Google has announced a new feature for Indian searches, called Translated Results.
This feature automatically translates webpages that are in a different language than the language of the user and then publishes the title and snippet in the translated language.
How The Translated Results System Works
If there are a lack of adequate webpages (a.k.a., content gaps) to rank in the user’s native language, then Google will select the best webpage in a different language and display that in the search results.
Google automatically translates the title tag and meta description of the ranked webpage from the foreign language to the language of the user.
Google will automatically translate the entire webpage into the user’s native language after a user clicks through from the search engine results page (SERP) to the webpage.
Google’s new Search Central help page describes the Translated Results feature as something that will be good for publishers because it will expand the audience for their content.
The documentation states:
“A translated result is a Google Search feature that enables users to view results from other languages in their language, and can help publishers reach a larger audience.”
All embedded images and JavaScript are supposed to work in the translated webpage.
According to Google:
“If the user clicks the translated title link, all further user interaction with the page is through Google Translate, which will automatically translate any links followed.
By expanding the result, users can view the original title link and snippet, and access the entire page in the original language.”
Previous Translation Of Search Results
Translated Results is different from how Google used to handle content in a different language.
Prior to this update, Google added a link to translated content in the search results. However, Google didn’t actually translate the title and snippet shown in the search result.
This change in Google’s ranking is reflected in the updated developer page for the Notranslate Meta Tag.
Google Notranslate Meta Tag
Google recognizes a notranslate meta tag that will prevent Google from translating a webpage.
Google’s Developer page for the notranslate meta tag used to read like this on November 10, 2021:
“When Google recognizes that the contents of a page aren’t in the language that the user is likely to want to read, Google often provides a link to a translation in the search results.”
On November 17, 2021 Google updated the last part of that sentence in the documentation to now say that Google will translate the title tag and snippet:
“Google may provide a translated title link and snippet in search results.”
Google also added new wording to reflect a change in how translated search results are handled:
“If the user clicks the translated title link, all further user interaction with the page is through Google Translate, which will automatically translate any links followed.”
Translated SERPs Are Limited
The change to how Google is surfacing content in multiple languages is limited to the following languages:
- Indonesian
- Hindi
- Kannada
- Malayalam
- Tamil
- Telugu
Google’s documentation says that these are the languages that this feature is “currently” available, which could be construed to imply that the door is open to expanding the feature to other languages.
Opt In & Out Of Translated SERPs
The announcement states that all websites are automatically opted into this new feature. Publishers wishing to opt out should consider using the notranslate directive.
Directions For Ad Networks
Google also published a new help page with documentation for enabling ad networks to work with this update.
The documentation is: Enabling your ad network to work with translation-related Google Search features
Google For India 2021
This change is part of a suite of updates Google announced as part of the seventh edition of Google for India 2021. All updates are specific to India, although one of the languages appears to be Indonesian.
According to Google’s announcement:
“When people across India access the web, not surprisingly, they prefer to find content in the languages they use in their daily lives.
However, the local language web ecosystem is still growing, and most information on the web is in English.
… today we are announcing a feature in Search that will give users the option to access web pages originally written in other languages, and see it in their preferred language.
This feature will now make high-quality web content available to local language users when they search, and they will still be able to view the page in its original source language if they prefer.
It is now available in five Indian languages including Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam, with more to come.
It can be accessed on any mobile browser that supports Google Search.”
Citations
Read Google’s Announcement:
Google for India 2021: Stepping up product focus to drive digital inclusion in India
Read Google’s New Documentation for Translated SERPs:
Newly Updated Notranslate Documentation
New Documentation: All meta tags that Google understands
Old Documentation: Archive of previous Notranslate Documentation
Documentation for Enabling Translation for Ad Networks
Enabling your ad network to work with translation-related Google Search features
