This article is in partnership with Day Translations.

Substack is one of those websites (and apps) that can be both the best kept secret and the go-to place for writers of all styles at the same time: those who write as a career use Substack as a publication tool and a way to create a community, while those outside the writing profession may not have heard about it.

About Substack

Substack is an online platform and app that was launched in the United States in 2017. According to their LinkedIn profile, Substack is “building a new economic engine for culture”, allowing publishers to reach out to readers and enabling readers to directly support their favourite authors.

The company has received $10 million in funding so far. Alongside written newsletters and articles, Substack also offers audio (both text-to-speech readings of writings and podcasts) and video content (both standalone videos and live broadcasts).

How Substack Works

Substack authors can be writers, novelists, journalists, influencers, opinion-makers, as well as artists such as illustrators and painters.

Substack provides authors with a platform to publish content and send it directly to readers’ email inboxes. Readers can then choose to either read the freely available information or to pay a monthly subscription fee to read paid-only posts and support authors financially without the need of a third party.

Publishing Content in Multiple Languages on Substack

Substack started off as an English-only publishing platform but over time international authors have created their own newsletters and have been addressing their communities in their local language.

Substack regularly tracks emerging international authors in its app, making users aware of new writers.

For example, in the “Rising in International” tab within the Substack app, you can find authors writing in French, Japanese, Czech, Spanish and Portuguese.

Some authors decide to write each newsletter posts in their local language exclusively while others prefer to write the same post in their local language plus English with a view to reach a wider audience.

Within the Substack newsletter layout authors can display their posts by language using tags and sections.

Translated Content on Substack

Substack integrates with a translation app to help authors make their content available in multiple languages. Authors need to link their Substack account with the translation app account and select which languages to translate their content to in the settings.

Substack promotes the use of translation to not only reach new audiences globally but also to potentially increase revenue for authors by attracting paying readers from other countries. Substack made this feature available in early 2024.

Another benefit of making a Substack newsletter available in multiple languages is inclusion: it’s important to make the readers feel included and make a connection with them over shared cultural references. This is the key advantage of using language localisation.

Of course, authors may spent too much time managing their publication in multiple languages, so it is essential for them to be strategic in their approach and evaluate which languages their readers use the most and which countries they are from. By focusing their efforts on specific local markets, authors can demonstrate that they understand their audience and that they can cater for people from different backgrounds.

Photo by Maxim Ilyahov on Unsplash