Taking WordPress to the World: Options for a Multilingual Site

Transcript

1. September 29, 2012 Taking WordPress to the World: Options for

   a Multilingual Site WordCamp Toronto 2012

2. Shannon Smith Web Developer at Café Noir Design www.cafenoirdesign.com @cafenoirdesign

3. What We’ll Cover ✤ Introduction ✤ Strategies for Content ✤

   2 WordPress Set-ups ✤ Key Plugins ✤ Advanced Features

4. Introduction

5. Why design multilingual sites? Photo: nevsred

6. Defining Multilingual ✤ Multilingual vs. Unilingual (but not English) ✤

   Multi-lingual vs. Multi-regional Image: wpbeginner

7. Strategies for Content

8. Automated Solutions ✤ Google AJAX Translation Plugin http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/google-ajax- translation/ ✤

   Website Translator by Google http://translate.google.com/translate_tools

9. Partial Solutions ✤ Posts in alternating languages, interface in one

   language ✤ Posts in alternating languages, interface in multiple languages

10. Complete Solutions ✤ Different content for each language ✤ Completely

    mirrored sites

11. Two WordPress Setups

12. Technical Considerations ✤ Interface language ✤ Content language ✤ Language

    switcher ✤ Language persistence ✤ URL structure ✤ Alphabet ✤ Text direction Photo: jerebu

13. Political Considerations ✤ Use of flags ✤ Design and cultural

    considerations ✤ Default language ✤ Splash page

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. Single-Installation Method ✤ One WordPress installation ✤ Content can be

    identical or not ✤ Requires a multilingual plugin ✤ Can be less stable ✤ Can involve less maintenance

19. Key Plugins

20. 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

21. 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/

22. Advanced Features

23. 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

24. Email Marketing ✤ CakeMail ✤ Campaign Monitor (2 sub-accounts) ✤

    MailChimp (2 accounts) ✤ PHPList

25. Other ✤ Forms and surveys: Wufoo Forms & Gravity Forms

    ✤ Forums (multiple forums) ✤ Wikis (multiple wikis) ✤ BuddyPress (WPML in beta)

26. Closing

27. 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

28. Thank You Image: woodleywonderworks