How to Create a Translated Version of Your Bandzoogle Website

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As with any web based enterprise, there is increasing potential for musicians to broaden their audience to fans from around the globe. Offering a translated version of one’s site is a great way to share your music and artistry with these fans. While a multilingual version of Bandzoogle is in development, in the meantime, here is a solid method for offering a translated version of your website.

The following method involves creating an additional version of each page and then providing an easy link so that visitors can quickly access it. As an example, I have provided a Czech version of this website.

Step 1: Add the corresponding second language pages. Make sure to select “not in menu” as the page type and watch for cognates in naming your pages, as each page must have a unique title. One typical case is the word “photos” which is used in many languages. If this page title is going to be used for the language page, you might select “pictures” as the title for the English version of the page.



Step 2: On each page, add a text feature at the top. Within that text feature you can include a link to the corresponding second version of the page. It is a good idea to provide a link back to the English version on your second language pages and also, a right side justification to these links and the inclusion of a small flag icon makes for a nice touch.



Step 3: Replicate your features on the second versions of each page. This is the most involved step as you will be translating the content of your different features. While Google’s translation tools continue to improve, it is always best if you yourself speak the language, or if you have a friend or colleague who does and can skim over the translation.

In implementing the content, do keep in mind that certain features have settings that apply across the site. For example, instead of entering text in the Mailing list sign-up form options under the manage members subtab of the mailing tab, I opted to place a small text feature over each mailing sign up form with the text in the appropriate language. In building a contact form, for the second language version, you can use a custom mail form feature which will allow you to correctly title the fields for the form for the second language version.

Having completed all three steps you will have successfully created a great looking and easily accessible translated version of your website.

New: Translate your website into French or Spanish!

You can now also set your website to be in French or Spanish!

Changing the site language will instantly translate elements on your website that were previously in English only. This includes:

• Signup & purchase buttons

• Form fields

• Mailing list signup message

• Purchase receipts

And more. To set your website to French or Spanish, go to the Community tab and click Site profile on the left. You’ll see “Site language” towards the bottom, which you can now switch to French or Spanish.

As a musician, do you have any strategies for reaching different language audiences ? Do you already have a translated version of your site? Let us know in the comments!