Translation Widget

Most companies that do business internationally translate their website into different languages. Many translated websites have a translation widget which is used as a language switcher to select the desired language. Some translation widgets make use of country flags; some translation widgets list the website languages. Using flags in the translation widget may be problematic as some languages are used in multiple countries. Spanish, for example, is used in a few dozen countries. Which flag should be used, Mexico, Argentina, Spain? German and French are also used in multiple countries. Using language names may be preferable.

But the entire approach of language switching in a translation widget is overrated. The most effective form of delivery for a translated website is when the translated website content comes up in foreign language search engines. So, if someone in France is looking for your service and finds your company, your content is served in French. People in France search in French-not in English; chances are that they will not find your English website and then use the translation widget to switch to French.

If your website was created using the WordPress CMS, you can use the GTS Translation plugin and integrated API to translate your website using professional human translators. To start translating your WordPress website, download the GTS translation plugin here.