How to translate your site automatically

TeleportHQ translates your site with AI at four moments. When you add a language, Automatically translate content translates all your pages. After that, every time you change a text in your main language, TeleportHQ translates the change into your other languages, as long as Translate text elements automatically is on (it is by default). In Manage Content, Translate everything missing fills in the texts still in your main language. And when you move a single-language site to another language with Change, TeleportHQ can rewrite its content in the new language. A Glossary keeps brand names the way you want them. Automatic translation uses AI tokens.

Before you start#

• Your site needs at least two languages, or you're adding the second one. See How to add a language. The exception is Change, which translates a site that has one language.
• Your workspace needs AI tokens. Each translation needs a minimum token balance; below it, TeleportHQ doesn't translate. See What uses AI tokens, and how much?
• Edits are translated only when you make them with your main language selected in the language button.

Steps#

Translate everything when you add a language#

1. At the top left of the canvas, click the language button.
2. Click Add language and pick a language. For example, Spanish.
3. In the Add Spanish inside the project window, leave Automatically translate content on. Your other content has its own switches, on at first: Automatically translate blog posts, Automatically translate help center articles, Automatically translate payment products and Automatically translate booking items. Each shows only when your project has a blog, a Help Center, a store or Bookings.
4. Click Add Spanish.

The Adding Spanish to your project window shows each step. Under Pages & components ("Headings, paragraphs, buttons, links and page SEO metadata"), it counts the texts it found and translates them in batches.

Keep translations in sync as you edit#

1. In the TeleportHQ editor, at the bottom of the left sidebar, click the Project settings cog.
2. Under Editor, click Preferences, then Editing.
3. Under Content, check that Translate text elements automatically is on: "New text is translated into the project's other languages as you add it."

4. At the top left of the canvas, click the language button and select your main language.
5. Edit a text on the canvas. For example, change a heading from Find your flow to Find your calm.

The first time, a Text elements are automatically translated window explains the feature. Click OK. The window says to turn it off under Edit: that's the same switch, also in the Project Menu under Edit → Content. Page titles and descriptions are translated the same way, with a Page settings are automatically translated window the first time.

Translate what's still missing#

1. Click the language button, then Manage Content.
2. On the left, pick a page or component.
3. Click Translate everything missing to translate every text still in your main language, or the AI button in one cell (tooltip "Translate into Spanish with AI") to translate one text.

See How to review and edit translations.

Translate a single-language site into another language#

1. At the top left of the canvas, click the language button.
2. Next to your only language, click Change, then pick the new language. For example, German.
3. In the Change the project language to German window, leave on what TeleportHQ should translate: Translate pages and components, and, when your project has them, Translate blog posts, Translate help center articles, Translate products and Translate booking items. Each switch shows what it costs, for example "About 2,400 AI tokens".
4. Click Change to German.

TeleportHQ saves a backup, changes the language and rewrites the chosen content in German. Under Pages & components, the Translating your project into German window lists "Headings, paragraphs, buttons, page SEO metadata, emails and form messages". See How to change the main language or remove a language.

Keep brand names and terms the same (Glossary)#

1. Click the language button, then Glossary. The Translation glossary window opens.
2. In A brand, product or term, e.g. Acme Cloud, type a term. For example, WarmFlow.
3. Click Add term. The term is added to a table with a column for each language.
4. In a language's column, leave the field empty (Keep as is) to keep the term exactly as written, or type how that language should say it.

Every automatic translation follows the glossary. Texts already translated follow it once they're translated again.

Check that it worked#

1. Click the language button and select another language, for example Spanish.
2. Look at the text you changed. It shows the new translation.

To check many texts at once, open Manage Content from the language button. See How to review and edit translations.

Troubleshooting#

"You are updating content in a secondary language" You edited a text while another language was selected, so only that language changed and nothing was translated. To translate a change into every language, select your main language first, then edit.

A language was added as a copy of the main language Your workspace didn't have enough AI tokens, so TeleportHQ added the language with your main-language text. Buy AI tokens, then use Translate everything missing in Manage Content. See How to buy more AI tokens.

"Your workspace does not have enough tokens to translate. Top up, then try again." Manage Content needs AI tokens to translate. Buy tokens, or type the translations yourself.

"The text could not be translated. Try again, or type the translation yourself." The AI didn't return a translation for that text. Click the AI button again, or type it.

"Translation into Spanish couldn't run: the AI service isn't answering." The AI service that translates your TeleportHQ site didn't answer, so the new text stays in your main language for now. TeleportHQ shows this message once and doesn't translate automatically for the next five minutes. To try again, click the language button, then Manage Content → Translate everything missing, which tries straight away.

My edits in the main language aren't translated Check that Translate text elements automatically is on, that your main language is selected in the language button, and that your workspace has AI tokens left.

Some texts stay in the main language The values a form sends (for example, the options of a drop-down) aren't translated, because translating them would change the data you collect. Your logo's text is never translated either. Change those by hand in each language. See How to review and edit translations.

Good to know#

• Besides visible text, TeleportHQ translates image alt text, aria-label, placeholders, title attributes and the error messages of form fields.
• Sections from the library, a navigation or footer you add, and sections or pages written with AI are translated into your other languages while Translate text elements automatically is on.
• A form's success and error alerts have their own Translations, with Translate with AI. See How to choose what happens after someone submits a form.
• Blog posts, Help Center articles and store products are translated in their own forms, under Content language, with a Translate … empty fields button. See How to translate blog posts.
• Translate text elements automatically is your own editor preference for this project: turning it off doesn't change it for other people editing the project. The Automatically translate content switch in Manage Content is the same setting. See How to change editor preferences.
• The Auto-translate content box in the language menu applies to a language added straight after paying for its slot in Stripe Checkout. When you add a language from the menu, the switch in the add window decides.
• The glossary holds up to 200 terms.
• Every AI translation shows in AI Costs & Usage as one line, Translations (Total). See How to see what AI has cost your workspace.
• Always review AI translations, especially names, prices and legal text.