WordPress allows you to easily create a multilingual site using plugins like WPML. After adding language versions such as Korean, Chinese, or Japanese with WPML, you can utilize its paid automatic translation feature or use ChatGPT to replace content with translations in each language.
Building a Multilingual WordPress Site Using the WPML Plugin and ChatGPT
You can transform your WordPress site into a multilingual one with WPML.
WPML (WordPress Multilingual Plugin) is a powerful premium WordPress plugin designed to transform websites into multilingual platforms, supporting over 65 languages and enabling comprehensive translation of content across various elements like posts, pages, custom types, taxonomies, menus, and even theme texts. With over a million websites using it, WPML provides robust language management options, including language switchers, automatic user redirection, and the ability to set different language versions for various site sections.
One of the advantages of using the WPML plugin is the ease of linking content across languages, such as pages and posts. For instance, when creating a new page or post, you can effortlessly translate it into other languages.
In the past, setting up a multilingual site incurred considerable translation costs. Now, we live in an era where ChatGPT can assist with translations into various languages. Although some errors or awkward phrasing may arise from using ChatGPT, for non-critical websites, I believe users can find the translation quality acceptable with AI tools like ChatGPT or DeepL.
Recently, there has been an increase in the use of ChatGPT for translating multilingual sites. What was once financially prohibitive has now become feasible with affordable AI solutions like ChatGPT.😄
On the flip side, the rise of ChatGPT may threaten the established roles of professional translators. I worked as a professional translator from English to Korean for nearly 20 years but stopped a few years ago.
Recently, I undertook the task of adding simplified Chinese and Japanese versions to an English site created with the Salient theme using ChatGPT for translations.
The Salient theme comes equipped with WPBakery Page Builder. While this builder (also known as "Visual Composer") was once popular, it has now been overshadowed by Elementor.
A few years ago, I was responsible for setting up a multilingual WordPress site using the Avada theme. At that time, I managed the project through a multisite setup, which made entering translations challenging, especially as the original pages changed during the process.
It's advisable to conduct multilingual setups after the site is completed. This is particularly true for multisite configurations where changes to themes or plugins, or alterations in content, can complicate the application across different language sites.
With WPML, changes to theme or plugin settings mid-project do not pose a significant issue. You can cover some changes even if content is modified by utilizing synchronization features, but it's generally better to finalize page work first to minimize additional tasks.
I created a custom GPT for the translation process. For example, when translating into Chinese, I utilized a specific prompt:
This GPT functions as a specialized translator for hospital website content from English to Simplified Chinese. It maintains a natural and professional tone when translating medical texts related to plastic surgery, dermatology, ophthalmology, and dentistry, prioritizing accuracy and reliability in medical terminology and expressions. When users input English text, it translates the content into appropriate Simplified Chinese suited for the medical field. It applies appropriate localization when necessary to account for cultural differences or medical practices. Even without a clear user intent, it autonomously determines suitable translation results. If there are any additional questions or requests, it can solicit necessary information.
The primary language of the site was English, and I replaced the content by translating it into Chinese and Japanese using a copy-and-paste method.
Although the site content was originally in English, the site language was set to Korean initially. When I tried to change the default language from Korean to English after configuring WPML, it proved challenging. To avoid trial and error, it’s essential to verify that the language of the site content aligns with the language setting within WordPress at the outset.
For Chinese, only one expression was provided for translation, whereas for Japanese, multiple context-specific expressions were suggested. I therefore requested that the primary recommended expression appears at the top, followed by other recommended translations below.
While Japan has a rich tradition of translated literature, our country typically emphasizes cost, leading to a somewhat negative perception of translation. For instance, some people mistakenly believe that merely being proficient in English would suffice for translating. However, anyone who has attempted translation understands the complexities involved.
In reality, there have been instances where corporate employees, after receiving English documents from superiors, found the translations challenging and ended up hiring a translation agency at their own expense.
When translating, providing context can lead to more suitable translations. This is especially crucial for website translation or software localization, where translating without information about specific strings can yield odd results. For example, the word 'left' is typically used to indicate a direction, as in left or right, but it is also used in contexts like '10 days left.' This shows how the same word can have different meanings based on the situation. Another example is 'right,' which can mean correct or a direction.
Many instances of improper translations in WordPress, themes, and plugins when rendered in Korean are evident. Some themes can translate strings into multiple languages using automatic translation. In the case of the Divi theme, I have disabled translation features due to numerous awkward Korean translations.
It’s worth noting that in WPML, you can specify the languages to be displayed for widgets.
By duplicating the same widget and translating it, you can designate the corresponding language, allowing that widget (e.g., footer widget) to display as intended. However, I noticed that while two languages were properly set up, when I attempted to configure it for three languages—English, Chinese, and Japanese—the functionality failed to work correctly.
This issue may stem from compatibility problems with the Salient theme or possibly a bug within WPML. As a workaround, I created shortcodes to add tailored footer sections for each language. For instance, the following code can be added to the functions file in a child theme:
function multilingual_footer_shortcode() {
$current_language = apply_filters('wpml_current_language', NULL);
$footer_html = [
'en' => '
// Footer for English site (Text or HTML Tag)
',
'zh-hans' => '
// Footer for Simplified Chinese site
',
'ja' => '
// Footer for Japanese site
',
];
return isset($footer_html[$current_language]) ? $footer_html[$current_language] : $footer_html['en'];
}
add_shortcode('multilingual_footer', 'multilingual_footer_shortcode');If you plan to set up a multilingual site using WPML and translate it with AI tools like ChatGPT, it's advisable to first back up your site, test one or two pages or posts to find the most efficient method, and proceed accordingly to save time and effort.