A language switch in the header looks professional, and people often ask for one “just in case.” Then it turns out the second version is a home page run through automatic translation, while every other link leads back to the original text. A version like that does more harm than having none.
A second language is not a translated page. It is another version of the site that has to be maintained. Below is when it is really needed, how to set up the addresses, and what usually gets left untranslated.
When a second language is needed
When clients who speak that language already come to you, or you definitely plan to work with them. If a whole year brought no requests in that language and no new market is planned, the money and time are better spent on the main version.
A good sign: you are ready to reply in that language. If a request arrives and nobody can answer it, the second version only creates an awkward moment.
Translation, not autotranslation
Machine translation and AI give a good draft, but the draft has to be read. Service names, industry terms, tone, and the call to action sound different in another language. Readers notice an obviously automatic translation right away, and it does not build trust.
Sometimes a version for another market is worth writing from scratch rather than translating. That audience may search with different words and expect different examples of work.
Page addresses
Each language version needs its own address. Usually that is a folder such as /en/, a subdomain, or a separate domain. This site, for example, keeps the English version on nikraz.com and the Russian one on nikraz.by. Switching language without changing the address is bad for search: the crawler sees only one version.
- Pages are linked to each other with hreflang so search shows the right version
- The switch leads to the same page in the other language, not to the home page
- The site does not redirect visitors by IP without asking, and the language can be chosen by hand
What gets left untranslated
- Form messages after sending and on an error
- The email a person receives after a request
- Page titles and descriptions for search results
- Image captions and descriptions for screen readers
- The 404 page and the note on data processing
- The bot’s replies, if requests go through Telegram
Beyond words, content can differ too: currency and prices, a phone number with a country code, and the contact channels people use in that market.
Maintaining two versions
Every change has to be made twice. A new service, a new price, a new blog post appear in both languages, or the versions drift apart quickly and one of them starts showing outdated information. Agree in advance who translates updates and how long it takes.
If keeping both versions equally complete is not realistic, make the second one shorter but accurate: home, services, contact. That is more honest than a full site half of which was never updated.
How to prepare copy that will later be translated is covered in the note on website copy. Mention a second version in the brief from the start so it is part of the quote. To discuss a site in two languages, use the contact form.