WPAnything<\/a>.<\/p>\nTwo Different Approaches<\/h2>\n
Individual entries<\/strong> (Polylang, WPML). A separate page is created in the database for each language. Full control: the English version may differ from the Ukrainian version not only in text but also in structure. The cost: double the work for every edit.<\/p>\nReal-time translation<\/strong> (TranslatePress). There is only one page; translations are stored separately and are inserted when the page is opened. It\u2019s easy to edit because you see the results immediately. However, you won\u2019t be able to make the English version fundamentally different.<\/p>\nExternal Service<\/strong> (Weglot). The least hassle and the greatest dependence: it all hinges on subscriptions.<\/p>\nWhat are their stumbling blocks?<\/h2>\nMachine translation without proofreading<\/h3>\n
Machine translation delivers 80% in results for 5% of effort\u2014and that\u2019s exactly why it\u2019s so tempting. But it regularly messes up service names, prices, legal wording, and calls to action. At the very least, proofread the homepage, service pages, and forms. The rest can be left to the machine.<\/p>\n
Meta tags remain untranslated<\/h3>\n
The most common and least noticeable problem. The text on the page has been translated, but title<\/code> and description<\/code> \u2014 No. When searching, the English version looks like a copy of the Ukrainian one.<\/p>\nIn most plugins, meta tag translation is a separate paid add-on. It\u2019s easy to check: open an English page and look at the browser tab title. If it\u2019s in Ukrainian, you have a problem.<\/p>\n
hreflang and sitemap<\/h3>\n
You need to tell the search engine that these are different language versions of the same page. This is done using tags hreflang<\/code>. Without them, pages compete with each other as duplicates. Also, check to make sure that the language versions are included in the sitemap.<\/p>\nSilent Failures in Machine Translation<\/h3>\n
Here\u2019s a recent example from our experience. A website built with TranslatePress and DeepL integrated. The translations suddenly stopped appearing on new pages\u2014with no errors shown in the admin panel.<\/p>\n
It turns out that DeepL has changed its authentication method: previously, the key could be passed as a parameter in the request body, but now a separate header is required. The old version of the plugin sent the key the old way and received an error, after which it considered the key invalid and quietly disabled automatic translation.<\/p>\n
The point isn't about a specific plugin: The machine translation breaks down without warning<\/strong>. Once a month, open a few pages in the second language and scan them with your eyes.<\/p>\nA language selector that isn't visible<\/h3>\n
A flag in the basement doesn't count. If a second language is needed, the switch must be in the header.<\/p>\n