Automatic Google Translate Vs. WordPress Multilingual Plugin (WPML)

Reaching a diverse and wide audience often means breaking language barriers. This is essential for Government websites, if your website caters to diaspora, or your business is in the global market.

However, ensuring your website visitors can read your content no matter what their spoken language – and that content is translated accurately – means you have some choices to make. You can rely on Google Translate to automatically translate your content, or install a plugin if you’re using a WordPress site. One of the most popular and reputable plugins on the market is the WordPress Multilingual plugin (WPML).

While WPML is probably the most surefire way to ensure your website visitors get accurate translations, it can be costly to run. In this article, we’ll explore the pros and cons of both so you can decide which one suits your website best. 

Google Translate or WPML – Which is Right for You?

Choosing between Google Translate and WPML depends on your specific needs and priorities. As we’ll go over more in-depth below, both tools have their strengths, but they cater to different requirements. Here’s how to decide which one is right for you:

Use WPML If Accuracy Is Your Chief Concern

WPML is the ideal choice for those who prioritise accuracy and quality in translations. It allows for manual translations and integrates with professional translation services, ensuring that your content is accurately conveyed. This is essential for websites with specialised content, like legal or medical information, where precise language is necessary. WPML also gives you full control over the translations, allowing you to review and edit them to suit your brand’s tone and style. While WPML does require a financial investment, the benefits of having reliable and accurate translations are worth it if professionalism and detail is important.

Rely on Google Translate If Budget Is Your Chief Concern

Google Translate can be a useful tool if you’re looking for a budget-friendly solution. It’s free and provides quick, automated translations for a wide range of languages. However, Google Translate often lacks the accuracy and nuance needed for high-quality content. It might not handle complex or specialised terminology well, which can lead to misunderstandings. While it offers a convenient way to provide multilingual content, it doesn’t meet the standards users expect of serious or professional websites.

In summary, while Google Translate is a solid option if budget is the key deciding factor, WPML offers superior quality and control, making it the better choice for businesses that need accurate and polished translations. 

WPML vs Google Translate

Google Translate and WPML Features

The WPML plugin has an abundance of translation features, including: 

• Support for over 60 languages. You can also add your own language variants, like Canadian French, in their language editor.
• WPML works directly within your WordPress dashboard for straightforward content translation and translation management.
• WPML makes it easy to integrate with the WooCommerce plugin. You can translate your product descriptions and the checkout process if you run a WooCommerce store.
• One of WPML’s biggest pros is the wide range of manual translation options it offers. You can translate content yourself or use their third-party translation services.

Even though Google Translate has fewer features, it’s still a pretty amazing tool that has come a long way since it launched in 2006. Features include: 

• Google Translate supports over 200 languages, with more being added all the time. Just last month, on June 27, Google made an announcement that they’re adding another 110 languages.
• Visitors to your website can translate content almost instantly with a little translation banner that appears to the top right of their screen. 
• Enabling Google Translate on your site is simple. While you do need to change the code of your website, you shouldn’t need more than basic website knowledge to do it successfully.
• The translation process is entirely automated. The translations are machine-generated, so there’s no manual input required. 

Does Google Translate or WPML Provide More Accurate Translations?

When it comes to translation accuracy, there’s a pretty clear-cut winner between Google Translate and WPML:

Google Translate

Google Translate relies on machine learning algorithms. While it has made significant improvements over the years, it can still struggle with context, idioms, and specialised terminology like that of the medical or legal field. The result can be translations that are functional but lack nuance and cultural relevance. This is especially apparent when it tries to translate languages with complex grammar or those less supported by the system, meaning not all the language sit support will translate as well. For general content, Google Translate can be a quick and accessible tool, but it’s not ideal for content requiring high precision or a professional tone.

As a bit of an experiment, I used Google to translate our homepage from English which I’m fluent in. While the translations weren’t necessarily inaccurate, it certainly lost a lot of nuance and clarity after being translated. Overall, it was overly formal and didn’t sound natural at all. Our web design and web developer said the same thing after translating it into Mandarin and Malay. It seems to struggle especially with Mandarin. 

WPML

WPML, on the other hand, can give you more accurate translations by allowing for manual input and professional translation services. With WPML, you have more control over the translation process, meaning you can ensure that cultural nuances and specific terms are accurately conveyed. This is especially useful for websites that require precise language, such as legal, medical, or technical content. It’s powerful enough for corporate, business, or government websites.

Which is Easier to Set Up: Google Translate or WPML?

Google Translate Setup

Enabling Google Translate is easier than setting up WPML. The process involves adding a simple code snippet or using a plugin to integrate the Google Translate widget into your WordPress site. Once installed, users can select their preferred language from a dropdown menu, and the page content is automatically translated. The setup requires minimal technical knowledge, meaning you can probably do it yourself without any web development skills. It’s so easy to do that this short article from Dummies summarises it entirely.

WPML Setup

WPML has a more complicated setup process. After purchasing a licence and installing the plugin, you need to go through a setup wizard to configure your site’s default and additional languages. This involves selecting languages, configuring language switcher options (like where you want the language switcher in the navigation menu or foot), and potentially connecting to translation services. The process is still pretty straightforward but requires more steps and decisions compared to Google Translate.

Which is Easier to Use: Google Translate or WPML?

Google Translate is effortless to use. Once you’ve set up Google Translate, there’s nothing more to be done. However, as we said above, this does come at a cost of customisation, accuracy and natural-sounding language.

