Sitefinity Language Translation and Localization Capabilities

Businesses need to continually grow and synchronize their online presence to succeed. The internet has allowed people to connect and share information freely, with one of the only barriers being language. Multilingual content plays a crucial role in reaching and engaging with diverse audiences around the world. Robust multilingual content management is an integral part of any successful localization strategy.

This blog post is going to specifically focus on the Sitefinity content management system’s (CMS) multilingual capabilities.

First, let’s go over a few reasons why multilingual content is important:

  • Expands Your Reach: Creating content in multiple languages allows you to connect with people who may not speak the dominant language in your country.
  • Builds Trust and Connection: Providing content in a person's native language demonstrates that you value and respect their culture and language. This builds trust and increases the likelihood of engagement and loyalty.
  • Increases Accessibility: Multilingual content ensures that information is accessible to people from different linguistic backgrounds, removing language barriers to allow users to access the content they need, in their language.
  • Enhances SEO and Visibility: Search engine optimization (SEO) can be improved by targeting specific keywords and phrases in different languages, increasing the visibility of your content to users searching in those languages.
  • Increases Global Business Opportunities: In our interconnected world, communicating effectively with potential customers, partners, and stakeholders from different countries opens up new opportunities for businesses to expand.
  • Cultural Sensitivity and Localization: Adapting content to fit the preferences, customs, and nuances of specific cultures indicates cultural sensitivity and enables localization.

In the increasingly interconnected and diverse world we live in today, multilingual content is crucial. By embracing multilingualism and utilizing the right multilingual content management tool, organizations can thrive worldwide.

Person typing on keyboard with world map overlay, indicating success with website language translation and localization

Sitefinity’s Language Translation and Localization Features

Sitefinity CMS is a content management system that offers robust language translation and localization features, allowing you to effortlessly create, manage, and deliver content across multiple websites, locations, and languages.

Some of the key Sitefinity language translation and localization features offered include:

  • Localization and Translations API: Sitefinity provides an API that allows administrators to easily localize pages and content for seamless integration with translation services.
  • Multilingual Support: Sitefinity allows content creators to create as many language versions of their website as needed, allowing them to provide content in different languages to cater to the preferences of their target audience.
  • Translation Module: The Enterprise edition of Sitefinity CMS includes a powerful translation module that streamlines the localization process, making it easier for businesses to efficiently manage translations.
  • Language Settings: Allows administrators to define the available languages for their website and easily set up and manage multiple languages, ensuring a seamless user experience.
  • Cultural Sensitivity: Content creators can adapt their content to suit the preferences, customs, and nuances of specific cultures.
  • Centralized Management: This allows businesses to efficiently manage translations from a central place without compromising the site's performance.

These features provided by Sitefinity CMS enable businesses to create multilingual content, expand their reach, and engage with diverse audiences around the world. By leveraging these language translation and localization capabilities, businesses can effectively communicate with their global customer base and establish a strong online presence.

Sitefinity’s Multilingual Content Management

Sitefinity CMS provides robust support for over 50 languages, including RTL (Right to Left) languages like Arabic, making it a powerful platform for creating multilingual websites. Businesses can also create localized URLs and metadata for each language version of their website. This helps improve global search engine optimization (SEO) by targeting keywords and phrases specific to each language.

In addition, the Sitefinity CMS also supports right-to-left (RTL) languages, ensuring that websites can effectively cater to audiences that use RTL scripts. By offering support for a wide range of languages, including RTL languages, and providing features like localized URLs and centralized management, Sitefinity CMS empowers businesses to create multilingual websites that cater to diverse global audiences. This not only improves the reach and accessibility of the content but also enhances the overall user experience.

Sitefinity’s User-Friendly Multilingual System Interface

Sitefinity CMS provides a multilingual content management user interface that allows users to manage their websites in multiple languages. Sitefinity's administration user interface (UI) is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, making it easy for administrators and content editors to manage their websites. The UI allows users to navigate and interact with the CMS in their preferred language, providing a localized experience. In addition, the Sitefinity CMS offers language packs for various languages, including Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, and more. This localization feature allows users to manage their websites more efficiently and effectively, regardless of their language preferences. By providing a wide range of language options, Sitefinity CMS enhances the usability and accessibility of the CMS for users around the world.

Sitefinity’s Streamlined Translation Management

Sitefinity CMS makes content translation and management easy and efficient with an XLIFF file format for efficient localization workflows and side-by-side manual translation capabilities.

