Multilingual website
How to create a multilingual website with TOWeb
Define your website main language
From the "Settings" step of TOWeb click on the "Languages" button and select the main language from the list. Then translate or update the list of predefined messages used in your website. If a language is displayed in gray this indicates that no default translation is provided yet. In such a case, you may want to provide your own translation by clicking on the translate button and all default messages to your language. If you wish to, you have the possibility to send us your translated text if you want them to be integrated into a future version of TOWeb.
Add another language
If want to add another language to your website you need to Activate the multilingual option. Then you will be able to add as many languages as needed. A menu button automatically appears on your website from where visitors will be to able to selected languages of your website.
Thereafter on your website you will be able to change the language from the list when needed. For instance
- when editing a topic to switch a another language and translate it or adjust it has desired like for instance adding different pictures depending languages. In order to facilitate the first construction of your website, we recommended you to first finish the first version of your website in the main language before to translate or modify web pages of your other languages.
- when changing texts elsewhere like for instance the by pressing the "edit menu" you will change the texts of your menu buttons in the language you've selected before. Same thing for your payments, shipments, etc.
Other solutions
This easiest way to manage different languages and have best results is to follow the "Add another language" method described in the previous chapter. Nevertheless, depending on your need and especially if you don't want to translate your site or if your website in your main language as nothing in common with one of the second language, then you may consider one of the other following ways :
Create another site for another language
To obtain such a result you will need to do different operations. Let's suppose you currently have your website ready in English and now you want to translate it and publish it in French, then you will need to :
- open the host configuration wizard (CTRL+F8) and from the "browse" button located in step 3/5 create a “french” directory on your web space
- in your current English website, add the name of this “/french” directory to the list of “Special Files & Folder”. It's important to add this name otherwise TOWeb will delete it and its content every time you will publish your English website
- backup your current website somewhere on your hard drive or to any external media storage : CD, USB memory key, ...#create a new website for your French website and restore the previous backup in this new website if you want to restart if you want to start it from your English version. You will then be able to translate it in French and obtain a different website in another language
- once your website is translated in French and ready, indicate the remote “french” directory where your French website has to be publish. This can be done in step 3/5 of the Host Configuration Wizard where you can either enter manually or select it from the “Browse” button
- Publish you website. Eventually you will need to add flags buttons with links in your homepage in order for your visitors to switch from the English version to the French version of your website.
Online translation site
Several websites provide an automatic translation of web pages like for example the Google Translate service. Just select the web page of your website and the language and you will automatically obtain a translation. All you need to do then is just to add a flag link to this Google URL to obtain a website in another language.
Note : If this solution is solution is pretty fast and doesn't require you to do the translation by yourself the result is not professional, not only because of a toolbar added on top of your website but also because the translation results will generally just give a rough idea about your web page content with many mistakes.