t want to use plugins?
In theory, there is also the possibility of having a translated site without the use of plugins. In this case, there are two alternatives:
- Using WordPress as a multisite: in other words, each site in each language becomes independent. WordPress is the same but only its configuration changes. You simply have the ability to manage many sites, in different modes and in different languages;
- To rely on professional translators: for a translation that is certainly more truthful and human.
We recommend the second option more than the first. Managing several independent sites requires a lot of effort and is indicated only if you have not very dynamic portals (i.e not very updated, without blogs, and which do not need to be renewed frequently).
