Google Translate is a popular tool, and for good reason.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s free, making it well within reach for many companies. And it\u2019s readily available with a few browser clicks, so it can feel like an easy, effortless way to translate your online content for global customers.<\/p>\n
Google Translate provides two options for businesses to translate their websites: a plugin, and an API.<\/p>\n
But before you rely on these tools for something as vitally important as your multilingual online presence, it\u2019s best to consider Google Translate\u2019s potentially critical shortcomings before you use either of its translation solutions.<\/p>\n
Google Translate claims its plugin is an easy way to present your website to global visitors in other languages. They say you simply add the plugin to your website\u2019s back-end (or add code snippets to the relevant pages), and voila, your site is instantly translated. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s not quite that simple. Even aside from Google Translate\u2019s inaccurate translations\u2014a key drawback to all pure machine translation\u2014this approach doesn\u2019t really give you a translated website at all.<\/p>\n
Because content is \u201cskinned\u201d by the plugin and isn\u2019t truly replaced and housed on a dedicated site or server, there\u2019s no way to actually track the performance of that content. So forget about leveraging your robust marketing analytics tools to see whether your localized website is converting. You also won\u2019t have any visibility to see if your content is resonating with your global audiences. Plugin solutions like this won\u2019t show the performance of translated content or pages, anywhere.<\/p>\n
And because there\u2019s no permanent home for the translated content on your site, search engines can\u2019t crawl it, can\u2019t find it, and can\u2019t rank it in local and regional search engines. (That includes leading engines like Google itself). You spend a lot of time and effort in SEO already, but using Google Translate, it won\u2019t carry over to any of your multilingual sites.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re trying to demonstrate the bottom-line impact of your translated site investment, translation plugins leave a lot to be desired.<\/p>\n
Google also offers a translation API that technology teams can integrate with their websites to provide content translation.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s handy, provided you have the technology resources to implement this solution in the first place. Even then, it\u2019s still not bulletproof.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s why: Part of the value in website translation is in communicating your brand\u2019s voice, personality and value proposition to new audiences in global markets. But if you\u2019re relying solely on machine translation to get that done, there\u2019s a lot of nuance that gets left behind.<\/p>\n
API translations can\u2019t adjust for cultural idiosyncrasies, nor can they apply variations in language, idioms or lexicon that might be unique to local markets. The resulting translations can feel monotone, repetitive and clumsy\u2014or might be downright inaccurate. This sends the message to global users that you don\u2019t really value their time and attention.<\/p>\n
Great content marketers also know how important it is to evaluate the subtle differences in language and phrasing that can drive engagement or conversions. API translation solutions don\u2019t allow for customization and variance testing, and don\u2019t give teams the opportunity to tweak and adjust the content that supports the customer journey.<\/p>\n
Rigid solutions result in rigid content. That\u2019s the last thing you need when you\u2019re trying to shape an authentic version of your brand that will resonate with international customers, and a multilingual website that generates a return on your investment.<\/p>\n
The good news is that there are better ways to tackle website translation, and track its positive results.<\/p>\n
Look for partners who can blend the very best in machine translation technologies with human expertise that can ensure not just translation quality, but ongoing support and strategy for your global digital presence. These solutions should also keep costs manageable, and complexity to a minimum.<\/p>\n
The best website translation partners can also build multilingual sites that are fully indexable, optimized for search, and easily integrated with analytics solutions <\/b>to evaluate site and content performance.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Investing in a multilingual website isn\u2019t a small thing, so it\u2019s worth finding a translation solution and partner that can tackle the challenge holistically and deliver long-term, reliable results for your global business.<\/p>\n","article_body_code":"","news_image":{"ID":17994,"id":17994,"title":"The-Google-Translate-Plugin-and-API-Are-They-Enough_Banner.jpg","filename":"The-Google-Translate-Plugin-and-API-Are-They-Enough_Banner.jpg","filesize":78663,"url":"https:\/\/www.motionpoint.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/The-Google-Translate-Plugin-and-API-Are-They-Enough_Banner.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.motionpoint.com\/blog\/google-translates-plugin-and-api-are-they-enough\/the-google-translate-plugin-and-api-are-they-enough_banner\/","alt":"","author":"2","description":" \t","caption":"","name":"the-google-translate-plugin-and-api-are-they-enough_banner","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":1799,"date":"2018-06-20 00:00:00","modified":"2018-06-20 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Translate\u2019s Plugin and API: Are They Enough?","meta_description":"MotionPoint solves the operational complexity and cost of website localization.","meta_keywords":"enough translate, google translate api free for website, google translate api for website, integrate google translate your website, api google translate voice, google translate plugin, google translate voice api, google translate website plugin, google translate for business, google translate sound api, add google translate to your website, google machine translation api, plugin google translate, best free translation api, machine translation api, performance translate, google translate url api, api google translate, google translate api","blog_author":[{"ID":33917,"user_firstname":"Reagan","user_lastname":"Evans","nickname":"reaganevans","user_nicename":"reaganevans","display_name":"Reagan Evans","user_email":"revans@motionpoint.com","user_url":"","user_registered":"2023-05-26 14:06:13","user_description":"Reagan Evans is MotionPoint\u2019s SVP of Sales. He has a strong background in sales and data management and has nearly 10 years of executive level experience in the field. He uses his expertise in global sales, new business development, sales production, and data organization to drive MotionPoint's market expansion and new client acquisition. Evans leverages MotionPoint\u2019s industry-leading technology to drive sales and ensure higher customer satisfaction.","user_avatar":""}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.motionpoint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/1799","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.motionpoint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.motionpoint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.motionpoint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"blog_categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.motionpoint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog_categories?post=1799"},{"taxonomy":"resource_categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.motionpoint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource_categories?post=1799"},{"taxonomy":"targeted_localized_audience","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.motionpoint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/targeted_localized_audience?post=1799"},{"taxonomy":"document_categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.motionpoint.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document_categories?post=1799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}