WPML, while offering more features, is also user-friendly but involves a bit more hands-on management. The plugin integrates with your WordPress dashboard, meaning you can manage everything in one place right on your website’s backend. You can manually edit and review translations, which can be more time-consuming but ensures higher accuracy and consistency. WPML plugin also allows you to work with professional translation services within your site, adding another layer of management but improving translation accuracy. These more detailed settings and options can seem overwhelming at first, but they’re worth it if flexibility and control are important to you.

Support

As a free tool, Google Translate offers limited direct support for users integrating the service into their websites.  You’ll have to rely on extensive online documentation and user communities for troubleshooting and guidance. While there are many resources available, including forums and help articles, the support is mostly self-service. This can be challenging if you encounter specific issues that aren’t well-documented or need personalised assistance.

WPML, as a premium plugin, has an extensive and well-reviewed support system. Aside from translation accuracy, this is one of their biggest selling points. WPML offers direct support through their dedicated support team, available via tickets and live chat. The team can help with any kind of technical issues, setup, and troubleshooting. WPML also has detailed documentation and a range of tutorials to help you get the most out of the plugin. This level of support ensures that you have access to expert help if you run into any problems or need specific guidance.

Cost

Google Translate is the clear winner in terms of cost since it’s free. On the other hand, costs can quickly run up using WPML if you want professional translation and access to the full suite of features. You have to pay for annually licensing costs, ranging between $39AUD and $329 a year depending on the features you want to include. Here’s what the WPML pricing structures (in euros) look like, as of July 2024: 

Once you’ve paid for the licensing fee, WPML uses a credit system for automatic translation. One word to translate to each language will cost you 1 credit. You can buy packages of prepaid credits, or sign up to pay-as-you-go, where you only pay for the credits you’ve used at the end of each month.

Translation Ownership

Google Translate doesn’t give you ownership or control over the translations it generates. The translations are automatic and can’t be edited. This means you’re stuck with any mistakes or awkward phrases it produces. Also, since the translations aren’t saved on your site, you can’t keep or reuse them if you stop using the service.

WPML allows you to fully own and control your translations. The translated content is stored directly on your website, so you can edit and update it as needed. This gives you the ability to ensure the translations are accurate and culturally appropriate. Because you own the translations, you can reuse or modify them whenever you want.

Compatibility

Google Translate is compatible with most websites, including WordPress. However, Google Translate might not work perfectly with all the elements on your website, especially dynamic content, which is content that changes based on user interactions or real-time data. For example, Google Translate might have trouble detecting and translating content loaded via JavaScript or AJAX. It’s also important to note that because Google Translate performs translations on the fly, it doesn’t store translated versions of your pages. This means visitors might experience delays as the translation is processed each time they load a page. 

WPML is specifically designed for WordPress and offers broad compatibility with a wide range of themes and plugins, including popular page builders, eCommerce WordPress plugins like WooCommerce, and SEO tools. WPML ensures that all parts of your website, including menus, widgets, and other custom elements, can be translated and displayed correctly. This level of integration helps maintain a consistent user experience across different languages and makes it easier to manage translations for more complex websites.

Benefits of a Multilingual Website

Creating a multilingual website can significantly improve your online presence and business reach, through:

• Wider audience reach
• Better user experience
• Competitive advantage
• Multilingual SEO

Wider Audience Reach: A multilingual website allows you to connect with a broader audience by providing content in multiple languages. This is particularly important if your business targets international markets or caters to diverse communities. By offering information in their native language, you make your site accessible to non-English speakers, increasing your potential customer base.

Better User Experience: Visitors are more likely to engage with content in their preferred language. A multilingual website can improve user satisfaction by making it easier for them to navigate, understand, and interact with your content. This leads to longer visit durations and higher conversion rates, as users feel more comfortable and confident when they can access information in their language.

Competitive Advantage: In many industries, having a multilingual website sets you apart from competitors who only offer content in one language. It demonstrates a commitment to serving a global audience and can make your business more appealing to international customers. This can give you a competitive edge in markets where language is a barrier to entry.

Multilingual SEO: A multilingual website can also improve your search engine rankings. By providing content in different languages, you can target specific keywords and phrases in those languages, increasing your visibility in international search results. This helps attract more organic traffic from users searching in their native language. It’s important to note that exclusively relying on Google Translate won’t make your pages indexable on search engines in different languages. Only WordPress Translation plugins can do that.

Cultural Relevance and Inclusivity: Offering content in multiple languages shows that you respect cultural diversity and value inclusivity. It helps build trust and rapport with your audience by acknowledging and catering to their language preferences. This can be particularly important for businesses operating in multicultural regions or serving global customers, or for public sector websites where you have to make information accessible to everyone it applies to.

Do You Need a Translation Plugin for WordPress?

Deciding if you need a translation plugin for your WordPress site depends on a few factors:

Who Your Audience Is: If your website attracts people who speak different languages, a translation plugin can help you communicate better with them. It allows you to provide your content in multiple languages, making it easier for more people to understand and use your site.

Type of Content: If your site includes detailed or specialised content, like technical guides or product descriptions, a translation plugin can ensure this information is accurately translated. This is important if you want to maintain the quality and clarity of your content in different languages.

Business Expansion: If you’re looking to expand your business internationally, a multilingual website can be a powerful tool. It helps you reach new markets and communicate more effectively with customers around the world. A translation plugin makes it easier to manage a multilingual site, so you can focus on growing your business.