Free Translate Widget For Your Blog
TheSpot-er on June 19th, 2007Web 2.0 is all about interaction about people without boundaries. Unfortunately not everyone speaks English and I think giving an option to people to read your pages in their native language is a definite fit for any web 2.0 blog. Should you add an option to have your pages automatically translated or not is up to you but here is what I have found:
- After just 2 weeks my logs show that an option to translate my pages have been used over 300 times. Not much you might think but I look at it as I managed to reach a market that I would have never got a word to before.
Obviously results will vary depending on the theme and general topic of your site but since its free – why not provide an extra service to your visitors? There is a downfall to this plugin. Google automated translation is way too far from perfect. As a bi-lingual person I have personally tested translation of my pages and while I wasn’t too impressed – I was able to get the idea of what it was about 
.
Now if you decide to actually integrate into your WordPress blog this widget I have to give credit to its original creator at http://www.googletranslategadget.blogspot.com/. All I have done is simply provide an option to have all the flag images hosted on your blog (in theme folder) and used some php code for automated detection and display of the widget. All details on integration included into README.txt file.
Please use comments on this post with any support questions.
IMPORTANT: I have found that in some themes people have problems to get the widget to display. Code for the widget inclusion HAS TO BE placed before Widgets loop begins. Here is an example of what it might look like:
<?php if ( function_exists(’dynamic_sidebar’) && dynamic_sidebar(2) ) : else : ?>
Please place translate.php inclusion BEFORE that loop begins on your theme.
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I also considered using such a plugin as my website is in german language and cause of this the possible amount of readers is limited.
But after I saw the quality of translation, I think, when I write the posts in english myself it can’t get worse and people at least will understand what it is about.
Torsten,
I almost agree. Problem is I can write only in 2 languages
Plugins like this offer a functionality to auto-translate into several, however imperfect it is. One can only hope that it will improve.
Thanks, I often see in my stats, people translate to Korea and Japan. By providing the tools it’s better than nothing. Might be they get general idea of the post. About quality I think became worst since my English isn’t good either
Which one is good between google and babelfish?
alamster,
I’m bi-lingual and I used to use babelfish but since Google came out with their translate service - I use it exclusively. From perspective of 2 languages I know - they were equal last I checked.
I do know one thing. I use for one of my projects Typo3 CMS and have been using it for last 4-5 years. Since lots of documentation for it is in German - I always use Google Translate to get the info I need. So as you can see I’m using this service quite often myself and that is why I believe in providing same benefits to my visitors.
I installed the flags folder in my theme root and place the translate.php into the root as well but the flags are not appearing on my sidebars?
Dave, you have to include the translate.php into your theme …
< ?php include translate.php ?>Place it in the location where you want tags to appear.
Alex
/public_html/wp-content/themes/atomicblogging/
i place flags folder and translate.php into the above path root . Yes, i did put these on my sidebar widgets but it just arent showing
this is the code i copied from the readme.txt from the zip file and i includeded in the sidebar widget text box for it still arent displaying,
i tried yours and and but it still dont work too.
sorry for the duplicate comment as i want to show u the codes i inputed but it doesnt seem to show here.
this is the code i copied from the readme.txt from the zip file and i includeded in the sidebar widget text box for it still arent displaying,
i tried yours and and but it still dont work too.
Dave,
Please use contact me page and email me. Allow me access to your admin interface (change a password for me temporarily).
I can have a look help you figure out what is wrong …
Alex
hi, thank you for the info and the software (plugin) either.
i’ve downloaded the plugin, and activated it successfully. but still i could not get translation immediately, since google block by saying that it is somekind like a malware or virus request. is it normal to have google block like this at the beginning ?
thank you
Hmm .. no its not.
I don’t have that issue and my logs stats show that plugin highly used on my blog. Perhaps something mis-configured?
Alex
i’m not sure about this mis-configure, i mean i could have done something wrong but i don’t know where.
or may be you could help me to test one of my post (the translate button is at the top-most right sidebar). thank you.
Well, I just tried to translate into Russian (the second language I know) and it worked the way it was designed …
apparently no one can solve my problem
Dave ….
Your theme seem to have some issues in properly recognizing it. I would recommend temporarily switching to default Kubric theme and see if it works on it. If does - that points to the source of the problem …
Alex
Hey I just found this translator and unlike the one your presently using this will also build up your site content by creating a new folder for each language .
So /it/ for Italian and so forth
http://www.nothing2hide.net/wp.....or-plugin/
cheers
Jason
Yep, seen that one but something within that specific plugin code that instead of translation creates error:
“We’re sorry…
… but your query looks similar to automated requests from a computer virus or spyware application.”
So far that error was consistent and I personally choose not to implement it … but thnx for heads-up.
Alex
Alex
not sure when that was, but they use google & Altavista Babel Fish now. You can choose one of the other.
I did read the comments and he was having some issue with that, seems to work fine on my blog..
all the best.
Cool, thanks Jason
Perhaps it will be useful to other people as well, nice to have the options to choose
Thanks again,
Alex
hehe~good! May I ask that do you like to share your blog with Chinese? I think not because there’s no chinese flag in your translator lists….?!
Well I think users can modify the code page to add any language themself!
Gleanty,
I have simply taken what was offered - Chinese wasn’t one of them - sorry.
Alex
Hi Alex,
I can’t get it to work either. I have tried putting the line of code in a text widget. Then I went into the sidebar file and put it above the search box. Still nothing. Checked, flags folder and translate.php both at root level.
Any ideas? The theme is brand new, from JP Schoeffel.
Lyn’s last blog post..bloglog
Lyn,
Please provide me with location on where I can see it, perhaps I can help you figure it out. Also, if you like to - use Contact page and email me your blog admin access (change a pass to temp). I might be able to help you solve the issue.
Alex
Guys, I have placed a solution to possible problem in the post. Please make sure that you check it.
Alex, Thank you very much for your help. Firstly, you have solved the problem for me - by doing it, not just by telling me how - and secondly, (much more important for the future, and my learning curve) I have learned a bit more about php as used in wordpress. Brilliant.
What wonderful service.
Lyn
UK
Lyn’s last blog post..bloglog
Hi,
I am unable to download the plugin from divshare. Is it possible for you to send the files to my plugin? Thanks!
They must have had a temporary glitch. Try again at different time.
It wasn’t a glitch. For some reasons, the file is not available to free users in China and Southeast Asia.
“Sorry, this file is unavailable in your region.
This file is not available to free users in China and Southeast Asia. To download it, you must sign up for a DivShare account. “
Hmm, interesting, well here is the file:
http://www.howtospoter.com/wp-.....nslate.zip
Enjoy,
Alex
Thanks for the help Alex. Works great! Are these all the languages Google support? I am thinking of adding more to the list.
thks, very nice!
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Thanks for the widget! I have made some modifications which I hope you wouldn’t mind. This is what I did for my Cloudbook blog:
1) Added title text for each language (so you will know which language it is when you hover your mouse pointer over the flag)
2) Corrected Google-Translate link for Taiwan flag (Taiwan uses traditional Chinese and not simplified Chinese)
3) Added Simplified Chinese, Dutch and Greek
4) Reordered the flags in alphabetical order