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Our goal is to provide you with in-depth knowledge regarding localization.

Learn how CMS localization can boost your online presence, expand your reach, and optimize for international success with our informative article.

CMSs: industry state and how to localize them best

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Localization Blog

CMS (content management systems) localization is a complex topic that requires different approaches and tools depending on the chosen system. The "[CMS's industry state](/blog/cms-industry-state-and-how-to-localize-them-best)" - our previous article describes the general terms, CMS types, and many more, so we highly recommend reading it if you need background information. In this post, our team combined the best ways to localize one of the most popular CMS worldwide - WordPress.


## The WordPress overview 

In a few words, WordPress is a classic "monolithic" content management system launched more than 20 years ago. Its simplicity, user-friendliness, flexibility, and open-sourcing have made WordPress the leading platform. To better understand how popular it is, let's take a look at the <a href="https://w3techs.com/technologies/details/cm-wordpress" target="_blank" rel="noffolow">figures</a>: 
- 43.2% of all websites in the world are using WordPress;
- WordPress has 1st place in terms of popularity and traffic;
- 65.2% of all CMS-based websites are using WordPress. 

With such popularity, WordPress localization became essential for many businesses worldwide, and of course, it has in-built tools aimed to simplify this process, for example: 

- **Simple internationalization**. WordPress utilizes the gettext libraries and tools to support internationalization (i18n), so developers can set up plugins and themes for further localization and manage translations efficiently. It also allows simply adapting formats for dates, numbers, and currencies.
- **Right-to-left support**. WordPress allows changing the text direction in <a href="https://codex.wordpress.org/Right-to-Left_Language_Support" target="_blank" rel="noffolow">two simple ways</a>: providing usage of RTL languages like Arabic, Hebrew, Farsi, etc. 
- **Language packs**. WordPress has a list of packages to translate core themes and plugins into a specific language. These language packs enable to switch the interface language of WordPress installation to preferred language without manually translating individual strings.
- **Localization plugins**. If you're familiar with WordPress, you know this CMS has hundreds of plugins available to perform various tasks - including localization. 


## Top 5 WordPress plugins for content localization


Before we start the plugin overview, let's remain that there are two primary content types in WordPress - the pre-defined format (posts/pages) and custom posts, which are customizable and allow users to create other content - attachments, navigation menu, maps, testimonials, widgets, and more. Take your attention to the ability of plugins to support custom content translation. Also, the complex themes and plugins rarely don't support additional languages, so if you are looking for the best solution, consider all minor nuances. 



### WPML
(from €99/year +  €39 or €74 yearly)

Over <a href="https://wpml.org/home/about-us/" target="_blank" rel="noffolow">1 million installations</a>.

This plugin supports 45+ languages with the ability to add your locales via the languages editor (you can add Canadian English as an example.)

**Supported content formats**: custom post types, custom fields, widgets, menus, images, taxonomy, media – even texts in your site's admin.
WPML supports connection to <a href="https://wpml.org/plugin/" target="_blank" rel="noffolow">hundreds of WordPress plugins</a>, which guarantees you can use multilingual options for various content. 

**Additional features**: automatic translation, TMS integration


### Loco Translate

 
(limited version for free; paid plans start at $5.95/month)

Over <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/loco-translate/" target="_blank" rel="noffolow">1 million installations</a>.

<a href="https://localise.biz" target="_blank" rel="noffolow">Loco Translate</a> supports 40 languages and allows content translation directly in the theme or plugin. 

**Supported content formats**: Loco Translate allows editing WordPress PO files and provides internationalization of plugins and themes. 

**Additional features**: translating services integration


### Polylang.pro 


(limited version for free, advanced from €99.00/website).

<a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/polylang/" target="_blank" rel="noffolow">700,000+</a> active installations. 

With <a href="https://polylang.pro" target="_blank" rel="noffolow"> Polylang</a>, users can choose from a vast array of more than 90 pre-defined languages. 

**Supported content formats**: pages, custom posts, tags, categories, various media, widgets, and menus. Additionally, Polylang is compatible with Yoast SEO and other SEO plugins, so it is easier for you to keep the quality of website optimization high and translate the SEO data.

**Additional features**: customizable language switcher, URL slugs translating, separate product for WooCommerce 

### Weglot

(free for 1 language and 2,000 words, 3 languages and 50,00 words - $29/month and more)

<a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/weglot/" target="_blank" rel="noffolow">50,000+</a> active installations 

Compared with the previous two plugins, <a href="https://www.weglot.com" target="_blank" rel="noffolow"> Weglot </a>provides a slightly different approach. This SAAS solution automatically translates website content using machine translation, speeding up the process for linguists and supporting more than 100 languages.
But, the most significant difference of Weglot is that your site's translated version will stop working if you ever stop using Weglot. You can export the files but must find out how to implement them.

**Additional features**: AI translation, SEO-optimized, automatically changes detection.  


### GTranslate

(limited version for free, advanced from $9.99/month).

<a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/google-language-translator/" target="_blank" rel="noffolow">100 000+</a> active installation 

<a href="https://gtranslate.io" target="_blank" rel="noffolow">GTranslate </a>supports over 100 languages and provides free automated Google machine translation.  

**Supported content formats**: posts, pages, categories, tags, widgets, menus, themes, plugins, WooCommerce shop. 

**Additional features**: integration with Google Analytics, multilingual SEO support, hreflang tag addition, and translation of schema.org microdata.
It's important to note that the plugins above are just a part of the vast collection available on the WordPress market. Choosing the best solution should be based on your individual requirements, budgets, and needs. 


## To sum up

Organizations and businesses have a top task in the globalized world - reaching out to a diverse audience. Thus, the crucial question for companies that use CMS like WordPress is finding the best tool to simplify the localization process. However, choosing a reliable translation plugin that suits your needs is a piece of the puzzle that guarantees you will localize your CMS content effectively. Another question is how to provide high-quality content translation - and we at Lingohub are here to help. 