  • Content Translation and Management Ease: Sitefinity CMS provides a translations module that helps automate the process of translating content items, pages, and templates, allowing editors to easily send content for translation, track translation progress, and manage translated versions alongside the original content. Editors can copy content from one language to another, making it simple to maintain consistency across different languages.
  • XLIFF File Format for Localization Workflows: Sitefinity CMS supports the XLIFF (XML Localization Interchange File Format) file format for efficient localization workflows. XLIFF is a standardized file format that simplifies the exchange of translatable content between systems. The XLIFF files can be exported and provided to translators allowing them to work on translations using their preferred tools. Once the translations are completed, the files can be imported back into Sitefinity automatically updating the localized content.
  • Side-by-Side Manual Translation Capabilities: The system also offers side-by-side manual translation capabilities enabling translators to view the original source content and the translation interface simultaneously. This feature facilitates accurate and context-aware translation ensuring that the localized content aligns with the intended meaning and tone, and translators can make real-time adjustments for high-quality translations that maintain the structure and formatting of the original content.

By providing a Translations module, supporting the XLIFF file format, and offering side-by-side manual translation capabilities, Sitefinity CMS streamlines the content translation and management process.

Advanced Machine Translation Integration

Sitefinity CMS offers advanced machine translation capabilities that support a global digital strategy by enabling efficient, accurate, and scalable content translations. These features provide businesses with the ability to reach wider audiences and deliver personalized experiences in multiple languages. The advanced machine translation capabilities within Sitefinity include integration with Microsoft translator, allowing administrators to utilize Microsoft's powerful translation capabilities within the CMS.

The platform also lets users create custom translation connectors, which can be set up to work with any machine translation service. This flexibility allows businesses to leverage their preferred translation service or existing translation workflows. The module automates the process of translating content items, pages, and templates thereby streamlining the translation workflow by making it easier for content creators and translators to collaborate and manage translation projects from a central place.

Leveraging the advanced machine translation capabilities within Sitefinity CMS provides businesses with the opportunity to efficiently translate their content, expand their global reach, and deliver personalized experiences to audiences around the world.

Translation Services and Connectors

The Translations service in Sitefinity CMS enables users to automate the process of translating content items, pages, and templates. This module simplifies the translation workflow by allowing users to easily send content for translation and receive the translated content back into Sitefinity. By automating the translation process, businesses can save time and effort while ensuring accurate and consistent translations.

Sitefinity CMS also supports various translation connectors that integrate with external agencies to facilitate the translation process. Two popular translation connectors available are Lionbridge Freeway and Clay Tablet. By utilizing the Translations service in Sitefinity and leveraging the available translation connectors, businesses can automate their content translation workflows, collaborate with external agencies, and ensure accurate translations for their multilingual websites.

Automated and Customizable Translation Workflows

Sitefinity CMS provides automated workflow capabilities that enable effortless management of large-scale translation projects. These automated workflows streamline the translation process and ensure efficient collaboration between content creators, translators, and reviewers.

Sitefinity CMS allows users to create custom workflows for managing the translation lifecycle of content items and pages. These workflows can be tailored to meet specific organizational and cultural needs, providing flexibility in the translation process. Users can define different stages, such as content creation, translation, review, and approval and set up automated actions and notifications at each stage. With automated workflows, Sitefinity CMS facilitates seamless collaboration between content creators, translators, and reviewers. Users can assign tasks, track progress, and receive notifications within the workflow, ensuring efficient communication. This streamlined collaboration accelerates the translation process, enabling faster delivery of translated content. The customizable nature of these workflows ensures that translation processes align with specific organizational requirements and cultural nuances.

Work with an Expert Sitefinity Agency to Enhance Your Multilingual Capabilities

Americaneagle.com is an award-winning Premium Progress Sitefinity partner that develops dynamic and multilingual websites. With our expertise in the Sitefinity CMS, we have the capability to create customized user experiences while utilizing its translation and localization capabilities. Check out our Sitefinity development services to learn more.

If you are interested in making your website a global player, please contact us, and we will let you know how our team can help.


About Author

Shawn Griffin
Shawn has been with Americaneagle.com since 1999 in a variety of roles. Currently, Shawn is part of our digital marketing and content team. In addition to editing and producing written company pieces, he produces copy for clients and he also helps to produce our radio and TV spots. He wants to make sure everybody knows that it’s truly a collaborative effort – between many, including the people he’s worked for during the past 20+ years!


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