September 29, 2012
Taking WordPress to the World:
Options for a Multilingual Site
WordCamp Toronto 2012
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Shannon Smith
Web Developer at Café Noir Design
www.cafenoirdesign.com
@cafenoirdesign
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What We’ll Cover
✤ Introduction
✤ Strategies for Content
✤ 2 WordPress Set-ups
✤ Key Plugins
✤ Advanced Features
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Introduction
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Why design multilingual sites?
Photo: nevsred
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Defining Multilingual
✤ Multilingual vs.
Unilingual (but not
English)
✤ Multi-lingual vs.
Multi-regional
Image: wpbeginner
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Strategies for Content
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Automated Solutions
✤ Google AJAX
Translation Plugin
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/google-ajax-
translation/
✤ Website Translator
by Google
http://translate.google.com/translate_tools
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Partial Solutions
✤ Posts in alternating
languages, interface in
one language
✤ Posts in alternating
languages, interface in
multiple languages
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Complete Solutions
✤ Different content for
each language
✤ Completely mirrored
sites
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Two WordPress Setups
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Technical
Considerations
✤ Interface language
✤ Content language
✤ Language switcher
✤ Language persistence
✤ URL structure
✤ Alphabet
✤ Text direction
Photo: jerebu
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Political Considerations
✤ Use of flags
✤ Design and cultural
considerations
✤ Default language
✤ Splash page
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What About SEO?
✤ Make the language obvious
✤ Don’t mix languages
✤ Block automated
translations from search
engines
✤ Use separate URLs
✤ Make the language
discoverable
✤ Cross-link each page
✤ Don’t use cookies to show
translated versions
✤ Be careful using javascript
✤ Avoid automatic
redirection based on the
user’s language
Further reading: Google’s Advice on Multi-regional and multilingual sites
http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=182192
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URLs for Search
Engines
1. Different subdomains
de.example.com
en.example.com
2. Different subdirectories
example.com/en/
example.com/de/
3. Different domain names
example.com
exemple.fr
Photo: jack dorsey
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Prepping for
Multilingual
✤ Internationalize
http://codex.wordpress.org/I18n_for_WordPress_Developers
✤ Localize
http://codex.wordpress.org/Translating_WordPress
✤ Language Packs
http://codex.wordpress.org/WordPress_in_Your_Language
Photo: scazon
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Dual-Installation Method
✤ Two WordPress
installations
(can be Multisite)
http://codex.wordpress.org/Create_A_Network
✤ Content can be identical
or not
✤ Requires a language
switcher plugin
✤ Stable choice
✤ Extra maintenance
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Single-Installation Method
✤ One WordPress installation
✤ Content can be identical or not
✤ Requires a multilingual plugin
✤ Can be less stable
✤ Can involve less maintenance
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Key Plugins
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Single-Installation Plugins
✤ WPML
✤ Easy to use
✤ Easy to install
✤ Translates content,
interface, plugins
✤ Sometimes buggy
✤ Other plugins (qTranslate)
can NOT be easily
uninstalled
http://wpml.org
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Dual-Installation Plugins
✤ Bilingual Linker
(2 languages only)
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/bilingual-linker/
✤ Multisite Language Switcher
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/multisite-language-switcher/
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Advanced Features
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e-Commerce
✤ Magento
✤ PrestaShop
(with or without plugin)
✤ WPML & WooCommerce
✤ WPML & MarketPress
✤ WPML & JigoShop
✤ WPML & WP E-Commerce
✤ Other WPML e-Commerce
solutions on the way
Other
✤ Forms and surveys:
Wufoo Forms
& Gravity Forms
✤ Forums
(multiple forums)
✤ Wikis
(multiple wikis)
✤ BuddyPress
(WPML in beta)
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Closing
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Shannon Smith
Web Developer at Café Noir Design
https://speakerdeck.com/u/cafenoirdesign
http://www.netmagazine.com/tutorials/
build-multilingual-site-wordpress
www.cafenoirdesign.com
@cafenoirdesign