Lingohub can perfectly synchronize with your other processes via API and supports dozens of [file formats](/integrations/) (gettext, JSON, CSV, Java, etc.) Also, we provide [CAT tools](/features/) that speed up the translating process while maintaining quality.

Want to learn more? Lingohub is always ready to support. You can schedule a quick [demo call ](/demo)with our team to get more information and ask all questions. Contact us - we are always happy to help!


This article will explore the tools available to help you with WordPress content localization. You will gain a deeper understanding of how these tools can assist you in making your WordPress site accessible to a global audience.


How to localize your WordPress CMS content

How to localize your WordPress CMS content?

2024 is here and brings new challenges, dreams, and, of course, localization trends. The Lingohub team has prepared this article to help you stay on the localization wave, implement the best approaches for your business, break language barriers, and start 2024 with new ideas. Find below 8 approaches that will change your localization experience and will bring a piece of magic to it.


## Trend 1. Machine translation post-editing

The translation process can be long and tedious, especially when linguists start every time from scratch and translate identical content daily. The post-editing approach can speed up the process and add a creative, not a routine part. That means that initially, all texts are translated by machine translation, and then translators provide just the needed edits. Thus, your localization will speed up, and costs will be reduced. 
To implement a post-editing approach, you need the basic things that will allow your translator to work:

- style guide, 
- glossary,
- well-prepared source text with no mistakes,
- and, of course, the machine translation tools.

Let's overview these points more precisely on the Lingohub example, and (spoiler) we have one more tool that will make the post-editing much faster. 

So, working with Lingohub, you can set up the prefill rules so that every new source text will be automatically translated with a combination of engines - Google Translate, DeepL, and Amazon Translate. But this is only part of our abilities. If you connect the style guide to your project, the machine translation will use the formality requirements from there. So, from scratch, the translation is more detailed, concrete, and accurate.

After the first part (machine translation), we are going to the second - proofreading (post-editing.) Lingohub provides a quality check suggestion showing errors like wrong terminology usage, extra or missed spacing, etc. So, the translator shouldn't recheck terms, names, etc., if they are uploaded to the system.



---

**Lingohub tip**: To make the post editing maximum fast - you can also use the Lingohub translation memory feature. Instead of machine translation, you can reuse your approved text and never translate the same content twice.

---

## Trend 2. Continuous localization

As agile development workflow has been a popular approach in the software development environment for a long time, your localization process should also be flexible to allow fast time-to-market and new edits to be implemented. That's why the continuous localization approach is necessary for many teams. It unifies your development and translation teams, synchronizes their efforts, and speeds up the entire development process.

Let's look at how this can work in the schema below. Lingohub allows the localization projects to connect with repositories (GitHub, GitLab, Azure, etc.) When changes in the source text are made, they are automatically detected and sent to the Lingohub project, and the translation team receives notifications. Once translations are approved, they can be immediately published by pushing back into the repository and released. So, the entire team works as a single mechanism without additional communication, pings in chats, and so on. 

## Trend 3. Transcreation

Emotional connection with users plays a crucial role. The research made by [Motista](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6273e357746bf970e1d4f2c9/t/62f718e0494abd7a0776c4ec/1660360929034/Leveraging+Emotional+Connection+for+Retailers_0.pdf) showed that emotionally connected customers have 306% higher lifetime value and recommend brands more often. The content is a significant part of the company strategy that can build this emotional connection. That's why we have added [transcreation](/blog/the-importance-of-transcreation-in-localization) to our list. Transcreation (translate + create) is a process of non-literality content translation with high creativity. 

Such an approach can only be successful with deep knowledge of the cultural context and fluency in the target audience's language because transcreation targets the emotional impact of the message. Thus, companies should find professionals from specific regions, which can become a new challenge. 
Knowing such stumbling blocks, Lingohub does its best for customers' convenience and provides professional translators. Any Lingohub user could use the help of skilled linguists for more than 40 languages, including dialects, for the best results in the shortest time. 


## Trend 4. Automation

The times when each step was processed by humans sink into oblivion. Automation is everywhere, from big data to small everyday routines, and localization isn't an exception. New approaches provide strong process acceleration (read case study...here link) and avoid human mistakes. We mentioned some automation with MT and continuous localization in the first paragraphs. Here, we'll discuss localization management automation. 
As localization is a complex process, the managers can have many projects requiring attention. They should approve edits and translations, set up the correct statuses, and sometimes add some edits for a large amount of the content. That's why Lingohub provides a few tools that automate working with text segments.
Workflows. With them, localization managers can craft highly efficient workflows that combine multiple steps for optimal text processing. For instance, recheck some segments with quality checks, set up statuses after this, remove unnecessary spaces, etc., ensuring the localization process is streamlined and error-free.
Bulk actions. This feature allows quickly changing the statuses or labels for specific segments, deactivating them, or changing translatability.  


## Trend 5. Design localization

Entering new markets is always challenging as you compete with local providers native to the audience, which 100% wouldn't stun the users by using inappropriate word construction, symbols, etc. One of the most essential parts of localization is the visual content, which is paramount as it is the first thing the user sees. Besides the color palette, fonts, photos, and so on, you should consider text length and direction (for instance, Arabic is a right-to-left language). 

Here we come to the main question - when creating a new design for a localized version, how can you account for the differences in text length and other variables? The general way is to translate and copy/paste text into the design template. But designers can't start without a translation, sometimes taking weeks, and constant copy-pasting requires hours of manual work. Such an approach looks outdated and time-consuming.

