Forum: CAT Tools Technical Help
Topic: WordPress site translation
Poster: Noel McCourt
Post title: @Clarisa
I have worked on a number of multilingual websites for WordPress. I believe what your client has requested might be beyond what you would normally be expected to do as a translator, but if you're comfortable working within the Wordpress admin area you do have a few options. All will need to be discussed with your client in advance. I have attempted to explain these below.
Website Export
Samuel mentioned the export in Wordpress which is an option. However, this is mainly used as a website backup or to move your website. The main file format which could be translated is XML but it can be difficult to work with (lots of embedded tags) and could contain content not to be translated such as text from the admin area. I have worked with these for translation but they are not an easy option. Also, and very importantly, it's only an option if you intend to replicate the entire website into a subdomain. When you reimport you will be replacing the content, not creating a translated version within Wordpress. This might sound ok, but it's not great for SEO and updates to the source are a nightmare because you have to repeat the whole process again to mirror the updates in the target website.
WPML
The next option are the plugins. These are probably the most common option and there are a number out there. WPML is the market leader but the free version only allows you to edit within Wordpress. The paid for version (which should be less than $100) allows export to XLIFF which I have processed for translation many times and is ok to work with. Typically there is an individual XLIFF for each page\post which requires translation. Non-article content (footers, menus etc.) need to be exported individually and I believe the only format for these are PO files - but your CAT tool should be able to handle these. The content needs to be locked (no editing after exporting) whilst the XLIFF & PO is in translation, or it may affect the import. Whichever option you choose for WPML you still need to speak to your client. There are decisions to be made around the language switcher\menu and which URL the localized site should use. For the licensed version, ideally the client would need to purchase this as it's tied to the domain and needs to be renewed (I think every 2 years?) - so you don't want to be doing that.
There are a number of other plugins which do the same thing as the free WPML version - essentially translating directly within Wordpress. Search the plugin directory for localization and you'll find them.
TMS Connector
In the last few years some of the mainstream TMS and the cloud systems have developed connectors for Wordpress. These work by installing a plugin within the Wordpress admin (easy to do) and then enter the details of your account for the TMS. There is usually some sort of translation management associated with the plugin which allows you to select which content should be sent to translation. In your TMS, you translate and confirm, and the content is automatically pulled back into Wordpress for editing\review and publishing. From what I can tell, most of these connectors come with a paid subscription but if you have accounts for any TMS or CAT tool, check if they also have a Wordpress connector. It is the best option and the process should be well documented. There is also a free connector available on my website:
[url removed]
I'm not promoting this connector over any others but the steps are explained in detail in that link and process is quite similar with most other connectors.
Whichever option you choose I would recommend the following steps:
- Find out what your client wants in terms of the language switcher and URLs e.g. fr.mysite.com or mysite.com/fr
- Create a test site - a full copy of the actual site which can be broken at any time.
- Test the process - whether it's XLIFF, PO or a connector do a pseudo translation, import and review. You will see if any content has not be exported for translation and you'll know if the process works before committing.
- Lockdown the source content before sending\exporting for translation.
- Do an in context review - discuss with our client who is responsible for fixing layout issues or other formatting which can't be fixed by editing the translation.
Hope this helps.
Topic: WordPress site translation
Poster: Noel McCourt
Post title: @Clarisa
I have worked on a number of multilingual websites for WordPress. I believe what your client has requested might be beyond what you would normally be expected to do as a translator, but if you're comfortable working within the Wordpress admin area you do have a few options. All will need to be discussed with your client in advance. I have attempted to explain these below.
Website Export
Samuel mentioned the export in Wordpress which is an option. However, this is mainly used as a website backup or to move your website. The main file format which could be translated is XML but it can be difficult to work with (lots of embedded tags) and could contain content not to be translated such as text from the admin area. I have worked with these for translation but they are not an easy option. Also, and very importantly, it's only an option if you intend to replicate the entire website into a subdomain. When you reimport you will be replacing the content, not creating a translated version within Wordpress. This might sound ok, but it's not great for SEO and updates to the source are a nightmare because you have to repeat the whole process again to mirror the updates in the target website.
WPML
The next option are the plugins. These are probably the most common option and there are a number out there. WPML is the market leader but the free version only allows you to edit within Wordpress. The paid for version (which should be less than $100) allows export to XLIFF which I have processed for translation many times and is ok to work with. Typically there is an individual XLIFF for each page\post which requires translation. Non-article content (footers, menus etc.) need to be exported individually and I believe the only format for these are PO files - but your CAT tool should be able to handle these. The content needs to be locked (no editing after exporting) whilst the XLIFF & PO is in translation, or it may affect the import. Whichever option you choose for WPML you still need to speak to your client. There are decisions to be made around the language switcher\menu and which URL the localized site should use. For the licensed version, ideally the client would need to purchase this as it's tied to the domain and needs to be renewed (I think every 2 years?) - so you don't want to be doing that.
There are a number of other plugins which do the same thing as the free WPML version - essentially translating directly within Wordpress. Search the plugin directory for localization and you'll find them.
TMS Connector
In the last few years some of the mainstream TMS and the cloud systems have developed connectors for Wordpress. These work by installing a plugin within the Wordpress admin (easy to do) and then enter the details of your account for the TMS. There is usually some sort of translation management associated with the plugin which allows you to select which content should be sent to translation. In your TMS, you translate and confirm, and the content is automatically pulled back into Wordpress for editing\review and publishing. From what I can tell, most of these connectors come with a paid subscription but if you have accounts for any TMS or CAT tool, check if they also have a Wordpress connector. It is the best option and the process should be well documented. There is also a free connector available on my website:
[url removed]
I'm not promoting this connector over any others but the steps are explained in detail in that link and process is quite similar with most other connectors.
Whichever option you choose I would recommend the following steps:
- Find out what your client wants in terms of the language switcher and URLs e.g. fr.mysite.com or mysite.com/fr
- Create a test site - a full copy of the actual site which can be broken at any time.
- Test the process - whether it's XLIFF, PO or a connector do a pseudo translation, import and review. You will see if any content has not be exported for translation and you'll know if the process works before committing.
- Lockdown the source content before sending\exporting for translation.
- Do an in context review - discuss with our client who is responsible for fixing layout issues or other formatting which can't be fixed by editing the translation.
Hope this helps.