Multilingual websites

Is your website available in more than one language, for example Dutch and French? Then the CMS has a language switch at the top. If you don’t have one, your website is in one language and you can skip this page.

What is per language, and what is shared?

Separate per language	The same for all languages
Text and titles	The pages themselves and their structure
SEO title and description	The status (visible or draft)
Page addresses	The order of the pages
Alt text of images	The image files and their file names
Usually also the blocks on a page

Haven’t translated a text yet? Then the website usually shows the text in the default language (the first language in the language switch).

How to translate a page

First finish the page completely in the default language and save.
Choose the other language at the top. You now see the default language’s text as a starting point.
Replace each text with the translation, including in tabs such as Metadata & SEO.
Click Save.
Repeat for each language.

Good to know

Publishing a page or setting it to draft applies to all languages at once. So only publish a page once it’s ready in every language.
Deleting a page deletes it in every language.
Adding a block in one language after the translation is done? You’ll usually need to do the same in the other languages. See Working with blocks.
Global blocks and general settings (such as the general SEO) are translated too, in the same place in the CMS, using the language switch.

Tips for good translations

Don’t translate word for word. A French-speaking customer searches with different words than a Dutch-speaking one. See Writing good copy.
Don’t use machine translation without checking it. A sloppy translation costs more trust than it earns. Ideally, have it checked by someone who knows the language well.
Keep every language equally up to date. Changing your opening hours or prices? Do it in every language.