Our team provides a [Figma plugin](https://www.figma.com/community/plugin/1091712683693829044/Lingohub-for-Figma) to improve the design localization process for Lingohub customers. Almost instant text transfer from Figma to Lingohub project and vice versa, combined with the prefill feature, enables fast pre-translation and text fitting. Besides the option above, one significant additional advantage exists - automatically generated screenshots. Translators can see all text segments placed on a screenshot and thus have much more context for their work. 

## Trend 6. Multilingual client support

The customer experience plays a crucial role in the business's success. Based on the statistics, [61%](https://www.123formbuilder.com/blog/customer-service-statistics#:\~:text=Customers%20want%20quick%2C%20simple%2C%20and,increase%20over%20the%20previous%20year.) of customers with just one negative experience would switch to the competitors, and [90%](https://www.123formbuilder.com/blog/customer-service-statistics#:\~:text=Customers%20want%20quick%2C%20simple%2C%20and,increase%20over%20the%20previous%20year.) of clients are ready to pay more for companies with great customer service. 
Customer support can differ - from chatbots and operators to FAQ resources and Help Centers. When talking about live operators, finding local experts or individuals with a firm grasp of the language is important. However, when translating written content, Lingohub can fully localize it for you. We offer support for over 30 file formats, allowing you to translate any content, as well as a range of integrations to help you [localize your Zendesk and Intercom Help Centers](/blog/role-of-localization-in-international-user-support). With just a few clicks, you can sync articles, sections, and categories while ensuring a uniform style and avoiding mistakes with our powerful CAT tools. 


## Trend 7. Instant translation

AI (artificial intelligence) is one of the most prominent approaches in localization. Nowadays, AI-powered translation engines like ChatGPT offer more comprehensive translation abilities, especially for creative content, than well-known machine translation engines. They allow adapting content, paraphrasing it, and can learn from the documentation like style guides and glossaries. 
AI can enhance productivity in multiple ways, and one such way is through its ability to provide instant translations. This option allows users to translate their designs into different languages without delay, increasing their efficiency and effectiveness in communicating with a worldwide audience.


## Trend 8. Real-time collaboration for localization teams

Companies implementing effective internal communication tools are [3.5 times](https://www.brosix.com/blog/workplace-communication-statistics/#:~:text=Businesses%20using%20effective%20internal%20communication,employee%20retention%20by%204.5%20times.) more likely to achieve better results. Effective collaboration between employees and inside the company [impacts](https://www.brosix.com/blog/workplace-communication-statistics/#:~:text=Businesses%20using%20effective%20internal%20communication,employee%20retention%20by%204.5%20times.) productivity, trust, turnover, and motivation. 

Localization as a complex process is not an exception and requires well-designed collaboration with no delays. That's why the correct TMS (translation management system) is the first step for forming a productive team collaboration and allows at least [x2 acceleration](/case-studies/planradar). Using the Lingohub example, we will show how this can be achieved. 

1. No file sending - no manual content exchange. Get rid of files back and forth, as your repositories and apps can be integrated and synchronized directly with the Lingohub project.
2. Less time for content checking and approving because Lingohub provides tools like quality checks and term bases that will alarm about violating predetermined criteria. 
3. Synchronization with repositories allows developers and translators to check real-time content changes. Your teams will see any edits without additional communication, which is extremely important for time-to-market speed up. 
4. All data is structured in one place. No matter what type of file you need to localize - Figma design, DOCS, XML, IDML, etc. - Lingohub supports any of them. Users can easily manage their projects more organized by splitting them into different folders based on their content types, goals, or any other relevant criteria. Thus, finding a project to check progress is simple.
5. The team can discuss any localization-related question inside Lingohub without switching to another app. The discussion feature enables communication about specific text segments, mentions users, initiates dialogues, and attaches additional information.

The points listed above are the parts of abilities that can be accessed through Lingohub. If you would like to get more information, about our mobile, website and <a href="https://lingohub.com/use-cases/web-app-localization">web application localization</a> services please look at our pricing page, which includes a comprehensive list of our capabilities. Additionally, we want to highlight that all CAT features are available to all users regardless of their chosen pricing plan, and of course, you can start your Lingohub journey with a 14-day free trial. 

We hope this article brings new ideas for your 2024 localization plan; stay tuned with us to get more information about the industry for your business. 


The Lingohub team has prepared 8 approaches to help you overcome language barriers and maximize your localization efforts. Let's start the year with fresh and effective localization ideas.


8 localization trends you should tend in 2024

2023 was a dynamic year for the Lingohub team, marked by exciting challenges and notable accomplishments. As we kick off the New Year in 2024, we're beginning with an article summarizing our team's achievements and outlining our goals. If you missed anything last year, don't fret! You can now catch up on our 2023 improvements and make the most of the Lingohub upgrades for your business. Let's dive in!


## New lingohub.com

In 2023, the Lingohub team ambitiously redesigned our website, introducing modern aesthetics and an improved user experience. We aimed to streamline information searches and clearly detail our features and capabilities for easier navigation and understanding. Visit our [feature](/features/) pages for tool specifics, discover role-tailored [solutions](/solutions/managers), read our informative [blog](/blog/), or get answers from our [FAQ](/faq) sections. We're eager for your feedback on these enhancements. If you'd like to share your thoughts, please explore the updates and contact us with your experiences. Note that some content has been repositioned to subdomains or integrated into our application, so explore these areas for additional insights.


## New Help Center 

At Lingohub, we're dedicated to offering our users a smooth experience. To achieve this, we've revamped the [Lingohub Help Center,](https://help.lingohub.com/en/) which is now hosted on a separate subdomain. This new setup features a clean and intuitive interface with well-organized sections and categories, complemented by a powerful search function for easy access to necessary information. The Help Center comprehensively covers all aspects of the Lingohub application, with detailed sections on Getting Started, Account Management, Organization, Projects, the Editor, and more. For unique queries, our team is available at support@lingohub.com. We continuously update the Help Center with the latest information and insights about new features and changes.


