Tips for multilanguage digital publications

In PUBLISHING
25 June 2020
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Publishing your digital materials in different languages can be a rewarding strategy—and sometimes a headache to get right. From translating an entire website to translating social media posts, details matter when managing multilingual content. Since we work in seven languages here at Calaméo, today we’re sharing our best tips for managing multilanguage digital publications.

Set a realistic schedule

First things first: it’s easier to start small with multilingual content than it is to translate every single word you publish. Before beginning to plan, you should know which new language(s) you’ll be using and the audience that you’ll be targeting. For example, imagine your product catalogs are not yet available in the language of a fast-growing market. Providing a translated catalog for users to browse may benefit your online sales.

Once you know which content needs translation, you can update your production schedule. Remember that creating multilingual content requires time and resources! You’ll need to budget time to translate your content, as well as format and publish each version. If you work with outside translation services, request an estimate of time and cost to help stay on track.

Keep content organized

Next, choose the best tools to share your multilingual content. If you’re translating pages of your website, research how your CMS handles different language options. For more substantial content like tutorials, white papers and brochures, our platform makes creating beautiful multilanguage digital publications simple. You can upload PDFs, Powerpoints and more to your account in just seconds.

💡 TIP: Have lots of different languages to get online? Our advanced conversion technology accepts batch uploads of up to 10 files at a time.

Then, think about how you’d like to present your multilingual publications. Group them either by the type of content, like magazines and e-books, or by language. Thanks to the Folders feature on Calaméo, you can easily organize multilanguage digital publications according to your needs. Share a Folder directly with your audience, or embed a convenient Library Widget in your website for viewers to explore.

Update search basics

So your content is translated, formatted, uploaded and organized online—whew! But if you haven’t thought about search, don’t start celebrating just yet. Taking a few minutes to improve the SEO of your multilanguage digital publications gives them greater visibility in the future and can help you meet your goals.

Fortunately, publishing your multilingual content with Calaméo means that you’re already a step ahead. That’s because in any language, all non-private publications are automatically indexed for search engines. By entering a title and description, you can associate your publication with relevant keywords in its language and make it easier for your target audience to find via search.

Consider the context

To publish successful multilingual content, you need to do more than copy and paste. In addition to careful strategy and organization, attention to detail within the overall context creates a seamless reading experience for your audience. A wonderfully produced prospectus in Spanish works best when presented in a Spanish-language publication viewer. Not only is this consistency a must for good UX, it’s also a snap to achieve with the right digital publishing solution.

Our viewer is fully translated and ready for you to use in any of the Calaméo platform’s seven available languages: English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portugese, German and Russian. When you share a link to one of your multilanguage digital publications, the viewer will automatically adapt to the reader’s browser. However, you can add a simple URL parameter to guarantee a specific viewer language:

https://www.calameo.com/calameo/read/0000000017fecd1302942?language=es

Go the extra mile

Although we’re proud of our multilingual platform, we know that our users publish in dozens of different languages every day. As a result, we work hard to offer options like RTL reading mode that make managing multilanguage digital publications smoother. But if there’s something missing to make your translated content really shine, you can add it to our viewer by creating a custom theme.

For example, custom themes allow you to control the tooltip text that labels different buttons in the viewer. That means you can translate the publication viewer into the language of your choice with only a few lines of code, as the tutorial below shows:

Plus, our Elements feature has everything you need to whip up themes in multiple languages built right in to your Calaméo account.

💡 TIP: Access to Elements is an exclusive feature of our PLATINUM plan. To test it out yourself, request a two-week free trial today!

Managing multilanguage digital publications often requires a bigger investment of time and energy than publishing content in just one language. With these tips, you should be ready to tackle translations and enjoy the benefits of a more direct relationship with your audience. Bon courage !

Do you have a great hack for handling multilanguage digital publications? Share it with us on Twitter @calameo!

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How to choose a digital publishing platform

In PUBLISHING
6 January 2022

When you’re ready to start digital publishing, it can be challenging to choose a platform. Because there are quite a few options out there, we’ve put together a five-point guide to help you choose the digital publishing platform that’s right for you.

