Translating Content

The Quickstart Multilingual module allows you to provide your content in multiple languages.

Providing content translation is a big commitment and shouldn't be taken lightly. Before installing this module, it is recommended that you ensure you have the following:

  • The ability and/or proper staffing to provide content in multiple languages (as the translations are manual rather than automatic).
  • The capacity to maintain all language versions of the content any time a content change is made (as you are maintaining multiple versions of the same content).

Translation Services:

It is best practice to seek a translation professional who is certified (where applicable) and experienced in website content translation to help you translate and/or localize your content. The University of Arizona's National Center for Interpretation provides professional translation and translation-related services for a fee. They can also help you assess your needs. For more information, please visit Translating websites and marketing materials.

Important Permission Considerations:

  • An administrator must first enable the "Quickstart Multilingual" module on your site in order for you to translate content.
  • A content admin must place the Language Switcher block on your site.
  • A content admin must install the desired language(s) on your site.

Setup

  1. Navigate to Configuration from your admin toolbar.
    1. Scroll down to "Region and Language" and click on "Languages".
    2. Click the "Add language" button and select the language you wish to install. Repeat this step if you would like to install more than one language.
    3. Under Region and Language on the Configuration page, select “Content language and translation” here you can select which website elements can have multiple languages, and what the default language of your website is.
  2. Navigate to Structure > Block Layout from your admin toolbar.
    1. Decide which region you would like to place your Language Switcher block (Content Region is recommended if only select pages will be multilingual, and Header 2 is recommended if you are planning on making your entire site multilingual) and click on "Place block".
    2. Type "language" into the search filter and click "Place block" for the Language Switcher block.
      • Uncheck the "Display title" box.
      • Under "Language selection", select the language(s) you would like to include (be sure to include English as well).
      • If you are only translating specific pages on your site, and not the whole site, be sure to restrict the block to those pages for clarity to the end user. Your site will appear broken if the user tries to switch languages and nothing happens to the page they're viewing (the page has no translations).
      • Optional: Click the pencil icon to configure the block. In the Class section, add any CSS classes you would like to include to style your block. (example: “bg-gray-100” “p-3”)
      • Save your block.

How to Translate Content

  1. Navigate to the page you wish to translate.
  2. Instead of clicking the "Edit" tab, click on the "Translate" tab to add a translation.
  3. For each language you have installed on your site, you will have the option to "Add" a translation. Click the "Add" button for the translation you wish to add.
    1. Note that the page already matches your English version and you won't have to set up your components again.
    2. Start typing in your content translations.
    3. Save your changes.
  4. Use the Language Switcher to toggle between different languages on your page.

 

Extra Details

This module is compatible with Quickstart content/paragraph types that aren't enabled by default (such as the HTML Field paragraph type, the Course content type, the Carousel Item content type, etc.). You must manually enable translations for the desired content/paragraph types (an administrator must perform this task for you).

This module is compatible with Content Moderation workflows. You must manually enable translations for moderated content (an administrator must perform this task for you).

The default language (English) for a given page will determine the layout for that page and all of its translations. This is by design to keep language translations consistent with each other. If you want to add a new component, you must add it to the English version of your page. Upon saving your page, this new component will automatically be added to the translated versions of your page and will be ready for you to translate it. Any additions to the English version are added live (and in English) to the translated versions of your page.

If you don't want that change to be made immediately to your page, you might consider enabling Content Moderation on your site so that you can save "drafts" of your content before publishing it to the site. This will give you extra time to make translations to your content.

If you don't plan on using Content Moderation, you may want to prepare your content translations ahead of time (such as in a Word or Google Doc) so that you can quickly copy/paste your translations after making the addition to your English version.