Translate a website into a second language

Prepare a limited first translation

Start with Home, one important content page, and the shared navigation and footer they need. The goal is a usable second-language route, not a bulk translation whose accuracy nobody has checked.

You need administrator access, approved source content, a reviewer who reads the target language, and any translation-provider configuration required by your workspace. Confirm the selected website and its current main language. Changing the control-panel language only changes the CMS interface; it does not translate website content.

Prepare a glossary for product names and terms that must remain consistent. This guide is written in English and does not create translations by itself. Adding languages and generating translated pages are separate website mutations that require your approval.

Add the language and translate a page

Open Settings > General > Languages. Check Main Language and the existing language list. Use Add Language to add the intended language, then save the language configuration. Do not change the main language merely to create a secondary translation.
Open the source page in Pages and find Page Translations. Confirm the source page identity and target language before choosing Translate to for that language. The CMS translation action generates translated content; review it before treating it as finished.
If an assistant uses MCP, distinguish its create_translation tool from automatic translation: that tool creates a translation shell by copying structure. It is not proof that the text has been translated. An authorized update must then supply reviewed target-language content for the same page identity and correct language.
Open the translation and review the title, subtitle, navigation label, body copy, image descriptions, buttons, and destinations. Check translated metadata and the resulting URL. Translations share the source page ID, while localized slugs may differ. Do not create an unrelated page with a new identity to stand in for the translation.
Save corrections and repeat for the other launch pages. Review existing collection names and base paths in the selected content language if collections are included. Check the shared footer and other reusable content separately; translating a body does not demonstrate that every surrounding label is ready.
Use Translation protected when a reviewed translation should be excluded from bulk automatic translation. Protection is not an access setting and should not be confused with keeping a page private. Avoid Re-translate on approved copy unless replacement has been authorized.

Test language switching

Open a reviewed page outside the editor and switch languages. Confirm that the destination represents the same page, has appropriate text, and keeps useful internal links. Test the translated page directly and inspect a phone layout for longer labels.

Do not assume missing translations always behave like completed pages. Check actual destinations and fallback behavior before linking to them. If generation fails, preserve the source, inspect the reported provider error, and retry only the failed scope. Consult languages and translations, assistant connections, and search visibility.