I'm looking to set up an online platform for discussions that can accommodate users from five different language backgrounds. I used to be a developer nearly 20 years ago, but I'm not up to speed with the latest technologies. My traditional approach would be to create separate forums for each language, but I'm worried that those would quickly become inactive due to their niche nature. I'm interested in modern practices—specifically, is there any CMS or platform that can automatically translate posts and store them in a database for users to view in their preferred language? I don't want live translations, as I believe they would impact SEO and searchability. What are my best options and strategies for making this work? Thanks!
3 Answers
I actually have some tips on setting up Discourse affordably. If you manage your own host and email server, you can get it running for pretty cheap. I even wrote a guide on it here: [link]. It’s a good way to go if you want a low-budget option!
Using AI for translations could be a great way to handle multilingual content! You can set it up to translate every post and comment, storing the results in your database for users to access in their preferred language. If you're having a hard time finding a ready-made solution, drop me a line and I can help you out!
Check out Discourse! It's one of the leading forum platforms right now and has support for multilingual setups. They offer plugins specifically for this, like the multilingual plugin and a translation feature. It's worth looking into!
That's awesome! Is hosting it yourself free, or are there costs involved?
Just a heads up, self-promotion shouldn't really be a thing here, but that advice is solid!