One of the big drawbacks of translating web content is that it’s never a one-time thing. 

This is problematic because every marketer knows the number of new product pages, content updates, and edits to high-converting landing pages that happen on a weekly basis. 

That alone is time-consuming, but start adding multiple languages to the mix and you can quickly see why multilingual is pushed back. And, with the average business looking to add at least 1 different language to their site, handling a translation process with automation is the only logical way forward. 

However, the solution? A continuous translation process. And this can be seamless thanks to translation software, allowing the process to be handled with ease. 

Let’s take a look in more detail. 

What does continuous translation mean?

Continuous translation is the approach of managing a translation and localization project through the use of software. 

In contrast to manual translation, continuous translation allows you to approach content translation with a continual, simultaneous process for effective results and it’s key to keeping your website optimized and fully translated. 

How continuous translation works

As the name suggests, continuous translation works and relies on a continuous translation process with a website translation software. Let’s take a look at how the process works in more detail.  

Install a translation software 

Website translation software starts with a base of machine translation. This not only gives you a first layer of translated content but also removes the need for manually collecting your translated content in-house and then handling that step with the help of translation services. 

Once you’ve installed a translation software you’ll also be able to effortlessly add new languages whenever the demand arises. 

It works in real-time to deliver your new target language thanks to machine translation. And, therefore, new content can be launched in your target language in literally seconds. 

Plus, it’s not just the translation part a website translation software takes care of. The dozens of website internationalization aspects of your website such as displaying the content on your site, URL structure, hreflang tags, and so on are also automatically handled by it. 

Neural machine translation

We just briefly mentioned neural machine translation, however, it’s worth taking a closer look at it and how it works within the context of a localization process. 

Firstly when we discuss machine translation we’re not talking about free translation solutions such as Google Translate and its discontinued extension. This didn’t give any control over your translation quality.

Rather, and machine translation accuracy has advanced massively within the last 10 years, it’s used as a first layer of translation within your workflow. 

Weglot for example has API connections with leading neural machine translation providers DeepL, Google Translate, and Microsoft that instantly translate your source language into more than 100 different languages. This keeps your localization process moving so you’re no longer slowed down by manual translation processes as it can literally translate millions of words instantly. 

These translations can then be managed within a translation management system (TMS), where the next step of continuous translation takes place. 

Involve human translators

This is where quality assurance comes into play. Involving a translation agency or a bilingual teammate ensures that your translation reflects your brand image in multiple languages. 

Weglot allows you to edit your translations within your own Weglot Dashboard where you’ll have access to your machine translations so you can make manual edits, order professional translations or add your own translation team. On top of making edits, this collaborative dashboard also allows assigning translations, creating glossary rules, translating URLs, and excluding certain pages from translation. 

It’s also where the term continuous localization might get thrown in. Website localization is where you’ll adapt the translations to fit the locale culture, this can be including idioms or other cultural references and even involves media translation whereby you adapt certain images or videos to be more in line with your new target market.   

The advantages of continuous translation

Having a continuous translation process in place removes the overwhelming burden of ensuring updated content on your original website is also reflected on your translated sites. Everything is handled automatically so there are no resource-heavy translation processes slowing down your launch in new markets. 

It also ensures that your customers in other countries are getting the same experience as your original ones.

A continuous translation process is undoubtedly a budget-friendly option too. Removing the manual tasks associated with website translation also streamlines the whole project and cuts out many of the steps a typical translation method requires. 

Summary

The continuous translation process works seamlessly with your website translation project to ensure all the behind-the-scenes work is being carried out so you don’t need to worry about any untranslated content appearing on your brand website. 

To summarize: 

• Using a website translation software supports continuous translation from start to finish. By scanning your website content, translating it, and then allowing you to edit your translations. From the point of installation, it then continues to pick up any new or edited content for translation. 
• Neural machine translation ensures your translation project isn’t slowed down. No longer tied to weaker translation management processes, neural machine translation instantaneously translates all the content on your website. 
• Human translators then complete the process by allowing you to set your translation quality and bring valuable website localization features to your site. 

Using Weglot allows you to maintain a multilingual website on autopilot. With Weglot you can translate your site into more than 100 languages including Italian, French, Spanish, Korean, Portuguese, Turkish, Danish, Vietnamese, and Thai, as well as RTL languages such as Arabic and Hebrew. 

Pricing starts from €15 a month. Start your 10-day free trial or contact us to arrange a demo.