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Step 11: Translate this Page - LocalGov Drupal Walkthrough

Discover the content translation feature powered by AWS Translate

Walkthrough progress

Step 11 of 12 • 3 minutes

Step 11 3 minutes

Translate this Page

Explore the content translation feature that makes pages accessible in 76+ languages.

Expected outcome

  • You understand what Translate this Page does
  • You know which pages have this feature
  • You've tried translating content to another language

What is Translate this Page?

LocalGov Drupal includes a real-time translation feature that converts page content into the visitor's preferred language. This accessibility feature is powered by AWS Translate (opens in new tab), Amazon's neural machine translation service.

Language accessibility matters: Translation helps residents who speak English as a second language access council services. It supports community engagement across diverse populations.

Where to find it

The "Translate this Page" widget appears at the top of content pages, including:

  • Service pages - waste collection, planning, council tax, etc.
  • Guide pages - step-by-step instructions and how-to content
  • News articles - council announcements and updates

Navigate to any service, guide, or news page to see the translation widget in action.

Translate this Page widget showing a language dropdown with common languages like Welsh, Spanish, and Polish, plus a Translate button
The translation widget appears at the top of content pages with a language selector

Supported languages

The translation feature supports 76+ languages, including:

UK Priority Languages

  • Welsh (Cymraeg)
  • Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig)
  • Irish (Gaeilge)

European Languages

  • Polish, Romanian
  • French, German, Spanish
  • Portuguese, Italian

South Asian Languages

  • Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali
  • Gujarati, Hindi, Tamil

Other Languages

  • Arabic, Chinese (Simplified)
  • Japanese, Korean
  • And 60+ more...

Try it yourself

  1. Navigate to a content page

    From your Drupal site, go to any news article, service page, or guide.

  2. Find the Translate this Page widget

    Look for the "Translate this Page" section at the top of the main content area, near the page title.

  3. Select a language

    Use the dropdown to choose your target language. Common UK languages appear first, followed by all available languages.

  4. Click Translate

    Press the "Translate" button. The page content will be replaced with the translated version within a few seconds.

  5. View the translated page

    A banner appears confirming the language. You can click "Show original" at any time to revert to English.

Page showing translated content in Spanish with a notification banner indicating the page has been translated, and a Show original button to revert
After translation, a banner shows the language and provides a button to revert to English

How it works

Behind the scenes, the Translate this Page feature:

  1. Extracts the main content from the page (preserving HTML structure)
  2. Automatically detects the source language (usually English)
  3. Sends the content to AWS Translate via a secure API
  4. Receives the translated content and replaces the page text
  5. Caches translations for faster repeat visits

AWS Translate

AWS Translate is a neural machine translation service that delivers fast, high-quality, affordable language translation. It uses deep learning models to continuously improve translation quality.

Learn more about AWS Translate (opens in new tab)

Accessibility benefits

Translation supports multiple user needs:

User group How translation helps
Non-English speakers Access council services in their native language
Welsh speakers Read content in Welsh as required by Welsh Language Act
New residents Understand local services while learning English
Family helpers Assist relatives who prefer another language
Tourists/visitors Access local information in familiar language

Remember your choice: Users can tick "Remember my choice" to have pages automatically translate to their preferred language on future visits.

Need help?

If you're stuck, check the troubleshooting section or contact us.