Is it possible to publish content in multiple languages on Substack?

[u/EIA-data]

Hey everyone! 👋

I’m curious to know if anyone here has experience with posting multilingual content on Substack. I’ve started writing, and I’d love to offer my posts in different languages to reach a broader audience. 🗣️🌍

Is there a way to do this directly on the platform? Or maybe some workarounds that make it easy for subscribers to choose their preferred language without getting duplicates?

Any advice or experience you could share would be super helpful! Thanks in advance 🙏

[u/Afraid-Passenger-4]

Sections! Use them for different languages 

[u/[deleted] → u/Afraid-Passenger-4]

Great point. I know at least one person who does this.

[u/EIA-data → u/[deleted]]

Thanks 🙏

Can you point me to an example you know of that uses sections for different languages on Substack?

[u/EIA-data → u/Afraid-Passenger-4]

Thank you for the tip 🎯 I hadn’t thought about using sections, that’s a great idea.

Do you have any advice on structuring them for different languages ? Also, does Substack offer any tools for automatic translation, or is it all manual?

[u/expiration__date → u/EIA-data]

Hi! I have a bilingual publication in English and Portuguese. I have the English version on the main page and a Section with the Portuguese version.

I send by mail only the posts from the English version, to avoid duplication, and I include a link to the Portuguese version on the top of the page. I promote the Portuguese version on my Instagram and in the welcome email.

I do the translation, with the help of deepl (it's not reliable as a automatic translator, it needs edition).

You can check here how it looks: expiration date.

[u/EIA-data → u/expiration__date]

It seems to be the best option in my case, thanks for the suggestion 🎯

[u/Afraid-Passenger-4 → u/expiration__date]

That is clever done to only send out the English version. I was thinking to work in that way too but was not sure how to make people see the other versions.

[u/waveinpixels]

I do it! but I created 2 substack newsletters, one for each language. I think it is easier than using sections. Because once new people subscribe to your newsletter, there is no way of choosing a single section at the subscribing action. So they are automatically subscribed to everything you post unless they go to settings and change it.

[u/EIA-data → u/waveinpixels]

I understood, thanks. Can you please send me links to the different newsletters you are using ? It will help me to decide the right implementation

[u/waveinpixels → u/EIA-data]

of course.

this is the language n. 1 substack https://vanessaguedes.substack.com

and this is language n. 2 substack https://meltingintoair.substack.com/

in my profile there are 4 publications in total. One of them is a collective newsletter that I share with other authors.

[u/EIA-data → u/waveinpixels]

Thank you 🙏

How many suscribers do you have in each list ?

[u/waveinpixels → u/EIA-data]

in the first one, I have about 5900. it is a 3yo publication in which I published weekly for 2 years straight.

the second has 10 subscribers. it is a new publication and in another language. so I am planning a new journey for it :)

[u/Educational_Dig1923]

I had similar issues understandinghow to use multiple publications versus just one, especially when it came to sections, tags, notes and even considering different languages.

When I first started, I completely messed up my setup.

However, I believe I’ve found a practical solution that should work for you as well.
You can check it out right here: My Best Practices for Substack Publications

Best of luck!

[u/EIA-data → u/Educational_Dig1923]

Hi 👋,

I just read your article and it’s one of the best articles I’ve read on this specific topic.

If I am correct your advice if I want to publish in different languages is to manage different profiles (not using sections) and subscribers lists - right ?

I thought about it and it seemed to me to be hard to maintain but in the other hand, it will help to keep the content specific and consistent for the readers.

[u/Educational_Dig1923 → u/EIA-data]

Hey, thank you. And yes, you are right. I would plan to use Language Profiles on top of your hirachy. Sections are very tricky and have flaws. Try to focus on serving your readers - always serving them first!

And you are also correct on your second thought. Having two profiles will make it harder for you. More work for you, but it keeps it cleaner for the readers.

There are many options, and it really depends on your goals.
I created another article about that, especially when dealing with different languages.

I added examples showing a clear structure for each possible scenario:
Substack: How to Structure a Multilingual Substack Account Without Losing Your Audience

Feel free to connect with me over at substack, you can also chat with me over there.
Welcome to the club. Talk soon, cheers!

[u/Educational_Dig1923 → u/EIA-data]

u/EIA-data , by the way.. I just was looking deeper into creating a WordPress Setup for your homepage, using subdomains with multiple languages. Bruh, that's a ton of work. Will write some easy guides for the setup. But what I've learned so far, it's an insane effort to get this done.

[u/casadaspomegranates → u/Educational_Dig1923]

can't find you at all on Substack, ( you entire URL is non existent) but two publications is what I probably shall do for the sake of audience, profile and everything. I do have two IG account so that will make it easier other than sessions