How Humanfrog Started Speaking Croatian, Italian, German, and Hungarian

For now, English only 

"For now, we will launch the website in English and add translations later." That decision was made at one of our meetings, as the deadline for launching the website was fast approaching, and there were too many language versions to prepare in time. A temporary solution seemed sensible, as we were confident we would take care of the translations soon after launch. 

The challenge was not translation alone. Each language version had to be prepared, reviewed, and entered, and then properly updated with every content change. Even a minor edit on the source page could mean a new round of coordination across language versions. 

The content was ready, as were the expertise and technical capabilities. What we lacked was above all an effective way to manage multilingual content without additional manual work and constant coordination. As a result, the temporary solution stayed in place much longer than we initially planned. 

The solution was within reach all along 

Although we work daily on development, content, and digital solutions for clients, our own improvements often wait for a better moment. Our own website is often the last in line. The cobbler often goes barefoot. 

In our case, the situation was even more unusual. Our team also includes Josh Rocchio, an American who has been living in Slovenia for twenty years and could have helped adapt the English content to other languages quickly and at minimal cost. So the solution was within reach, yet the task still did not make it to execution for a year and a half. 

This made it clear that the issue was not access to expertise or translators. What we lacked was a system that would embed translation into regular website management and reduce manual effort. 

Since last week, things are different 

Our website is now available in multiple languages, and translation of new content is automated. We prepare content in the source language, and the system generates the corresponding language versions. Translations are no longer a separate task waiting for a better moment; they are produced alongside new content. 

How it works 

AI agents operate in the background and are directly connected to our CMS systems. Their task is not only to translate text, but to prepare complete language versions that take into account content structure, terminology, context, and the specifics of each market. 

When an editor prepares new content, the system: 

• identifies all elements that need to be translated, 

• creates versions in all supported languages, 

• preserves the page structure and content layout, 

• adheres to the agreed professional terminology, 

• adapts specific parts of the text to the language, market, and target audience, 

• places the content into the appropriate language fields in the CMS. 

This is not merely literal translation. The system can adjust individual terms, sentences, or emphases so that the content reads naturally in each language while preserving the same meaning, intent, and tone of communication.

The final decision still rests with the editor. Each language version can be reviewed, edited, approved, or rejected before publication. Automation does not replace human oversight; it shortens the time needed to prepare, check, and maintain multilingual content.

Which CMS systems we support 

The solution is modular by design and is not tied to a single environment. In integration, we consider the structure of each system, the data model, language versions, and editorial roles. This allows us to embed it into the existing content management approach without requiring the editorial team to completely change the way it works. 

We currently support: 

• Laravel with the Twill platform, 

• Umbraco CMS, 

• WordPress. 

Following the same principle, we can integrate the solution into other CMS systems if they support appropriate integration and multilingual content management. The key is that the solution adapts to the company’s technical environment and its actual needs, not the other way around. 

When such a solution makes sense 

This type of solution is particularly suitable for companies that manage websites in multiple languages, publish new content regularly, or operate across different markets. The more language versions and the more frequent the changes, the more time is required for translation, review, and coordination of content. 

It brings the most value to teams that want to: 

• shorten the time from content creation to publication, 

• reduce repetitive manual work, 

• ensure greater consistency across language versions, 

• maintain control over quality and final publication, 

• simplify the long-term maintenance of multilingual content. 

However, the solution is not limited to large websites. It makes sense wherever multilingual content is a regular part of the work and where the current process requires too much time, coordination, or manual intervention. 

What we learned 

Our experience has shown that the challenge often does not lie in a lack of expertise or technical capabilities, but in processes that demand too much time, coordination, and manual work. As long as translation remains a separate task, it is often easiest to push it off until later. 

Once we integrated translation directly into content management, the entire way of working changed. The task that had sat on the list for a year and a half became a manageable and repeatable part of the daily process. 

The true value of automation therefore is not only in faster translation of individual texts. More important is that it reduces the number of manual steps, simplifies content maintenance, and ensures that language versions are ready when we actually need them.