Switching Up Your WordPress Site Language: A Step-By-Step Tutorial

Changing the language settings of your WordPress site is more than just a convenience – it can seriously improve the user experience for both admins and visitors. When it comes to changing the language, you can achieve the following through your dashboard settings, by adding code, or via a plugin:

• Change the WordPress dashboard language (backend).
• Set a single language for the entire site (both frontend and backend).
• Create a multilingual site for frontend visitors (plugin required).

The dashboard (or backend) language affects menus, settings, and the interface, while the frontend language is what your visitors see, impacting content, visuals, and page navigation.

Best of all, switching up your WordPress site language is easy! This article will equip you with the knowledge to manage your language settings, and explore how translation plugin Weglot simplifies the process of going multilingual.

Key takeaways

• Changing your WordPress language settings can be done at both backend and frontend level, for admins and visitors alike.
• Each WordPress user can set their own dashboard language without affecting others, excellent for multilingual teams.
• Built-in WordPress language settings only affect default interface elements; translating a truly multilingual site requires additional tools.
• Multilingual plugins like Weglot automate full-site translation with advanced features such as multilingual SEO.
• Investing in a multilingual setup can expand your website’s reach and improve user engagement.

How to Change Your WordPress Dashboard Language

When working with a multilingual team – or if you simply prefer to navigate the WordPress dashboard in your native tongue – changing the admin language is easy!

If you’re setting up a new WordPress installation, you can select your preferred admin language during the installation process, and you’ll have 60 to choose from. And if WordPress is already installed, each user can set their own admin language by following these steps:

1. Navigate to Users > Profile in the WordPress dashboard, then select your own user profile.

2. Locate the Language drop-down menu.

3. Select your preferred language from the available options.
4. Select the Update button to save your language preference.

This feature is particularly useful for multilingual teams, as each user can work in their preferred language without affecting others. But it’s important to note that changing the admin language only affects the WordPress dashboard and does not modify the website’s frontend language.

In some cases, WordPress may automatically download the necessary language files when a new language is selected. However, if the desired language is not available, you may need to manually download and install the appropriate language pack before setting your admin language preference.

How to Translate the Entire Site Into a Single Language: 3 Ways

Translating your entire WordPress site into a single language may be done as a means of reaching a specific audience.

1. Using WordPress

Changing your frontend language in WordPress is just as easy as changing the dashboard language:

1. Navigate to Settings > General in your WordPress dashboard.

2. Find the Language option and select the desired language from the dropdown menu. This looks identical to the admin language menu:

3. Select Save Changes to apply the new language to your site’s frontend.

It’s important to note that this method only changes the default language for built-in content like dates and page headings. It won’t automatically translate all site content, such as posts, pages, and custom fields. To fully translate your site, you’ll need to manually translate this content or automate the process through a dedicated plugin like Weglot.  

2. By Creating a Custom Translation Function

For smaller sites, you can define a custom translation function in functions.php:

function translate_site_text($text) {
    $search  = ['hello', 'world'];
	$replace = ['hola', 'mundo'];

	return str_ireplace($search, $replace, $text);
}

add_filter('the_content', 'translate_site_text');
add_filter('the_excerpt', 'translate_site_text');
add_filter('widget_text', 'translate_site_text');
add_filter('widget_title', 'translate_site_text');
add_filter('the_title', 'translate_site_text');
add_filter('comment_text', 'translate_site_text');
add_filter('wp_nav_menu_items', 'translate_site_text');

This one’s fun to watch in action but, frankly, it’s impractical for anything but the most barebones of websites.

3. Using a Plugin

Plugins like Weglot take less than 10 minutes to set up, and you can switch dashboard languages during set up:

• Install and activate the Weglot plugin.
• In the dashboard, go to Weglot, enter your API key, select your dashboard language, and save.

Once set up, simply add your desired destination language via a drop-down menu. Your site’s backend will stay in your original language, with the frontend being automatically translated for users.

This method is easy to do and adds multilingual capabilities beyond just the dashboard, with options for customization and SEO enhancements. In the next section, we’ll take an in-depth look at the benefits.

