# Website Translation AI: How to Choose | Vitra.ai > The choice is really about architecture: proxy, connector or API. What each one does to your SEO, your engineering time and your ability to leave later. **Canonical URL**: https://www.vitra.ai/general/website-translation-ai **Source**: This is the Markdown rendering of https://www.vitra.ai/general/website-translation-ai, generated at build time from that page. --- 3 min read # Website Translation AI: How to Choose The choice is really about architecture: proxy, connector or API. What each one does to your SEO, your engineering time and your ability to leave later. [Samhitha J Bhatt](https://www.vitra.ai/author/samhitha) Senior Product Manager , Vitra.ai Updated Aug 17, 2026 ![Website Translation AI: How to Choose](https://www.vitra.ai/static/images/blog/website-translation-ai.jpg) Table of contents [Three architectures, one decision](#three-architectures-one-decision) [What to ask about SEO specifically](#what-to-ask-about-seo-specifically) [What the tool will not do](#what-the-tool-will-not-do) [The thing that outlasts the tool](#the-thing-that-outlasts-the-tool) [Platform-specific guides](#platform-specific-guides) [FAQ](#faq) Contributors [Samhitha J Bhatt](https://www.vitra.ai/author/samhitha) Senior Product Manager Subscribe to our newsletter Subscribe > **Quick answer —** Website translation tools differ by architecture rather than by translation quality. A proxy is fastest to launch and weakest for SEO, a CMS connector is best for search, and an API costs engineering time but leaves you in control.[Vitra.ai Universe](https://www.vitra.ai/platform) creates, translates, adapts and publishes from one place. ## Three architectures, one decision Every vendor in this category is one of three things underneath, and the demo rarely makes that obvious. Architecture Launch time SEO You can leave? [Proxy](https://www.vitra.ai/general/translation-proxy) Days Weakest Site reverts to one language CMS connector Weeks Strongest Content stays in your CMS [API](https://www.vitra.ai/general/software-localization-api) Weeks to months Strongest Fully yours The last column decides more than people expect. A proxy serves translated pages from the vendor's infrastructure, so ending the contract ends the translated site — which is a different commercial position from owning the content. ## What to ask about SEO specifically Does each language get its own indexable URL. Is the canonical self-referencing. Is hreflang emitted and reciprocal. Is the translated page server-rendered rather than assembled in the browser. Those four decide whether translated pages can rank at all, and a tool that fails any of them produces pages that exist for customers and not for search. Then [sitemaps](https://www.vitra.ai/general/multilingual-sitemaps), which is where the indexing either happens or does not. ## What the tool will not do Text inside images, which is most of the visual content on a modern marketing site and needs [image translation](https://www.vitra.ai/features/image-translation) rather than a page pass. Video, which needs [dubbing or subtitles](https://www.vitra.ai/features/video-dubbing). PDFs linked from the site, which for regulated industries are frequently the documents that matter most. A "fully translated site" that covers only HTML text is a partial job presented as a complete one, and it is the most common gap in this category. ## The thing that outlasts the tool Your [memory](https://www.vitra.ai/features/translation-memory) and glossaries. Tools get replaced. If the accumulated approved wording lives in the vendor's system and does not export, replacing them means starting again — so portability is worth more at the point of purchase than any feature on the comparison sheet. Ask for a TMX export during the trial, not after the contract. ## Platform-specific guides The mechanics differ by stack. There are step-by-step guides for [WordPress](https://www.vitra.ai/general/how-to-translate-a-wordpress-site), [Drupal](https://www.vitra.ai/general/how-to-translate-a-drupal-site), [Ghost](https://www.vitra.ai/general/translate-a-ghost-blog), [HubSpot CMS](https://www.vitra.ai/general/translate-hubspot-cms-pages) and [Salesforce](https://www.vitra.ai/general/salesforce-translation-guide). For JavaScript frameworks the question is usually rendering rather than strings: [Next.js](https://www.vitra.ai/general/translate-a-nextjs-site), [Nuxt](https://www.vitra.ai/general/translate-a-nuxt-app), [React](https://www.vitra.ai/general/translate-a-react-app), [Vue](https://www.vitra.ai/general/translate-a-vue-app), [Angular](https://www.vitra.ai/general/translate-an-angular-app) and [Svelte](https://www.vitra.ai/general/translate-a-svelte-app). Server-rendered stacks such as [Django](https://www.vitra.ai/general/translate-a-django-site) and [Flask](https://www.vitra.ai/general/translate-a-flask-app) use their own catalogue formats. ## FAQ **What is the main difference between website translation tools?** Architecture, not translation quality. A proxy serves pages from the vendor's infrastructure, a CMS connector keeps content in your system, and an API gives full control at the cost of engineering time. **What should be checked about SEO before choosing?** That each language has its own indexable URL, a self-referencing canonical, reciprocal hreflang, and server-side rendering. Failing any of those means translated pages exist for customers but not for search. **What do website translation tools usually not cover?** Text inside images, video, and linked PDFs. A site described as fully translated often means the HTML text only, which leaves most of the visual content in the source language. **What matters most at the point of purchase?** Whether your translation memory and glossaries export. Tools get replaced, and if the accumulated wording cannot leave with you, switching means starting over. Ask for a TMX export during the trial. Our blog ## Lastest blog posts Tool and strategies modern teams need to help their companies grow. Automotive [Automotive Brochure Localization by Market](https://www.vitra.ai/automotive/automotive-brochure-localization) A car brochure is a spec grid, a legal footer and a photo library, all market-specific. What actually has to change, and why the layout decides the schedule. [Samhitha J Bhatt](https://www.vitra.ai/author/samhitha) Aug 18, 2026 Automotive [Automotive Campaign Localization Across Markets](https://www.vitra.ai/automotive/automotive-campaign-localization) Campaigns run through national companies and dealer networks, so one master becomes hundreds of files. Where the offer text and the disclaimers actually break. [Samhitha J Bhatt](https://www.vitra.ai/author/samhitha) Aug 18, 2026 Automotive [Car Service Manual Translation for Technicians](https://www.vitra.ai/automotive/automotive-service-manual-translation) A workshop manual is read mid-repair by someone with the car on a lift. What that demands of procedures, torque figures and fault codes, in every language. [Samhitha J Bhatt](https://www.vitra.ai/author/samhitha) Aug 18, 2026 [View all posts](https://www.vitra.ai/blog/page/1) --- ## Structured data ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://www.vitra.ai/general/website-translation-ai" }, "headline": "Website Translation AI: How to Choose", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.vitra.ai/static/images/blog/website-translation-ai.jpg" } ], "datePublished": "2026-08-17T00:00:00.000Z", "dateModified": "2026-08-17T00:00:00.000Z", "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Samhitha J Bhatt" } ], "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Vitra.ai", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.vitra.ai/static/images/vitra-v-logo.png" } }, "description": "The choice is really about architecture: proxy, connector or API. 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