If you are bilingual or multilingual and want to publish your free hosted WordPress.com in two or more languages but do not want to rely on machine translation that can be done. You can have two or more blogs in different languages and interlink them via custom menus. There’s also a workaround for publishing posts in two or more languages in the same blog.
Backgrounder
There is no FTP access to free hosted WordPress.COM blogs and we bloggers cannot install individual plugins such as Google translation widgets or any others for security reasons. Those found on the internet are for WordPress.ORG installs which run on different software.
We do not have bilingual or multilingual theme changers at WordPress.com. We can set only one interface language for our WordPress.com blogs.
When looking for a translation widget last year I uncovered the fact that although the Google translation widgets could not be used there was a workaround. You can view Translation page and it can also note the “Translation available” link in the widget at the top of my sidebar. – Related post: Translation widget for WordPress.com blogs
As there are bloggers who are fluent in more than one language, below is the three step workaround for publishing posts in two or more languages of in the same blog.
1. Select the interface language
Though you can set only one interface language in any WordPress.com blog, you can write and publish blog posts in two (or more) language versions of the entry on the same blog.
Dashboard > Settings > General
(You can also modify the interface language in your profile > Users > Personal Settings.)
Scroll down the page and locate this heading:
Language
Language this blog is primarily written in. ( Select one language from dropdown menu provided.)
Then scroll down and click “save changes”.
2. Create a Category for each language
Dashboard > Posts > Categories
Create a Category for each language (example: English, Spanish) by using the guide Adding Categories via the Dashboard.
Later you will be Adding Categories via the Categories Module to the corresponding language versions of the posts prior to publishing them.
3. Custom menu
You can create a custom menu and add the two dynamic Categories pages to it.
Dashboard > Appearance > Menus
Create a custom menu
Add Categories pages to the custom menu
(Category pages will have nothing to display until after you publish a post in the category.)
Note: There are many common errors, misunderstandings and misconceptions when creating custom menus.
Your readers will be able to click the Category tab for the language of their choice in the custom menu and read and comment on the post in their preferred language.
Related articles
- Bilingualism sharpens your brain (clew.lu)
- Second Languages Slow Brain Decline (news.discovery.com)
The problem is that the post will be published at the home page and the new menu, at the same time. I write in portuguese and would like to write in English too, but then I will have english posts on home and on “Posts in English”. Could you please give me some advice?
Thanks
There’s no way to escape the fact that the front page of the blog by default displays all posts. You can create a static front page but the realty is there will always be one main page that all posts display on in any blog.
http://en.support.wordpress.com/pages/front-page/
Actually, it is *not* necessary to display a single main page showing all of the posts.
In the “Appearance” ==> “Menus” section of the dashboard, you can create a Menu, and then from the “Categories” subsection, you will add a menu-item for each of your language categories — say, English and Portuguese. Make sure that in the “Manage Locations” tab, you actually select this Menu that you just created.
Then, in the “Settings” ==> “Reading” section of the dashboard, set your “Front page” to display a static page, but leave the “Posts page” empty (because that would show posts from all categories)! Your readers will be able to choose the “English” or “Portuguese” menu in order to see the posts in the corresponding language.
Great solution! Thanks for the help. It’s appreciated.
Your workaround for mixing posts in different languages on the same blog will not work perfectly if the blog mixes both right-to-left languages (such as Hebrew or Arabic) and left-to-right languages (such as English).
Although WP.com offers many themes that support the “RTL Language Support” feature, at any given moment these themes work either in “right-to-left” or in “left-to-right” mode, for the contents of the entire blog, depending on the “Language” setting in “General Settings.” There is no way to specify “Language” on a per-post basis.
I am so sorry to read that and thank you for sharing the information here.
Can one have post title in two scripts eg: Arabic and English?
I don’t think mixing two languages in the very same post title is a good idea. I suspect it may lead to confusion.
It worked! I have new readers from the Middle East. But thank you for your point, Time Thief which is also relevant and appreciated.
The post worked but the methodology is only appropriate on a post by post basis.
I’m so happy for you.
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I really have to salute to bloggers who write their blog posts in more than 1 language.
Me too. I wish I had learned more than one language.
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i write posts in italian,and english have a french google translator,bt, will keep this in mind!
Ah so you have a trilingual blog. Best wishes to you. :)
yes, i am Italian, but my mother is English, and I have various friends and family in Canada and France thanks
Very useful tips. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome.
Cool idea! Thanks for sharing!
i have considered writing my post in two languages…thanks for the tips and for the additional info links…read you soon, Alexandra
Hi Alexandra,
I’m happy to hear this will be useful to you. Best wishes with your blog.
Thank you! :)
Did you see me floundering through this blog and all the support pages at WP to figure this out last night, TimeThief? Basically I came to this conclusion too, playing in my test blog, and will be implementing shortly in live version. I am still struggling with a couple related things on RSS and the Category page, if I don’t figure them out soon, look for me on the Support Forum! Thanks very much!
Hi Cythia,
I didn’t notice you were on the site because was offline resting my back. re: RSS Categories pages see http://onecoolsitebloggingtips.com/2010/03/30/wordpress-and-blogspot-subscribe-to-a-rss-category-feed/ I hope that helps but if it doesn’t I’ll see your thread in the forums.
Sweet post, TT! I have a friend who is fluent in both English and Japanese. She may decide to publish in both languages. You can bet she’s getting an email linking to this blog post as soon as I finish typing this comment and hit “Enter!” ;)
I had to spread the word! So I shared your post on my facebook fan page. I know, I’m asking after the fact, but I hope you don’t mind. :-)
Hi Kerwyn,
No, of course I don’t mind. In fact, I thank you. I do hope what you shared will be shared over and over again within the WordPress.com community so as many as possible benefit from this 3 step workaround.
Thanks for the valuable info!