TRANSLATION For local governments
Website translation for every resident.
Translation lets residents read your community's website in Spanish and the other languages your community speaks. A language switcher sits on every page, and your staff choose which languages to offer, so a family that reads Spanish at home can find a notice, a form or office hours without asking someone to translate.
- Every tool included
- WCAG 2.1 AA
- Works with BS&A
What happens when residents can't read the website?
Residents who read another language at home often depend on a relative or neighbor to read notices for them, or call the office and hope someone there speaks their language.
What residents run into
- A parent who reads Spanish can't follow a boil water notice posted only in English.
- Residents miss hearings and deadlines that affect them directly.
- Browser translation tools are hard to find, especially on a phone.
What your staff deal with
- Your staff field calls they can't fully answer because of a language barrier.
- Translating each notice by hand isn't possible with the staff you have.
- Nobody is sure which languages to offer.
How does website translation work?
Your staff choose the languages. Residents switch with one click.
Choose your languages
Your staff choose which languages to offer, based on who lives in your community.
The switcher appears on every page
A language switcher sits on every page, in the same spot, so residents find it wherever they land.
Residents switch languages
One click shows the page in the resident's language, and they can switch back anytime.
What comes with Translation?
Small on the page, but it opens the website to residents who read another language at home.
Language switcher on every page
The switcher is in the same place on every page, labeled in each language's own name, so a resident reading Spanish sees "Español" and knows what it does.
Staff pick the languages
Offer Spanish and the other languages your community speaks. Your staff can add a language when the community changes, without a developer.
Built accessible
Translation and accessibility work together
When part of a page is in a different language, screen readers need to know so they pronounce it correctly. WCAG 2.1 AA, the standard in the ADA Title II rule, covers that, and the switcher itself works with a keyboard and a screen reader. Translation doesn't replace accessible content: both make the website usable by more of your residents.
Questions about Translation.
Short answers, linked to the law where it applies. Ask us anything else on a demo.
Which languages should our website offer?
Start with the languages residents actually speak at home. The Census Bureau's American Community Survey publishes language data down to small areas (Census Bureau (opens in a new tab)). Your library and front counter staff can also tell you which languages come up most often.
Should legal notices rely on website translation?
No. A translated web page helps residents understand a notice, but official legal notices follow your state's publication rules and the wording your attorney approves. If a notice must appear in another language, have that version prepared and reviewed rather than relying on the website alone.
Does translation make a website accessible?
No. Translation and accessibility solve different problems. Accessibility means people with disabilities can use the website, which ADA Title II measures with WCAG 2.1 AA. Translation helps people who read another language. WCAG also asks that a page's language be marked so screen readers read it correctly (W3C (opens in a new tab)).
Can residents switch back to English?
Yes. The language switcher is on every page, so residents can change languages or go back to English at any time, from wherever they are on the website. Nothing is saved to an account, and nobody has to sign in to use it.
Who decides which languages the website offers?
Your staff do. They pick the languages from the editor and can add one later as your community changes, without a developer or a contract change. Start small with the language residents ask for most at the counter, and add others when you hear the need.
Want residents to read notices in their own language?
On a demo we'll switch a sample website into Spanish and show how your staff choose the languages.