One of the great features of Google Translate is the Website Translator plugin.
It’s quick to configure, easy to install, and gives your site visitors the ability to instantly view your website in 100 (or more) languages. The added bonus is that it’s FREE!
The Website Translator, uses Google Analytics Events to track the translation tool usage.
When someone uses the tool to select a language or is sent to a page with the necessary special parameters, it captures:
EVENT CATEGORY: Google Website Translator,
EVENT ACTION: Translate, and
EVENT LABEL: Abbreviated Language.
This data can then be found in the standard Behaviour > Events reports.
If you are using Google Analytics ga.js on your website and you have added your Tracking ID to the translator tool during it’s configuration setup, once the Translator Tool code is installed on website, your work is done, enjoy the new data!
If you are using the current Universal analytics.js (which should be most of us by now), then there is a little more work to do.
As at Jan 2016, the translation tool’s event tracking code has not been updated to work with the Universal analytics.js event tracking syntax.
Setting Up Google Website Translate Tracking With Universal Analytics
I’ve seen some articles about getting this to work, that require downloading the translate tool’s javascript and hacking it all to pieces to incorporate the Universal analytics.js event tracking and then hosting the translate code yourself … and … and … and … the list goes on.
Here is a quick, easy, hack to get your Google Analytics reports rocking with translation language data again.
- Install the Universal analytics.js tracking code snippet for your web property as required.
- Then, if your site is http, place the following in your site pages before the closing </head> tag
<script src=”http://www.google-analytics.com/ga.js”></script>
If your site is https, use the following code instead
<script src=”https://ssl.google-analytics.com/ga.js”></script>This adds the ga.js script to your website. The full ga.js tracking code snippet isn’t required as we are not using Analytics ga.js to do anything except fire the events that are sent by the translation tool.
- You’ll then be able to see the translate tool event data in your reports again –
Google Translate Event Label Country Abbreviations
Afrikaansaf
Albaniansq
Amharicam
Arabicar
Armenianhy
Azerbaijaniaz
Basqueeu
Belarusianbe
Bengalibn
Bosnianbs
Bulgarianbg
Catalanca
Cebuanoceb
Chichewany
Chinese simplifiedzh-CN
Chinese traditionalzh-TW
Corsicanco
Croatianhr
Czechcs
Danishda
Dutchnl
Esperantoeo
Estonianet
Filipinotl
Finnishfi
Frenchfr
Frisianfy
Galiciangl
Georgianka
Germande
Greekel
Gujaratigu
Haitian Creoleht
Hausaha
Hawaiianhaw
Hebrewiw
Hindihi
Hmonghmn
Hungarianhu
Icelandicis
Igboig
Indonesianid
Irishga
Italianit
Japaneseja
Javanesejw
Kannadakn
Kazakhkk
Khmerkm
Koreanko
Kurdish (Kurmanji)ku
Kyrgyzky
Laolo
Latinla
Latvianlv
Lithuanianlt
Luxembourgishlb
Macedonianmk
Malagasymg
Malayms
Malayalamml
Maltesemt
Maorimi
Marathimr
Mongolianmn
Myanmar (Burmese)my
Nepaline
Norwegianno
Pashtops
Persianfa
Polishpl
Portuguesept
Punjabipa
Romanianro
Russianru
Scots Gaelicgd
Samoansm
Serbiansr
Sesothost
Shonasn
Sindhisd
Sinhalasi
Slovaksk
Sloveniansl
Somaliso
Spanishes
Sundanesesu
Swahilisw
Swedishsv
Tajiktg
Tamilta
Telugute
Thaith
Turkishtr
Ukrainianuk
Urduur
Uzbekuz
Vietnamesevi
Welshcy
Xhosaxh
Yiddishyi
Yorubayo
Zuluzu
Configuring and installing Google Website Translator
- To get started, go to Google Website Translator.
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On the next page, click the Add to your website now button
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You will then have access to the Website Info settings. These are pretty straight forward. Once you have completed the necessary details such as website url and the default language of your site, click the Next button to access the Plugin Settings page.
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On the Plugin Settings page, under the Advanced options, be sure to tick the box for Track translation traffic using Google Analytics and enter your Tracking Id.
- Follow the rest of the Tool’s instructions for getting and installing the code on your site.