Hi, Can anyone advise on how to set up a dual language website. I have produced a basic website before using templates but havent got a clue how I would do one in two languages.. I am plannning to open a B&B in France next summer which will be aimed at both French and English guests so I want a website where there are two flags for example on the home page which then leads to the rest of the website in whatever language is chosen. The pages would be the same for both (same pictures etc) except the language.
Has anyone any experience in doing this or can point me in the right direction
Thanks
Louise
Dual Language Website
Hi and welcome to LMH
Ours is in six languages, well two of them has a much shorten version.
How good is your French?
Our other languages are based upon the other. If we have so photos are the same the layout is the same only the languages change. I feel there is nothing too hard in this once you have overcome the translations.
The same with our cut down versions.
Have a look, via the link, at the base of our response.
Ours is in six languages, well two of them has a much shorten version.
How good is your French?
Our other languages are based upon the other. If we have so photos are the same the layout is the same only the languages change. I feel there is nothing too hard in this once you have overcome the translations.
The same with our cut down versions.
Have a look, via the link, at the base of our response.
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
Hi, Thank you for the welcome.
have just had a look at your site and that is exactly what I am talking about. My french is not that good yet but I have someone who can help me with the translation so should be ok from that respect.
How do I get a website to do that - Is it via links so that e.g when you click on the english flag it sends you to a certain page which then has its own links on and same for french etc.
That is the bit I am stuck on - how to actually design the site to do that.... Like I said my last website was pretty basic with the tabs across the top row which led to the various pages but thats about all it did. Im not sure the host I was using allowed anything more complicated which is fair enough as it is free !!
Perhaps I might need to get someone to set it up from me and then I maintain it ???
Did you do your own ? Which programme do you use ?
Thanks for your help
Louise
have just had a look at your site and that is exactly what I am talking about. My french is not that good yet but I have someone who can help me with the translation so should be ok from that respect.
How do I get a website to do that - Is it via links so that e.g when you click on the english flag it sends you to a certain page which then has its own links on and same for french etc.
That is the bit I am stuck on - how to actually design the site to do that.... Like I said my last website was pretty basic with the tabs across the top row which led to the various pages but thats about all it did. Im not sure the host I was using allowed anything more complicated which is fair enough as it is free !!
Perhaps I might need to get someone to set it up from me and then I maintain it ???
Did you do your own ? Which programme do you use ?
Thanks for your help
Louise
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La Chouette
- Posts: 392
- Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2008 11:36 am
- Location: Formerly in the Limousin, Central France
If you operate a business in France you must have a website in French, as I understand it.
As LV says, getting a .fr domain is the easiest way, but you can also make a folder in your main site, with a link from the French flag. I'm sure someone more techy will be along soon to give you a pointer! Our French version sits on a separate .fr domain, but I'm building another website at the moment as our B&B'll be for sale, and that sits as oursite.com/sale with a re-direct from the new domain name I've bought.
Sorry....haven't had either the first cup of tea of the morning or my brekkie so I guess what I've said is as clear as mud.
Jan
As LV says, getting a .fr domain is the easiest way, but you can also make a folder in your main site, with a link from the French flag. I'm sure someone more techy will be along soon to give you a pointer! Our French version sits on a separate .fr domain, but I'm building another website at the moment as our B&B'll be for sale, and that sits as oursite.com/sale with a re-direct from the new domain name I've bought.
Sorry....haven't had either the first cup of tea of the morning or my brekkie so I guess what I've said is as clear as mud.
Jan
It does not seem to have harmed us having just one site in those languages.
We are a dot com because for many many years the Spanish government did not release dot es. When they did we was not quick enough to pick that one up.
Hosting of more than one website can cost a lot more money. Choose your hosting carefully.
Duplicate content could harm SEO
http://www.google.com/support/webmaster ... swer=66359
Answers to your questions:
The flags link to the relevant language sections you cannot change languages until you get back to the home page.Every page has the same basic layout so I make a Template and "fill in " the blanks. This could be done if you choose two different websites too, as the others have suggested.
Which free hosting are you using?
I use Dreamweaver to write my website.
We are a dot com because for many many years the Spanish government did not release dot es. When they did we was not quick enough to pick that one up.
Hosting of more than one website can cost a lot more money. Choose your hosting carefully.
Duplicate content could harm SEO
http://www.google.com/support/webmaster ... swer=66359
Answers to your questions:
The flags link to the relevant language sections you cannot change languages until you get back to the home page.Every page has the same basic layout so I make a Template and "fill in " the blanks. This could be done if you choose two different websites too, as the others have suggested.
Which free hosting are you using?
I use Dreamweaver to write my website.
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
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Harborfields
- Posts: 358
- Joined: Tue Jul 05, 2011 11:29 pm
- Location: West Boothbay Harbor, Maine
- Contact:
You could have a French language flag on every page of the English version of the site, which links to the French version of that page. Like wise you could have an English language flag on every pae of the French version of the site, which links back to the English version of the page. This is not hard at all, if you are familiar with the basics of HTML.
Thanks for the tips everyone. I had in mind that I would have one website - which can be .fr which would have the two flags on the front page. You could then click on whichever flag and it would lead you to a new home page for that language and the option tabs would appear there. Both sites would be exactly the same template. I use one.com at the minute for hosting and use their blank template to design my own page.
I have never used dreamweaver but will have a look at that.
Casaantoestevo - who do you host your website through as you have the kind of site I want.
Louise
I have never used dreamweaver but will have a look at that.
Casaantoestevo - who do you host your website through as you have the kind of site I want.
Louise
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bentisdall
- Posts: 166
- Joined: Thu Oct 16, 2008 9:32 am
- Location: La Bourboule, Auvergne & London
- Contact:
If you're creating a new site now don't do it in HTML
I would strongly recommend that you get it done in one of the two big open source PHP CMSs (content management systems) either Wordpress or Joomla. PHP itself is free but it's probably best to get someone to customise a template for you. In the long term it will save you a lot of time and therefore money. I think both have multi-language support. You'll see my site murat-le-quaire-gite.co.uk is a static html site I created myself complete with language flags but it's becoming a pain to maintain and is due an upgrade very soon.LouiseT wrote: I use one.com at the minute for hosting and use their blank template to design my own page.
I have never used dreamweaver but will have a look at that.
More importantly, you can't optimise for search times "b&b" AND "Chambres d'Hotes" on the same website.la vache! wrote:Search Engine Optimisation. If you want UK guests, they will search on e.g. google.co.uk, so it is better to have a .co.uk or .com domain. If you want French guests, they will search on google.fr and so it is better to have a .fr domain.
Peter