Using the Google Translate Widget

By Adam  |  22 Jun 2015 07:00:00

If you're reading this, I'd wager there's at least a small chance that you're thinking of starting up your own website, or more specifically, an eCommerce website. You may even already have one. As we move forward into the technological age, the internet is becoming more and more predominant and as English is, generally speaking, the language of the internet, learning other languages may seem to be less and less important. But, consider, if your website were to have its text available in English and another language, would that not give you a broader audience than every other English-only website?

A helpful tool when dealing with people who are not fluent in English is Google Translate. I'm sure I don't need to explain it to you all, but for those who have not heard of Google Translate; it is a service provided by Google which essentially serves as a universal-translation tool. You paste or write something into one box (and it is able to identify the language of whatever it is you input) and then it will translate it into whichever language you ask it to in the box beside it. It sounds wonderful, and it certainly is an impressive tool, but how exactly does this tie into your eCommerce website?

Well, beyond its most common form, Google Translate also offers a widget which can translate entire websites! If you go to the Google Translate tools page, and fill in the information, you will be given a HTML code which you can then paste into the code for your own site. The Google Translate widget can then translate the content into your site into whatever language a customer desires. Using this widget really is very simple. So why not take the effort to implement it? Imagine somebody who does not speak English is looking for the product that your business provides; maybe there are two English-only sites which offer it, one of them yours. Without the Google Translate, why would they pick your website over the other? But if you have a simple widget which can translate the text on your website into their native language, the choice will be clear.

You may think that that sounds very straight-forward; and it is! You can get it set up within a very short space of time. The important thing to remember is that, when you post something online, you're posting something for the whole world to see, so why not make sure that the whole world can actually read what it is that you have to say? If you don't take advantage of the Google Translate widget, the audience for your product is severely reduced!