## New Developer Documentation

Understanding the technical demands of developers using the Lingohub application, we've developed [specialized documentation](https://docs.lingohub.com/api-docs/) focused on the API and various resource files. This dedicated section is tailored for developers, providing in-depth technical insights and step-by-step guides for effectively utilizing Lingohub's API and resources. It's a one-stop resource for all developer-centric information designed to streamline and enhance your development experience with Lingohub.


## New changelog

We introduced a new changelog section in the Lingohub application, designed to keep you informed about all our latest updates. You'll receive notifications about these updates near the "bells" icon in the bottom-left corner. Additionally, the changelog is accessible anytime, with a filtering option to help you easily find specific information.



## New Pricing Plans

Recently, we've revamped our Lingohub plans to be more inclusive and versatile for all users. Starting from December 2023, every subscription tier will include complete access to our CAT tools and features suite. Furthermore, users have the flexibility to enhance their chosen plan with a variety of specialized plugins, available in both free and premium options, to suit their individual needs.



## Updated UI for Lingohub application

In 2023, a major endeavor for our team was overhauling the Lingohub app UI. We took customer feedback seriously and collaborated with design experts to elevate the localization experience. While we've detailed all updates in a separate article, here's a quick summary. For an in-depth look, refer to the original article or continue reading for a brief outline.

The updates fall into three main categories: interface improvements, management enhancements, and new features.

**Interface Improvements:** 

- Our UI and UX enhancements are designed to streamline your localization process.
- The Editor panel now offers dual views for focused translation and bulk actions.
- We introduced simultaneous translation capabilities for multiple languages.
- The dashboard has been revamped to include vital information like notifications, recent orders, and project management details.



**Management features**. We added more flexibility for your Lingohub usage:

- Create and manage user roles by yourself.
- Provide custom permissions for users and API keys.
- Protect the information in your Organization with 2-factor authentication.
- Manage notifications based on your needs.
- Monitor activities with Audit and API logs.
- Manage the projects with folders, marks, and color labels. 
- Create workflows for automatically applying actions to the text segments. 
- Control the financials with the transactions feature and have the automatically calculated fees for your translators. 


**New features**.

- The Marketplace offers new features like contracts, transactions, and text edit reports. 
- Our new plugin allows you to localize your Figma project with Lingohub easily. You can move your text segments from Figma to Lingohub and back.
- We added new integrations with applications. Find the entire list on our website.
- LingoChecks is now called quality checks, but we have retained and improved all the features. Your source and target texts, markup, placeholders, and all other content are controlled by predetermined criteria.
- Apart from the existing "smart" translation memory, which directly learns from your projects, we now provide a file-based translation memory.

## New meetings and experience.

2023 was not only the year of persistent work but also of multicultural team meetings. This year, the Lingohub had the pleasure of bringing together the international part of the team from Poland, Senegal, and Ukraine for weeks full of impressions in Linz, the heart of mountain Austria. The gatherings allowed the team to share knowledge, personally collaborate on projects, and spend time with different activities together, from chilling evenings and productive meetings to active mountain hikes. 


We believe that the 2024 year will be even more productive and full of positive emotions. We are proud to have such great customers as you, whose businesses and ideas inspire us daily. Stay awesome!


In 2023, the Lingohub team faced exciting challenges and achieved great things. As we begin 2024, we summarize our accomplishments and goals in an article. Look back at our 2023 improvements and take advantage of Lingohub upgrades for your business. 


Roundup of Lingohub for 2023

Almost every product with more than one language in its interface has faced localization challenges. Previously, when companies needed to translate something, they had to send Excel files to the translators, test them, add corrections, and retest them. This approach provoked back-and-forth iterations between developers, designers, and translators. As a result, the customer got the localized product but wasted more time and money.

The next step of localization evolution was computer-aided translation (CAT) tools, a huge step forward. These programs are still usable but target more translation automation and don't include the management component. Here is where LMS and TMS (Localization Management Systems and Translation Management Systems) entered the scene. Unlike CAT tools, these applications often run in the cloud and have high flexibility, bringing clear benefits to the client and saving time for localization. 

Nowadays, the market provides many different systems, so choosing the best solution has become challenging. This article aimed to showcase popular localization platforms such as Lingohub, Crowdin, Lokalise, Phrase, and Transifex to review the pros and cons. Let's take a look closer at each.

## Localization platforms: first overview
To help you better understand the differences between the platforms presented in this article, we prepared the detailed table below this paragraph, where we overviewed the CAT tools, pricing policy, additional abilities, etc. But we highly recommend reading the entire article as you can find the insights and comparison of possibilities that may be helpful for you. Long story short - let's go. 



## Lingohub

The first application we want to start with is Lingohub. It is a SAAS cloud-based platform that combines features required for fast translation, quality assurance, and entire localization process management. Thus, you can store, handle, translate content and simultaneously control the project's progress, communicate, and manage finances — all in a single location. 

