What is Google Translate?
Google Translate is a free translation service provided by Google. It allows you to enter text in any source language (with an auto-detect feature) and returns a translated string in the target language of your choice.
It’s machine translation, and while the translation from one language to another may be hit or miss, it’s a user-friendly and speedy option.
Google Translate benefits
Adding Google Translate to WordPress can help make the web browsing experience better for your visitors from around the globe. According to extensive research, internet users prefer to browse and shop in their native language.
By adding Google Translate, you can make your website more accessible to a broader audience.
By incorporating Google Translate into your WordPress website, you can assist in removing any language barriers that may hinder visitors from completing a purchase or trying to read your newest post.
Because people seem to prefer using the internet in their local language, integrating Google Translate into your WordPress may enhance organic traffic and retain visitors on your site longer.
Google Translate is one of the most widely used online translation tools. While this is not an ideal translation tool, it is more than enough for comprehension and understanding. Google Translate can translate your website instantly into over 100 various languages.
Localization has been a term in online marketing for a while now, but it is critical if you want to globalize your website effectively. Translation lays the groundwork for further localization.
How to add Google Translate to WordPress
Many plugins can help translate your website using the free Google Translate service, but we decided to focus on the best one – Google Language Translator.
With over 100,000 active installations, Google Language Translator is perhaps the most successful Google Translate plugin for WordPress. Its fundamental features include the ability to translate any component of your WordPress site, from articles to tags to widgets, interaction with Google Analytics, and the option to translate WooCommerce stores.
There is also a paid version of Google Translator that adds multilingual SEO features and can edit translations manually if you or a member of your team is multilingual and can add a more human touch to the translation.
Here’s how you can add it to your website:
Install and activate the plugin
Login to your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Plugins > Add New, fill in Google Language Translator in the top-right search box and click Install Now:
Once installed, click Activate to activate the plugin:
Configure plugin settings
Once installed, head to Settings > Google Language Translator and configure the plugin.
You can choose the available languages you’d like your website translated into, configure the switcher and widget options, and how it looks like on your frontend.
That’s it!
The plugin will automatically show a floating language widget on your website without you having to do anything:
You can then configure the position and how it looks like. Alternatively, you can also use translation plugin in your pages, posts, and sidebars using the following shortcode: [google-translator]
Final thoughts
Google Translate is a cost-effective way to translate your WordPress website into different languages. You could use the Google Translate tool to reach new audiences around the globe who may not understand your website if it were only available in English.
By translating your website into multiple languages, you open yourself up to a larger audience and potential customers.