First, answer a few simple questions about your basic publishing needs. Next, consider the features that are important to achieving your goals. Then review the audience access that your publications will require and other key platform elements like languages. Finally, look at plans and prices to see which digital publishing platform is the best fit for you.

Let’s dig in!

1. Basic needs

Begin with some simple facts about the content you will be publishing online.

Since you’ll want to try out any digital publishing platform you choose for free, here is what Calaméo has to offer on our BASIC plan:

2. Features

In addition to transforming files into HTML5 publications, you may also want to take advantage of some of the great features online platforms can provide. But remember, the specific features that will matter most depend on your objectives. For example:

In many cases, digital publishing platforms will ask you to sign up for a paid plan to access advanced features. Here’s what you can expect from Calaméo:

3. Audience access

Another major factor to evaluate when you choose a digital publishing platform is content access.

  • How many times can you share your publication?
  • Can you configure protected subscriber access for your publications?
  • Are multiple user profiles available for your account to make teamwork easy?

Often, subscription set-up in particular can be complex. We recommend you research privacy and subscriber options thoroughly to find the right fit for your needs.  

4. Other aspects

Although publishing basics and features are essential, it’s worth keeping a few other aspects of working with the platform in mind. For instance:

  • Is the site available in your language?
  • Can you get fast, helpful support when you need it?
  • What kind of flexibility does the platform offer via API access?

Calaméo proposes the following:

5. Price

Last but not least, look at the pricing of different plans as you choose a digital publishing platform. In some cases, the free Basic plan may have everything you need to get started. However, the cost of paid plans can vary quite a bit—from as low as $14 per month with a PREMIUM account on Calaméo up to $269 per month on other platforms.

Below, you’ll find a chart comparing the monthly cost before taxes of Calaméo’s annual plans. (In other words, you’ll pay the total yearly amount at checkout to benefit from these prices.) Please note that all prices are listed in USD.

If Calaméo seems to match your needs, why not try out the advanced features of our professional PLATINUM plan? During your PLATINUM Demo, you’ll enjoy direct downloads, full viewership statistics and much more. Request your free trial today and experience exceptional digital publishing on Calaméo.

PUBLISHING

Essential resolutions for even better digital publications

In PUBLISHING
13 January 2022

Happy New Year from Calaméo!

To kick off the year, we’ve prepared a few ideas to help you with essential New Year’s resolutions for even better digital publications. These good habits will help your online publications reach the best of their potential all year long!

Polish your account page

Take five minutes to update the information in your Calaméo account page. By making sure that your account name, website and description are as accurate and relevant as possible, you can quickly and easily boost your business’s digital presence. (Remember to use your logo as an avatar, too!) Optimizing your account page will help you take advantage of our SEO and allow more readers to find your digital publications.

Account page

Publish regularly

In a digital world brimming with content, it’s important to establish consistency for your online publications. If your audience knows when to expect your publication, they are more likely to make a habit of enjoying it whether you bring out issues weekly, monthly or quarterly. Scheduling your publications in advance on Calaméo can be a powerful tool to manage deadlines and build a loyal readership.

Think big picture

The visual identity of your business is an important part of its online presence. Whether you link to your digital publications on Calaméo or embed them in your own site, you can customize the viewer to ensure a seamless fit between your documents and your brand. First, you can choose the best theme to display your publication or create your own to achieve that perfect look. Next, set a background image or add your company’s logo, as in the example below from Espace Publications. Strengthening the visual connection between your digital documents and your business can really help your publications shine!

Tell a story

Make good use of social media to get the biggest impact out of sharing your digital publications. Keep storytelling in mind on Facebook, LinkedIn and more! A post on any of these platforms can introduce your publication to the world, so be sure to communicate the part it plays in your business’s mission and why your audience should check it out. This tweet from the New York University Alumni Magazine is a great example:

Dig into your statistics

Calaméo’s readership statistics provide you with key information about your audience and the success of your online publications. For a refresher, check out our tips for updating your approach to analytics and make a habit out of tracking your statistics on Calaméo in 2022.

With these New Year’s digital publishing resolutions, you’ll be in great shape to start a stellar year.

Have you made your own resolutions this year for your digital publications? Let us know on Twitter @calameo! Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube for all the latest Calaméo news and updates.