[Lingohub](/) provides seamless [integrations](/integrations) with the most popular services, like GitHub, Gitlab, Azure, Bitbucket, Figma, etc., to build continuous CI/CD processes for localization. Add to all of the above the support of over 40 file formats/technologies and 100+ languages, intuitive UI, and non-stop improvements, and you will get one of the leading translation and localization management platforms.

|| |
|--|--|
|**Trial Period**|yes, 14 days|
|**All features available from the start**| yes|
|**Number of projects**|Unlimited for all plans|
|**Pricing Plans**|Starter €49, Team €119, Business €349, Enterprise(from €999)|
|**Free plan**|only for open-source products| 
|**Mobile SDK (OTA**)|yes|
|**API Integrations**|yes|
|**GitHub, GitLab integrations**|yes|
|**Machine Translation**|yes|
|**Customer Support**| yes|
|**Supported technologies**| 30+ (custom options for Enterprise plan)|


## Phrase

Phrase is a translation management system that supports more than 40 integrations for development, design, translation, and content management. Phrase has different products — Phrase TMS and Phrase String. The TMS has more management abilities like billing, invoicing, workflow, etc while Phrase Strings target localization. 
|| |
|--|--|
|**Trial Period**|yes, 14 days|
|**All features available from the start**| no|
|**Number of projects**|TMS - unlimited, Strings 1 for the Basic plan and unlimited for others|
|**Pricing Plans** Phrase TMS*|Team Start €25, Team (€179), Ultimate (€319), Enterprise (custom price)|
|**Pricing Plans** Phrase Strings|Basic €20/user, Advanced €31/user, Enterprise (custom price)|
|**Free plan**|Free for the universities' departments| 
|**Mobile SDK (OTA**)|yes|
|**API Integrations**|yes|
|**GitHub, GitLab integrations**|yes|
|**Machine Translation**|yes|
|**Customer Support**| yes|
|**Supported technologies**| 40+|

*price per project manager

## Transifex
Transifex is a cloud-based platform for facilitating the process of localizing websites, web applications, and mobile applications.  Transifex provides a free plan for Open Source projects without funding, revenue, or commercialization.

|| |
|--|--|
|**Trial Period**|yes, 15 days|
|**All features available from the start**| no|
|**Number of projects**|Unlimited|
|**Pricing Plans**|Basic (from 80$), Premium (from 500$), Enterprise (custom|
|**Free plan**|only for open source projects without commercialization model| 
|**Mobile SDK (OTA**)|yes|
|**API Integrations**|yes|
|**GitHub, GitLab integrations**|yes|
|**Machine Translation**|yes|
|**Customer Support**| yes|
|**Supported technologies**| 40+|

## Lokalise
Localization and translation software tool. Besides standard features, Lokalise provides Real-time chat translation for Hubspot, Intercom, and other communication applications. As well as Transifex, Lokalise is free for academic and open-source projects.
|| |
|--|--|
|**Trial Period**|yes, 14 days|
|**All features available from the start**| no|
|**Number of projects**|Unlimited for all plans|
|**Pricing Plans**|Start (120$), Essential (230$), Pro (825$), Enterprise (custom)|
|**Free plan**|for academic and open source projects| 
|**Mobile SDK (OTA**)|yes|
|**API Integrations**|yes|
|**GitHub, GitLab integrations**|yes|
|**Machine Translation**|yes|
|**Customer Support**| yes|
|**Supported technologies**| 30+|

## Crowdin
Crowdin supports various translation formats, catering to popular mobile platforms, desktops, office applications, and other components. The number of integration accessible to customers depends on their chosen pricing plan, with the Free, Pro, and Team Plans offering 1-3 integrations accordingly and the higher-tier plans (Team + and Enterprise) providing unlimited integration options. 
|| |
|--|--|
|**Trial Period**|yes, a 14-day free trial of the Team plan|
|**All features available from the start**| no|
|**Number of projects**|Unlimited public and Unlimited private for a Team plan and aboveт|
|**Pricing Plans**|Free, Pro (59$), Team (179$), Team + (450$), Business (custom fee)|
|**Free plan**|for academic and open source projects| 
|**Mobile SDK (OTA**)|yes|
|**API Integrations**|yes|
|**GitHub, GitLab integrations**|yes|
|**Machine Translation**|yes|
|**Customer Support**| yes|
|**Supported technologies**| 120+|


---


## Comparison of the Translation Management Systems
We didn’t include Phrase in this comparison as they split their translation abilities into two products - Phrase TMS as a translation management system and Phrase Strings as an app localization platform. Thus, for some tasks, you will need to use two products simultaneously. 


***Figma integration** is among the most required for designers and translators during localization. <p>
***Zendesk integration** allows to serve your help center in various languages.

Lingohub provides the Figma plugin/Zendesk integration as a paid Add-on for €49 per month - you can buy it for any pricing plan for any period. 

Lokalise provides the Figma plugin/Zendesk integration only in the Pro plan and above, and the price for the Pro plan starts from $825 monthly. 

The pricing for add-ons in Transifex is closed, and you need to contact their team to get this information.  

Regarding Crowdin - you can get any one integration from their store in the free plan, besides 
GitHub/GitLab Enterprise and a few additional. That means that you will have only 1 integration. If you need Figma + Zendesk (2 integrations), choose the Pro plan, which will cost $50.

## How much does it cost to localize with different TMS?

At this stage, you have already familiarized yourself with the main features of the translation management platforms. Let's now calculate how much it will cost to localize products with them. For this question, we prepared a list of organizations with requirements. Be aware that some companies count the price based on the number of words for translation - others use characters.

**Organization A** needs three user seats and five projects. They are looking for GitHub and GitLab integrations. The total languages for translation are three, requiring 126000 characters (21K words or 4200 segments). Let's count prices for the remaining four companies.

The Lingohub plan which will cover all the requirements is called Starter and costs €49 per month (or cheaper in case of annual billing.)



The basic plan in **Lokalise** is $120 and it covers all of the requirements. Take into account that Lokalise provides hosted keywords for the projects. This quota controls how many translation keys a total customer can store in all projects. If you surpass the limit, the account will simply be charged on the next payment cycle for the extra amount of keys, but you will not be limited in any way. 

By using **Transifex** you need a Basic plan which will cost 80$

In the case of **Crowdin**, if you need five private projects, you should choose a Team plan, otherwise the part of your projects will be public. It costs in general $150 and covers all of the requirements of the organization.

