How to translate a website created with Contentful

What is Contentful

Contentful is an API-based content management (CMS) system designed to facilitate content creation, management and distribution across different platforms and devices. Founded in 2013, Contentful stands out for its flexibility and scalability, making it suitable for both small businesses and large international companies.

With Contentful you can manage content in a modular way. Developers can build custom digital experiences using preferred frameworks and programming languages. The platform is particularly valued for its headless architecture, which separates content from presentation, facilitating integration with various front-end technologies.

What content of a site created with Contentful should be translated?

Whether you already have a website in your preferred language and want to translate it into other languages to reach more customers, or whether you have just created it and want to make it multilingual from the start, it is important to know what to translate and what not to translate. In any case, it is essential to translate all relevant content on the site to ensure effective communication with your global audience.

Translating a website involves more than just converting text from one language to another. To ensure a consistent and localized user experience, all parts of the site must be considered.

In a website there are numerous elements to be translated:

• interface and system messages-include all messages displayed to users during interaction with the site, such as error notifications, confirmation messages, instructions for use, and tips
• menus, buttons, and CTAs-the texts of these elements are usually created by the web designer, but sometimes they can also be in the template used, so special attention should be paid to them
• pages and blogs-every page of the website must be translated, meaning information pages, product pages, etc; in the case of a blog we translate not only the title, the body of the text, any captions, but also tags and references to the author and metadata (see below)
• metadata - metadata is descriptive data about the site, the translation of which helps improve its visibility
• tags and categories-these elements, which are generally created in the administration interface, also need to be translated

Contentful, as an API-based CMS, offers several flexible solutions for managing content translation and localization. In this guide, we will explore the various methods offered, detailing the pros and cons of each approach and providing step-by-step instructions for implementing them.

Description of various translation methods in Contentful

Method 1: use of locales

First of all, what is a locale in Contentful? Contentful calls locale the feature that allows you to manage multilingual versions of content within the same entry.

An entry represents a manageable and viewable unit of content in the system, and is the fundamental element of the Contentful content model. It can be regarded as a sheet or document containing structured information. This feature is essential for creating websites and applications that support multiple languages and adapt to different geographic markets.

Pros: keeping a single entry for each piece of content simplifies management and version control. This approach is ideal for websites that need consistency across languages, as it centralizes content management and ensures that all translations are updated simultaneously.

Cons: managing cultural differences and variations specific to each local market within a single entry can become complex. Maintaining consistency and adapting content to the specific needs of each culture is difficult when all translations are integrated into a single entry.

How to

• Configure the locale(s) in the project settings in Contentful.

• Create or edit an entry and add translations for each locale. To do this, log in to the specific entry and enter the translated content in the dedicated sections for each language.

Method 2: entry duplication

Duplication of entries is a feature offered by Contentful that allows you to manage multilingual versions of content by creating independent copies of the original entry. Each duplicated entry is handled independently, allowing greater flexibility in content customization.

Pros: it allows to manage different content for each language, enabling specific customizations. This method makes it possible to adapt not only the texts, but also the structure and visual elements of web pages for each target market.

Cons: handling multiple entries can lead to synchronization problems between language versions. With several separate entries, strict control is needed to ensure that all versions are up-to-date and consistent with the original.

How to

• Select the original entry.
• Duplicate the entry. In the edit panel, look for the option to duplicate.
• Click "Duplicate entry" and Contentful will create an exact copy of the original entry.
• Once the copy is created, the edit mode will open. Change the title of the entry to define the language to be used.
• Edit the entry fields to translate and adapt the content as needed. You can change text, images, and other elements relevant to the new target audience.
• Once the translation is complete, save and publish the entry. Now you will have the original content translated and adapted into another language.

Method 3: integration with external translation services

Integrating translation services into Contentful is an efficient way to manage and automate the process of translating multilingual content. This integration allows you to send content directly from Contentful to professional translation services and receive the translations in your Contentful space. The following describes how this process works and how to implement it.

Integration of translation services is done by connecting your Contentful space to translation platforms via API. This link automates the submission of content for translation and the receipt of translations, simplifying the management of multilingual content and reducing the need for manual processes.

Pros: it allows you to automate the translation process, reducing the time and effort required to update content. Through the use of professional translation services, superior quality of translations can be ensured while maintaining consistency in terminology and style.

Cons: Costs can increase depending on the number of languages and the volume of content to be translated. In addition, automation may not always capture the cultural and linguistic nuances necessary for accurate localization of content.

How to

• Select a translation service that suits your needs from those offered by the system, such as Transifex, Smartling or Memsource (formerly Phrase).
• Sign up for the platform of your choice and obtain the API credentials needed for integration.
• In Contentful, go to the configuration section and look for the integration or API options.
• Enter the API credentials to connect Contentful to the selected translation service.
• Identify the entries or specific fields you wish to translate.
• Use the integration options in Contentful to send selected content to the translation service. You can do this directly from the Contentful interface, where you will find the option to send content to the connected translation platform.
• Once the work is completed, the translation service will send the translations directly to Contentful.
• Check the received translations, which usually arrive already placed in the corresponding fields in Contentful’s entries.
• After review, post the translations on your website.

Conclusions

Translating a website created with Contentful is not a trivial task. Each method, from using locales to duplicating entries or integrating with translation services, has specific advantages and disadvantages, and shows a certain level of complexity.

Choosing the most suitable method depends on the needs of your project, the complexity of the content, and the resources available to you. Regardless of the method chosen, it is critical to carefully plan translation management to ensure that the website provides a consistent and engaging user experience in all supported languages. Contentful provides the tools needed to meet this challenge, making content localization easier and more scalable for any company.