Even though the definition of what is considered the best plugin may vary from user to user or the tasks that a website developer wants to implement, working with the multilingual pages poses additional challenges. The typical example of plugin issues is automation versus manual translation debate, which is often discussed by localization specialists. As a rule, machine translation is not recommended since it leads to mistakes or a critically wrong interpretation of important terms or product descriptions. Luckily, there are WordPress Translation plugins that offer live or manual translation opportunities along with the usual set of website automation tools.
5 Best WordPress Translation Plugins Options
? TranslatePress. One of the best parts about this particular plugin is an option of live editing, which is crucial for the times when you hire a language expert who wants to work with large amounts of content and has to provide professional translation of product descriptions or bring changes beyond the usual automation. It also offers all the usual automation tools that can be found in the other popular WordPress translation plugins. Most localization experts will combine both. You can have a look at the best translation services selected by TranslationReport to learn more about why only certified experts can fit for certain translation tasks. Moreover, remember that only professional localization specialists can provide technical translation if your website or a blog requires it. The same applies to the website privacy or user agreements, which hold legal power.
- WPML. Without a doubt, it is the most popular multilingual website translation tool among WordPress users. In addition to the extended automation of every translation task, it also has an amazing user management feature, which allows us to add translators with the varied privileges and access to the content. You can also check the features of the Translation Management tab in the eponymous menu section. There are also special SEO tools that will be helpful with simple tasks like setting the URL or adding search engine descriptions for images or special widgets.
- Polylang. It is the best solution for those who do not want to change their WordPress work habits and prefer to translate the content in a familiar environment. It goes further than translating the web page content that you already have by offering translations of the custom posts and the elements that may be necessary only for a certain language. Using solely the built-in WordPress taxonomies or features, it offers the best method to avoid getting your multilingual website slowed down. If memory or slow performance is an issue, Polylang is the best option!
- WeGlot. Although it is a commercial WordPress plugin solution, it has a free trial that allows users to test most of the available features. It is the best option for those who do not want to deal with all the technical details and need fast results by focusing on translation alone. It offers both automatic and human translation options, yet the feature that makes it stand out is content detection. It is quite helpful for the multilingual websites that have different menus for each page. Additionally, it has a built-in feature that allows you to invite different translators or company’s specialists inside the WeGlot platform. Such an approach helps to prevent all security or confidentiality issues.[adsense]
- Loco Translate. It is a built-in translation editor and a powerful integration tool that works within the WordPress admin panel. Offering great theme and widget support, it is also a great help for developers as you can extract the source code and compile various complex scenarios where the translation is involved. Since it has the built-in WordPress locale codes, it makes most of the SEO work and URL checking much easier. Often considered as a tool for developers, it still offers several unique features that are crucial during the debugging stage even when localization has been done with the help of another WP plugin.
Machine or Human Translation?
Even though automatic or machine translation tools have advanced during the last decade, they still cannot match such aspects of human translation as comprehension of the context and the socio-cultural peculiarity of each target country or the audience. It is a reason why it is so important to approach certified translation specialists for all the minor details that may become crucial for the sales or a business image of the company. Now it does not mean that automation tools should be ignored as the skilled localization experts combine the best of both worlds in their work.
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