---


The next - **Organization B** has more wide needs. They are looking for 12 user seats and seven projects. The total languages for translation are four, and they require ~ 220000 words for translation. Also, additionally to GitHub and Gitlab integrations, Organization B needs Figma and 25.000 MAU or 375.000 requests. 


|||
|--|--|
|Pricing plan| €119|
|Total segments|€29 (additional 25k segments cost)|
|Figma plugin|€49|
|**Total**|**€197**|

**Lingohub** provides all the essentials in the Team plan - €119 additionally you need to pay for the Figma plugin and additional segments. So the total monthly cost will be:

**Lokalise** provides Figma integration only in the Pro plan. The pricing is $825, and it includes 30,000 hosted keys. 

In the case of **Transifex**, you can use a Figma, starting from the Premium plan. Also, for this plan, you need to buy the extra words, and the final price will be $525 + the price for the Figma add-on.
 
**Crowdin**. To plug three integrations, the customer should choose at least Team Plan and pay for additional hosted words. The approximate cost is around $204 based on the Crowdin internal calculator.


## The sum up
 
Choosing a translation management platform is a complex question that includes considering the TMS's abilities, customers' requirements, and how these things match each other. The two examples of the organizations' requirements presented above show that Lingohub became a more profitable solution than others regarding provided tools and price. 

When selecting a TMS, it is essential to keep in mind the current needs and the potential for future growth and expansion. By choosing a TMS with scalability in mind, you can ensure that it will continue to meet your needs as your business grows. We at Lingohub are always ready to help and discuss the project's requirements and your localization needs - schedule a short demo call, and let's grow together.  

***Disclaimer***

*The owners' property is all the product information (logo, name, brands). All service names and data are for identification purposes only.
All the information on this page is published just for an acquaintance without the intention to endorse the Lingohub product to any third parties and without any guarantees. 
The information on this page is provided from publicly available sources and is valid as of 01.10.2023. Lingohub is not responsible for changing data on the sources and warns that the actual data can differ.
To report issues, contact us - at info@lingohub.com.*

Choosing the best-fit translation platform can be a challenge for businesses. This article overviews the popular solutions on the market and compares them. 

The 2023 localization platforms overview

> Translation Quality Assurance should be an essential section of all software localization processes. 

## Translation quality assurance basics 
Translation and localization might differ, but whichever process is in question - they should both end in quality assurance. While QA is often an afterthought, it can be a massive saviour of resources (time & costs) and ensure products are delivered to the target audience and received as intended. 

You can count on poorly translated content to raise distrust among your customers, while poor localization can downright bring misunderstandings, confusion, or even [offense](/blog/translation-versus-localization-dont-be-a-wax-tadpole). TQA is the last step towards assuring a well-adapted product that speaks to your customers through content and cultural lenses. 

## What is translation quality?
Translation quality is not easy to determine, especially if we consider how many different stakeholders are involved in the investment in the product, participate in the translation, or those who use it.

Quality translation might mean your translation of optimal accuracy, delivered within (or earlier than) the deadline. For a translator, quality translation means the right localized content. But in the end, the user makes the call, and her behavior will tell us if the quality matches the expectations. In other words: if people don't use your product, you might want to re-evaluate your copy & translation quality.

The variations are endless, but what all quality translations have as a standard solution is an intersection of all these elements and perspectives as much as possible harmony. High-quality translation and localization will provide the end user with an authentic product experience by maintaining linguistic and cultural standards within the project scope. 

## Translation quality process
A good translation quality process has a couple of different stages that span across and go in line with the development process. We are inclined to believe that the process looks something like this:
1. Internationalization
2. Localization
3. Quality assurance

While many companies opt for this approach, a couple of hidden bums are on that road. Here's what we've discovered can save you a lot of time and headache along the way:
- **Pre-localization checks: source content verification** 

Often, issues during localization come from intangible or incorrect source text. If you are fortunate and you're doing your localization with the help of a very skilled linguistic professional, they can catch the mistake and correct it. It's more likely, however, that the translator will get confused and have to check for the meaning of the source text, which results in delays and corrections on both sides. 
The worst-case scenario is if you rely solely on machine translation and have yet to assure the source content accuracy beforehand. This scenario might land you and your product with a place on a list called "The best translations fail" or similar. 

- **Functional testing: grammar, placeholders, and commas**

Functional testing comes right after the localization, or "first draft translations." Functional testing targets inconsistencies such as spell checking, grammar, presence of placeholders, formatting, multiple spaces, repeated words, [plurals](/blog/pluralization), and consistency of upper and lower case letters. 

Functional testing is often automated or implemented through machine engines and [CAT tools](/features/). This speeds up the process significantly but may lead to missed or even false checks. The missed quality checks are mistakes the computer or tool cannot see. False checks are checks the computer detects, although they make sense. For example, think of Microsoft Word and a spell checker that lights up whenever you type an unusual name. 

- **Linguistic testing: meaning behind the content**

Linguistic testing is usually the most demanding step of the process, where you will probably want to have language professionals on your team. Linguistic testing ensures the content's meaning and intention are properly conveyed in the localized, target content. 

Additionally, in this stage, you want to ensure complete consistency in your localized product. For example, if several translators worked on your project, they may have used different terms to translate the same thing. In this case, translation is usually correct from the functional point of view - not accurate for your specific project. Aside from professional translators, you need a [term base](/features/term-base) or [translation memory](/features/translation-memory) for this step. 

Term bases and translation memories are collections of terms and preferred translations that suit your project. This can be the perfect guideline for your translators. If you have assured it at the beginning of the project, the translators or machine translation engines will probably be able to implement it from the very start of the process. This means less editing, fewer corrections in the TQA process, and money and time saved. 

- **Visual testing: the feel-good check**

Visual testing is the perfect stage to bring in native speakers and beta testers. Once content consistency and accuracy have been verified in the previous steps, you can get valuable feedback from would-be users. They can give you input on the layout, the amount of content, and how user-friendly it is. 

