In an effort to improve the international reader experience and help writers increase free and paid subscription growth, we are testing out localization support of Substack publications. The translation feature is in beta and limited to certain languages.
Here's what to expect with the localization feature:
- For subscribers and visitors: Reader-facing surfaces will appear in the language that your posts are primarily written in. These surfaces may include but are not limited to post emails that you send out, buttons on your posts and Substack publication, subscriber plans and benefits, paywalls on paid posts, and many more.
- For you: Your publication's navigation bar and the profile down-down menu will appear in the translated language. You may see parts of your Substack in English such as your Home, Posts, and Subscribers dashboards.
Note: If you've changed any customizable fields on your publication such as your subscriber benefits, welcome emails for free or paid subscribers, or your welcome page, then these will not be translated. Any custom content that you've written such as a custom subscribe button, a poll, or text in a post will not be touched. We will not try to translate something that’s written in your voice.
A reader's point of view
When readers visit the web version of your publication, it's as if the whole publication (besides the content you've written in English or in a different language) will be in the translated language. From the "Subscribe" buttons to the navigation bar, new subscribers can easily subscribe in the primary language of your publication, providing a better reader experience for non-English readers.
Tip: Readers will not be able to select what language they'd like to view your publication in. Their Substack account will not be translated and aspects such as their Account settings will remain in English.
Emails that come from Substack such as password reset links will not be translated. However, transactional emails from your publication such as a payment confirmation email or a pledge thank you email will be translated.
How do I turn off the translation of my publication?
If you'd prefer to disable the localization feature and have your publication in English, head to your publication's Settings page. In the Basics section, scroll to "Language". From the drop-down menu, select "English". Your publication will immediately appear in English.
How do I provide feedback on the quality of translations or issues my readers may be facing with the localization feature?
If your publication has been selected to help test out this feature and you'd like to provide feedback, we welcome your thoughts here.
Note: Our team will be making updates to the translations continuously over the next few months. You and your readers may notice the publication being translated more and more into the target language.
