Translating your WordPress website with WPML

Localisation is key to expanding your website’s reach and engaging with global audiences. WordPress, being the world’s most popular content management system, offers numerous plugins to make website localisation efficient and accessible. Among them, WPML (WordPress Multilingual Plugin) stands out as one of the most powerful and versatile tools. With a wide range of features, including XLIFF export, machine translation, in-platform translation, and integration with professional translation services, WPML simplifies the entire process of creating and managing multilingual WordPress websites.

With WPML, you have multiple options to manage your website’s translations, tailored to fit your workflow and needs. Let’s explore how you can make the most of its features, starting with integrating a Language Service Provider (LSP) such as SwissGlobal.

Integrating SwissGlobal into your translator services list in WPML

Integrating your preferred Language Service Provider (LSP) into WPML’s translators list is one of the most efficient ways to manage translations for your WordPress website. This integration allows you to streamline the process of sending content for translation and receiving completed translations with minimal effort. You can easily select the pages, posts, or custom content types you want to translate and send them directly to your LSP through WPML’s interface.

This option is ideal for those seeking efficiency and consistency. With your LSP set as the default provider, you can send translation jobs in just a few clicks, saving time and eliminating manual file exchanges. Additionally, working with a dedicated translation agency such as SwissGlobal ensures uniform quality and terminology across all translations, maintaining consistency throughout your website.

If you would like to add SwissGlobal as your translation provider, reach out to us. We’ll guide you through the process step by step or provide all the necessary information to get started. This process is quick and requires minimal effort on your part.

Steps to send a translation bundle to your translation agency

Once your preferred translation agency is integrated into WPML, sending a translation bundle is straightforward and requires just a few steps:

• Navigate to the Translation Management section of the WPML plugin.
• Select the content you want translated by marking the pages, posts, or custom content types.
• Choose the target language(s) for translation, then click Assign to a translator and add the selected content to the Translation Basket.

• Access the Translation Basket by clicking the tab located next to the Dashboard under Translation Management.

• In the Translation Basket, you’ll see an overview of the selected content and an approximate word count for translation. Keep in mind that this word count may differ slightly from the final count calculated by your translation agency due to the use of translation memories.

• Under step 3, select your translation agency from the dropdown menu. If your language service provider does not appear, ensure they are correctly integrated or contact them for assistance.
• Once the preferred translation agency is selected, click Send all items for translation to finalise and send the translation bundle to your provider.

XLIFF export and professional translation workflow

One of WPML’s standout features is its support of XLIFF (XML Localisation Interchange File Format). Sure, it may sound like yet another alphabet soup of acronyms to most people. However, to language professionals, it’s the gold standard. XLIFF is native to our translation tools, making it the format of choice for seamless workflows and high-quality results.

If you haven’t set up SwissGlobal as your translation provider or if the admin account is assigned as the translator, you can still easily export XLIFF files yourself to send them to your translator or agency of choice manually. WPML makes this process straightforward, allowing you to create a translation order, export the necessary files, and share them with your translator.

The process follows the same steps outlined previously, with a slight difference: in the Translation Basket view, the admin will appear under “Translator” in Step 3. Once you click on “Send all items for translation,” navigate to the Translations section in the WPML dropdown menu. This will take you to the Translation Queue, where all pending translation jobs are listed. Here, you’ll find the content you added to the translation order.

To export the files, select the ones you need by checking the boxes next to them. After making your selection, choose the Export XLIFF option. WPML will generate XLIFF files for the selected content, providing you with a downloadable package ready to send to your translator.

This manual export and reimport process is ideal if you’re working with a translator or translation agency that isn’t directly integrated with WPML. It gives you full control over the translation workflow while still leveraging the compatibility and efficiency of XLIFF files.

WPML’s translation editors

WPML offers two primary translation editors to facilitate the localisation of your WordPress content: the Classic Translation Editor and the Advanced Translation Editor. Each editor is designed to cater to different translation needs and preferences.

Classic Translation Editor

The Classic Translation Editor provides a straightforward interface for translating your site’s content. It displays the original content and corresponding translation fields side by side, allowing translators to input translations manually. This editor is suitable for users who prefer a simple, no-frills approach to translation.

Key features:

• Side-by-side layout: View original content alongside translation fields for easy reference.
• Manual translation: Input translations directly without additional automation features.
• Basic HTML support: Handle simple HTML tags within the content.

Advanced Translation Editor

The Advanced Translation Editor is a more feature-rich tool designed to enhance translation efficiency and consistency. Access to this editor depends on your WPML plan, as it is not available for all subscription levels. For those with eligible plans, it offers several advanced functionalities that improve the translation workflow and overall quality.

Key features in addition to the classic translation editor:

• Machine translation integration: WPML offers AI translation through its AI-powered engine, WPML AI. Additionally, WPML integrates with alternative machine translation engines like DeepL, Google Translate, and Microsoft Translator. With these options, you can use pre-purchased translation credits to automatically translate your content. Depending on the complexity of your text, machine translation output may require further post-editing to ensure accuracy, fluency, and cultural appropriateness. Before enabling machine translation, be sure to review the respective data and privacy policies to understand how your data is processed.
• Translation memory: Automatically store and reuse previously translated segments to maintain consistency across your site.
• Glossary management: Define and manage key terms to ensure uniform terminology throughout your translations.
• Spell checker: A built-in spell checker catches and corrects errors as you work.

The flexibility of WPML’s translation editors empowers you to take control of your website’s multilingual content and to manage translations yourself efficiently. This option is especially valuable for those who want to oversee the localisation process actively, ensuring quality and consistency while keeping the workflow in-house.

—-

For a comprehensive guide to the translation of WordPress websites, please visit our blog How to translate a WordPress website: Your guide to a multilingual web presence.

Ready to make your WordPress site multilingual? Contact us today to learn how we can help you set up WPML, optimise your translation process, and create a website that speaks to the world. Let’s work together to bring your content to a global stage!