This is especially relevant if you are localizing for a market that is culturally very different from the one for which the source product was developed. Visual testing is crucial if you translate into [Right-to-Left languages](/blog/right-to-left-vs-left-to-right) or vice versa. 
The essential value of the visual testing of your translation is that it evaluates the "feel-good factor" or the user experience - how well adapted your localized product is to your target users and how close to the original creation of the product is. 


## Ideal translation quality assurance team

When you think of an Ideal Translation Quality Assurance Team, your mind probably goes to an image of some multilingual version of Shakespeare. Sadly, that wouldn't be the best option for two reasons: firstly, because Shakespeare was notorious for making up new words when he couldn't find a fitting one, and secondly, well, he's currently indisposed. 
There are, however, skills and people you need on your side in this adventure:

- **Engineers & Developers** - people with product knowledge are crucial. They are the ones that are the backbone for translators and language professionals. They know what each section is supposed to do and what should be the result of each action. 
- **Translators** - make the words say what you want them to speak in as many languages as you wish. Finding reliable, trustworthy translators with a good track record is priceless. A good translator will cut your QA process significantly, and an excellent translator will give you the illusion that you don't even need a QA process. 
- **Editors** - a perfect editor is a language professional, a native speaker, and understands your product from the user's point of view. 
- **QA professionals** - QA testers will understand the process and deliver you the results you hope - they have the knowledge and experience. If you don't have access to QAs or your QA is busy on other projects, ensure your translation management platform streamlines the process for other team members as much as possible. This will not compensate for the issue entirely but will save you time and avoid trouble.
- **Beta users** - Native speakers who can do the visual testing and don't necessarily have to be software engineers or language professionals. They can give you the paramount insight if your localized product can enter the race for market domination or if you're on the slippery slope of mistranslation.

## TQA Approaches
There are different approaches to translation and localization quality assurance. The division can be made by focusing on which stage of the process QA happens, which tools are used, or simply by the ones performing the QA. 
In general, we can easily see the two main approaches: 

**1. Quality Assurance systems & tools**.
These quality checks - <a href="https://lingohub.com/blog/translation-quality-assurance-tqa-best-practices-for-software-localization">translation quality management</a> systems are automated and usually go hand-in-hand with Machine Translation. This solution is perfect for acceleration, especially in functional testing - spell checks, placeholders, formatting - all of this can be reviewed with a high success rate using CAT tools. With a high level of success, good QA can help you verify the consistency of term usage and employ a verified Translation Memory. 

The usual downside is that most TQA tools operate on a bilingual level. This means that it's possible to find inconsistencies between the source and target language, but if there are more significant issues that need to be resolved, most TQA tools won't help you tackle this issue. 

Since Lingohub founders encountered this issue so often in their localization experience, one of the main features they wanted for the Lingohub app was the possibility of editing multiple translations. This sped up the localization process by streamlining the editing and functional testing using Lingohub's Side Panel. 

It's fair to say that our biased love towards this Lingohub feature came from years of navigating between 5 or more translators and translations when only one placeholder had to be changed. Our life is easier for it, and we hope it will make your life easier.

**2. Native language professionals**. Native speakers who are native language professionals are the dream of any developer diving into localization. Using language professionals brings more accuracy to your localization than basic Machine Translation. They will be able to catch logical mistakes and inconsistencies and bring higher value to your overall UX. 

However, even the best language professionals are human, and CAT tools can only solve some things. Relying entirely on human QA testers means your process will be slower than automated QA tools. If you have fixed deadlines and need a quick turnaround, you might be in a situation where you have to sacrifice either time or quality.

**3. The hybrid quality assurance approach**. Choosing to sacrifice either product delivery time or the quality of the localized product is usually a nightmare for any Product owner and manager. We don't believe in this compromise, so the Hybrid Quality Assurance Approach works best for us. **What does it mean?**

Based on the principles of [Continuous Translation](/blog/role-continuous-translation-agile-software-development-workflows), a hybrid approach synchronizes as much as possible different stages of QA testing (source content verification, functional and linguistic testing) by applying simultaneously both QA tools and language professionals. 
- Possibility of editing source text quickly at any time. 
- Term Bases and Translation Memory are actively used by the translators in the localization process, not just for last-phase review.
- [Quality Checks](/features/quality-checks) are displayed in real-time, so translators can immediately adapt the content in the localization process.
- Placeholders are detected in a real time.
- Access to functional testing across different target languages in one window.
- History of changes at a glance and possibly reverting to previous solutions. 
- Use translators as beta testers - we recommend providing translators with access to either beta versions of your software or at least visuals and action context. This way, the translators get to provide translation that aligns with the desired user experience.

The hybrid approach to TQA is quick and flexible, allowing acceleration of the translation & localization process without sacrificing the quality. The downside is that a messy translation management platform might confuse team members. Simple features and intelligent solutions - that's the type of tools you want for your team. 

## TQA future 
No matter how good, at the moment, QA software is still just a machine that can overlook the nuances of human language. Just because mistakes are not detected - doesn't mean they aren't there. On the other hand, even the best human language professionals are still just human and cannot compete with machines regarding translation speed. 

With that in mind, it's fair to say that there is great potential for using Artificial Intelligence in the translation quality assurance processes. The technology is going full speed ahead, and we at Lingohub are doing our best to be part of the race with our Linguist project. In the meantime, we put our trust and faith into the hybrid quality assurance approach. 


Discover the essential strategies for Translation Quality Assurance (TQA) in software localization. Learn best practices to ensure accurate and high-quality translations for your global audience.

Translation quality assurance (TQA) - best practices for software localization

Localization is more than translation. In terms of localizing web apps, it means going beyond translating your app into different languages and onto full-on adaptation to a country or region. The goal is to provide local users with a custom-made user experience.

