You’re not just a blogger. You’re a blogger in the global community. The Internet has made the world a much smaller place, and international boundaries mean nothing online.
Language, however, still presents a real and difficult barrier. Whether you’re sharing information, reaching out to potential partners, or doing business, your blog can’t afford the roadblock of a language barrier – and it doesn’t have to. Translation services used to be expensive and time-consuming; now, they’re readily available and easier to use than you think.
Don’t let language barriers hold back your blog.
The Bing Widget
When it comes to search, Google is the undisputed king. But as search engines improve their translation capabilities, Bing has made remarkable strides in speed, efficiency, diversity of languages, and ease of use with its translator widget.
Simply copy the provided HTML code and paste it onto your blog. Poof. You have an accurate, instant translator that is fully customizable and works in real-time with every language from Haitian Creole to Urdu.
Google Translate
While Google’s ability to plug its translator onto your blog for real-time translation can’t hold a candle to Bing’s, it does have a total website translator that is unrivaled. It allows you to immediately translate your website into more than 60 languages. You can also gather and institute suggestions from your bilingual visitors and invite editors to work with you to improve the accuracy, functionality, and speed of your translation.
Your translator will be backed by a company whose name is synonymous with search in any language: Google.
World Lingo
World Lingo is worth a mention because of its diversity of application. The Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau trusts World Lingo with its translation needs, as does the Education Network of Ontario. If that’s not good enough company, they’ve also partnered with companies such as AT&T, Priceline, Hershey’s, Cadbury, BP, and Sony.
World Lingo provides not just website translation, but email translation, text translation, document translation, and chat translation.
Ultimate Web Translator
If you need a simple widget that focuses only on the most commonly used languages to copy and paste onto your blog or website, check out Ultimate Web Translator. It’s very basic and limited to only 30 languages, but unless you’re an international bank, that’s probably enough, right? Powered by Google and – ready for this? – Alta Vista, the UWT comes with cool little flags.
Translation tools are now easy, accurate, and often free.
As it is, your blog can be consumed in only one language – whichever one you’re shackled to (presumably English, if you’re reading this). That’s the language people must respond in if they want to leave a comment or read if they want to hear about it on Twitter. With a simple, cut-and-paste widget, you can add a layer of credibility and functionality that improves your blog – in any language