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Create a Multilingual WordPress Site Using Weglot

Considering 65% of consumers prefer to read websites in their own language, a multilingual solution can make a huge difference in expanding your website’s reach and engaging users from across the world. And there’s so much more to an effective multilingual site than just changing the language!

Plugins like Weglot offer full website translation and localization functionality, making the process of creating a multilingual site much more manageable. Weglot provides an integrated, automated solution to take care of all your multilingual needs:

• AI-powered website translation, compatible with all 3rd-party plugins and themes.
• Supports over 110+ languages with a very easy setup process.
• Multilingual SEO support includes language-specific URLs, automatic hreflang tagging,  metadata translation, and a choice of subdirectories or subdomains.
• Automatic content detection and continuous translation ensure that any new or updated content on your website is immediately detected and translated.
• Gives users more options through a customizable language switcher (see below).
• A custom AI language model that adapts to your brand, target audience and tone of voice to keep translations faithful to your identity - and gets smarter the more you review its output.

Weglot ensures that all content is translated through its automated machine capabilities. It provides a first layer of translation, fully translating and displaying the website in a single click.

Unlike using native WordPress methods, Weglot translates all parts of your site, including posts, pages, menus, widgets, and even SEO metadata like titles, descriptions, and alt texts.

For higher accuracy and cultural relevance, Weglot also has many translation management tools integrated into all plans for collaboration and project management. These include options for manual translation edits through the Visual Editor, training your custom AI language model with your manually reviewed translations, and hiring professional translation services directly inside Weglot.

To explore Weglot’s wider features in action, read our guide on How to Set Up a Multilingual Site in WordPress.

How to Add a Language Switcher to your WordPress Site with Weglot

As a further boost to the user experience, Weglot provides a handy language switcher for visitors to shift between your site’s available languages. You can also turn on the Auto Switch feature, which changes the language based on the user’s browser language preferences.

Weglot’s built-in language switcher lets visitors toggle between your available languages, giving more choice to those finding your pages.

With our plugin installed, hreflang tags will automatically switch languages based on a user’s location. You can also enable an auto-redirect function, which selects language based on a user’s browser preferences. The language switcher gives users a DIY option – so useful for multilingual speakers or those in a region where multiple languages are spoken.

By default, the switcher will magically appear at the bottom-right of your site, but you can easily move and customize it to fit your design.

Changing the Placement of the Language Switcher

Weglot offers several flexible options for placing your language switcher exactly where you want it. You can add it to your main navigation menu by going to Appearance > Menus in your WordPress dashboard, selecting Weglot Switcher, and dragging it to your preferred spot.

Alternatively, use the Switcher Editor in your Weglot Dashboard for a visual, drag-and-drop experience – just preview your site and move the switcher to the ideal location.

You can also place the switcher in widget areas (like your footer) via Appearance > Widgets, or embed it directly in your site’s source code  for total control using this piece of code:

<div id="weglot_here">

Changing the Design of the Language Switcher

Customizing the look of your language switcher is simple. Head to Settings > Language Switcher to modify display options. Choose between language codes or full names, select different flag styles (square, circle, rectangle), and pick a dropdown or list layout.

For advanced customization, add your own CSS directly in the dashboard to match your site’s branding. The Switcher Editor also provides templates and visual tools for unique designs, or you can build a fully customized switcher using Weglot’s developer resources.

Change Your WordPress Language and Transform Your Site Experience

As we’ve seen, it’s easy to transform your site and cater to diverse teams and audiences. Start by changing the WordPress dashboard language for backend convenience, then allow individual user language preferences. When it comes to what your customers see, you can set a single language for your entire site, or use a plugin like Weglot to create a multilingual experience, benefiting both site admins and visitors.

With Weglot on board, you’ll no longer struggle to reach international audiences through your content, nor face the tiring task of manual translations. Our plugin can improve your user experience, increase traffic, and unlock the full potential of your WordPress site.

Install the Weglot plugin with our 14-day free trial, and take your first steps on the road to globalization!