Got any tips/advice on setting up a site for readers of two languages? I’m still working out a plan for setting up a simple website for my former school in the Republic of Georgia. Started this in January, but had to put it aside till May. If we do this in English alone, only my co-teacher will be able to read it and she’ll be answering endless questions which will only add to her workload.

We need this to be in both English and Georgian. Yes, they’ve had their own language for thousands of years, lol. Most also speak Russian, but it’s no longer mandatory in the schools. And though the government now requires English in all grades and has a three-year goal to get their whole country learning and speaking English… let’s just say that’s pretty wishful thinking.

How would you suggest it be visually organized? I need both languages on the same pages, preferably side-by-side, but not required. Oh, and Georgian has its own alphabet, too. Pretty, but definitely not ABC’s like ours.

@atlantarobin
You can install Google Translate.  Super easy.
http://translate.google.com/translate_tools
or if you have WordPress, there are several plugins.http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-translate/ http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/google-translator/

I’m not sure if you can have both translations on the same page but they can at least toggle between the two.

@iamconsulting @richardmclaughlin

Thanks to you both for trying to wrap your brains around this question. When I first started looking into this, I thought this would be easy peasy. As it turns out, not so easy peasy. 

From a teaching standpoint, I’m not as concerned with Google indexing the site for ranking purposes. Mac, you hit it on the head — I really want it on the same page, with no toggling from page to page, for teaching purposes. That’s a problem, I know, but much better for students… and me, too.

If you just want translations, toggling is fine. Clunky to use, but ok. But when you’re trying to learn a language, you need to see both, especially when the two languages have completely different characters.

On Facebook, my friends and I sometimes use English with our alphabet, use Georgian written phonetically in our alphabet, and sometimes use Georgian in their alphabet. It’s interesting, but you can only use one or the other or the other, but never both alphabets in one passage.

I’m thinking right now that my only choice is to write two posts, English then a translation, and on and on. But if you happen upon a two column theme, Mac, please post a link here. I’m still wondering, since yall brought it up, how that would flow and how difficult it would be to do in practice. But writing in English, then waiting for a translation from my coteacher until I write the next post, so the posts won’t get separated in order, would be a waiting nightmare for both of us I think. Lol, that’s why I asked for HELP! And really why I’ve put this off. Just thought there had to be a better way.

And BTW, Mac, thanks for posting their alphabet. It’s so pretty! I’ve never been in love with letters so much in all my life! Words, yes, but letters? Their “J” and “T’” and “CH” are so pretty, especially the lightening bolt in that “J.” I told my son Jonah that I wish I had his name because I love writing it so much, lol. And for some reason, they seem to have an odd fixation on the number 3, as there are 14 different letters turned all which way that still look like a 3 in some way. Languages are such fun! 

Thanks for the help, you guys!