WEBSITE TRANSLATION 101

From Madrid to Singapore, global expansion is a priority for companies. But while reaching international customers comes with more benefits, it also means more work translating your website and localizing your content for global markets.

Making your website attractive to customers around the world requires coordination and design, because translating a website is not as easy as using a plugin on the backend.

Why? First, let's talk about the elephant in the room. Machine translation is prohibited. You're trying to sell a professional product or service, so make it look professional. You do not risk working with anyone who is not a professional translator. After all, there is no guarantee that your customers in Italy and China will be satisfied with your English presentation and their user experience expectations.

To make your website as local as possible, invest in website localization if you're focused on finding potential goldmines. Unless you want to join the list of hundreds of companies that have failed at this task, it's important to implement some best practices when translating your website!

Language Statistics Website Links and Translation

It's no surprise that more than half of all websites are in English. After all, English is the most widely used language on the web. But did you know that one in five internet users can speak Chinese? Eight percent of users speak Spanish and prefer Spanish!

The sad truth is that very few sites cater to these users. In fact, less than 5% of websites offer Spanish as an optional language. Chinese is the worst, only 2% of all sites offer options in that language!

What Does This Mean?

Well, in short: millions of internet users are forced to use the web in a language they don't 100% understand or are denied access to certain parts of the web. If your website can help bridge this gap, you have a chance of success!

Website Translation Basics and Product/Service Localization

Don't Start Without a Localization Plan

More than 4.5 billion people use the Internet every day, most of whom live in Europe, America, and Asia. Therefore, the potential for international sales should be considered from the beginning. Even if you're just starting out with a website, no matter how small your initial market, it's always good to look at the big picture. Regardless of the language, your message needs to be catchy so potential customers can relate to it. Customers are 72% more likely to buy products that contain information in their native language!

That's why Idiomatic Translations Group has offices all over the world to help you with all your translation needs. We have the "on the ground" expertise of seasoned experts to ensure the success of your global launch. Are you starting a business in Spain? We have what we need. in Nigeria? It's not a problem. In the Middle East? Of course! What about Spanish-speaking USA? We can handle it too.

Translating your website is a multi-layered process.

Translating a website can be difficult because you need to identify your core market and then focus on a specific language version. If you don't know where to start, a translation company like Day Translations can help you plan and guide you through the process. Localization and translation are often used interchangeably, but they have very different meanings.

Localization: translation of an entire product or content from one language to another, including cultural and linguistic adaptations.

Translation: Translation of a text from one language to another.

In short, your localization strategy is a plan for adapting your products and content to new markets so that it expresses your message in a way that resonates with potential customers around the world.

Try, try and try again!

Website localization and linguistics should be tested before publishing. With a linguistic test, you can be sure that everything is translated accurately and comprehensibly. linguistic testing is about making sure that all different language versions of your website work correctly.

Testing localization includes looking over the following items:

1. Hardware compatibility

2. Encryption algorithms

3. Entry fields

4. Upgrades

5. Hyperlinks

6. Broken strings or designs

7. Form functionality

8. Shopping cart

9. Load time

Linguistic testing includes checking:

1. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors

2. Presence of culture-sensitive content

3. Inappropriate content

4. Misuse of keywords

5. Readability and appeal of messages

Conclusion

Your business has a potential gold mine, and to take advantage of it, you just need to translate and localize your website. Start off the right way by designing your website with translation in mind. Using a professional translation service like Idiomatic Canada can help keep projects organized, on track, and avoid monotonous tasks.

After translating and localizing your website, you can target a wider audience, improve your SEO, create unique URLs for each translated version of your website, and increase conversion rates. Your content is easier for global customers to understand and absorb, and because your products are presented in the language they speak, you're more likely to get long-term customers.

Need help localizing and translating your website? Contact us here to discuss.