## Why localize your web apps?

Because English is still just another language.

Because huge non-English markets, such as [China](/blog/market-spotlight-china-app), are teeming with potential, and the key to unlocking them - is <a href="https://lingohub.com/use-cases/web-app-localization">web app localization</a>. Localizing your app allows you to enter a new market, gain visibility exposure, and thrive.


### Gold standards


- UTF-8. Everywhere. Having UTF-8 will save you a lot of trouble.
- Avoid adding text to images. Opt instead to use CSS and simply overlap the text.
- Adding a class name that relates to the locale in the body tag of the document can help you specify a layout for a specific locale in the CSS file easily.
- Geolocation is an easy solution but not always the right fit for detecting a user’s locale. Don’t forget to provide users with an option to switch between languages easily.
- Do not hardcode your content.

## Plan the localization of your web apps

Before localization - there is internationalization. Internationalization is the process of making sure your app is localization-friendly. This means it is not hard-coded, that the source code is separated from the actual dynamic content, which will be translated and localized. Internationalization done well and timely will save you time and money once the localization process starts.
1. **Select target markets**. One of the first questions that obviously comes to mind when localizing your web apps is, “Which languages and which countries?”.
2. **Focus your resources**: the best localization is smart, well-thought-out localization. Just because there are thousands of languages available, it doesn’t mean all will work for your app and your overall market expansion goals. Choose your markets carefully. If your app is already published, checking the current stats will help you see where there might be untapped potential.
3. **Analytics**. If you already have a web or mobile app, check your app analytics to identify countries and markets that are already using your product. If you don’t have an app, you might be able to do some competitive research to see which apps are localized to which markets.
4. **Market research**. Keep in mind that different countries have different popularity in browsers and customized versions of operating systems. You need to know those details before getting started with your actual localization project.


## Choosing a translation management system

Managing app localization & translation projects for web apps used to be a messy topic. Files were sent between translators, developers, and product people, resulting in outdated translations and poor quality. An <a href="https://lingohub.com">online translation management tool </a> - such as Lingohub - takes care of this process and manages all translations in one place, making it easy for everyone involved to collect, translate, and review content

Some features & benefits of a translation management system:
- **Integration in development workflow**: It allows seamless integration and sync between the development process and the translation work. Meaning: The translation is a continuous effort, and as soon as new features are programmed, the copy is made available for translation.
- **Editing & Review**: It allows translators to do the translation job and review existing translations easily.
- **Quality control tools** ensure that all translations are correct and in the right place.
- **Automation with [Translation Memory](/features/translation-memory) & [Machine Translation](/features/machine-translation)**: speed up the process and ensure consistency throughout all phases of the project.


## Managing translators
 
When translating your app, you most likely rely on human resources that can help you with your localization efforts. This means hiring professional translators or finding people on your team who speak the local language and are able to help with the translation efforts.

Great translation management systems also allow you to hire professional translators for various languages directly through their system. This takes away the hassle of manually researching, hiring, and managing them, as everything is done through one system.

Whether you opt for [hiring external translators ](/features/professional-translation)or bringing one on your team, think about the translators in time. Be sure to provide them with enough context so that they can provide you with the best possible service.
Translating text segments will go faster and easier if the translators understand the context of the text, where it will be positioned, and what outcomes actions will deliver. Consider providing the translators with either access to the source app or at least visual cues and explanations.

## Localizing text & non-string content

Text localization comes into play once internationalization is done and once you have selected your preferred locales.
The locale will then influence beyond the text, such as currencies, time and date layout, measurements, numbers, etc. This is where good internationalization pays off big time.
One of the main challenges of text localization is certainly pluralization. Make sure your text segments are pluralization-friendly and that there’s enough space in the layout for all variants.

## Localizing visual content
App development and design should be done with localization in mind. Since different languages require different spacing and layout, be sure your app’s interface will be localization-friendly from the visual point of view as well.
For example, your app localized to right-to-left languages might require a completely different user interface from your original one. While some languages have larger font sizes, the words are usually shorter. On the other hand, some languages have many compounds that take more space than typical English words do.

Visual localization of your web app can include changes in navigation elements, color schemes, pictures, videos, etc.
Different countries and cultures have different understandings of colors, and understanding that can be crucial. For example, the red color in some countries is used to signal danger, while in other cultures, it’s considered the bringer of good luck.

## Beyond basics
How localized your app (and how successful it is) will depend greatly on how well you have researched your desired market. For example, while you might translate the sign-up page of your app into Mandarin, it might not generate as much visibility and use as you have desired.
Why? Because the sign-up page offers a Facebook or Google sign-in option but not a WeChat account, which dominates the Chinese app market.

## Don’t forget! 
Localization of the Privacy guidelines and In-app purchases is a must, especially if the market you have your eyes set on has strict legal provisions for user privacy protection. Know your audience and deliver accordingly.

## Testing your localized web apps
Test, test, test - before releasing your app to the new market, ensure you have it checked, used, and reviewed by native speakers.

There are various web app testing approaches available. Functional testing, for example, ensures that the web app’s functionality and performance aren’t affected by the localization done. At this point, the person running the test doesn’t necessarily need to understand the localized languages.
Don’t forget to test for different browsers - Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari - whatever your future users will be using, you need to be sure it has been checked.

In addition, conducting user tests (such as alpha or beta tests) will ensure that the app is working properly while all translations are correct. This test needs to be done by native speakers that understand the translated languages.
Lastly, stay open to feedback. Even the best localization can be improved upon. Listen to your users and provide them with an opportunity to share their feedback - and then evolve further.

Lingohub collected the main tips for web app localization. Read the best practices of how to translate and adapt your software in our blog. 
