Blog with two language selections
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Hello Sir/Madam
I am about to create a blog, but I am lost as I need to create in two languages and let the user opt the option to switch the language. Please can you write in steps to a novice on how to go about it. If I can get a auto translator, I would be very happy of course but I would like hear from experts here on the best way forward so that I do the things right way. I have searched for the topic and did find various topics about 4 years ago and some of the plugin are not supported any more. I am wary of using the plugin as I need to maintain my blog for any changes. Any help is appreciated, please provide in steps so that I can easily follow.
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The short answer is that multilingual switching cannot be done on a WordPress.com blog.
I wanted to do that do, but since it wasn’t possible, the decision has to be for one language or another.
The ‘solution,’ so to speak, is to do a self-hosted blog using WordPress.org software + some other plugins or coding.
As a multilingual person myself, I can relate to your need for a multilingual option.
My very personal opinion is that running a free WordPress.com blog (bearing the realities of the level of customisations already offered to free bloggers) is simply to post articles in two/more language versions for the sake of your readers.
Hypothetically speaking, even if WP manages to offer multilingual switching functionality, I personally don’t think the ‘translation’ (most probably a machine translation) will be any good anyway.
My personal advice from 17 years of blogging is simply to post in several language versions. In so doing, you’ll be offering your readers a ‘true’ translation – and I think many readers will appreciate it.
I’m sorry this is perhaps not the answer you’re looking, but I hope it helps.
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I agree with thenakedlistener, a blog that is written in two separate languages can be a point of interest of its own. I like coming across those kinds of blogs even when I don’t speak one of the languages.
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I’d suggest (for wordpress.com) that you have two free sites using the same theme and widgets. With a custom menu you can link one to the other.
Auto translations, helpful as they may be, and getting better, are not really very good. A poet would certainly not rely on them (nor would, in most cases, a cook).
With two sites linked via a custom menu, then readers may not even realize there are two.
Of course if you want to write posts in two languages you could do so on one blog. But you can choose only one language for the localization so home tab and widget names, “comment” and so on won’t be automatically translated.
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I should think there are massive problems for WordPress to come up with a language-switching functionality too. By their very nature, blogs are much more free-floating language-wise than (say) a multilingual commercial website (which basically contains lots of different static pages in different language version already pre-written).
If that’s the case with commercial websites, than I suggest the ultimate simplest way is just do posts in two separate languages, as metan1 kindly concurs.
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I definitely support 1tess’s suggestion about two custom-linked blogs – very nice workaround.
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The fly in the ointment with the two site pair is that comments on one blog or the other won’t be seen by all so there is the loss of international correspondence unless the blogger translates and/or pastes comments from one blog to the other.
Even so, auto-translate is still so inaccurate that if you want to blog in two or more languages while maintaining control over your voice the two site presentations works better.
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@1tess: The fly in the ointment is the sacrifice that may have to be tolerated, given the realities of the WordPress.com platform, auto translation, etc.
The line to comfort the OP is that those who commented on one or the other language version are living in their separate ‘universes.’ In a perfect world, there should be correspondence. Given the realities, it’ll just have to be, otherwise the OP would be hit with an overwhelming workload in composing posts + translating posts + comment moderation + comment translation.
So, ultimately and humanly doable, just have two paired blogs in different languages and leave the comments to their own devices.
Good point raised, 1tess.
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