In today’s globalizing world, approaching customers based in other parts of the world has never been easier. Due to the developments in technology, a business can now easily trade with consumers despite being in another country. In fact, almost 30% of EU consumers admit to regularly purchasing goods online from retailers based abroad. Yet, more than 90% of those consumers admit they feel far more driven to committing to a purchase if the information about the product or service is available in their native language.
As you can see, the role which languages play in today’s business world is essential. By approaching people in their native language, you not only allow them to feel more comfortable about your product, which then leads to a purchase, but you’re also creating a more professional image of your company, which helps immensely in building a brand within a new, foreign market.
As your website will in many cases be the first point of contact between you and your clients based abroad, you simply must make sure that your digital content is translated professionally and accurately. In order to ensure accuracy, it is strongly advised to work with a professional translation agency, which offers and specializes in providing translation services for business sectors.
Website Design
An ideal scenario would be to design a website which has translation and foreign markets in mind. Nevertheless, if you already have a fully functioning website online, this may not be possible. Ensuring that your website is fully responsive and mobile-friendly is key, but choosing what content needs to be translated is subsequently also a very important decision.
A good example of this could be a situation where only a small part of your inventory is being offered to the foreign customers. If that’s the case, translating the entire content of your website might put too much pressure on the budget, especially for Small and Medium sized businesses. Nevertheless, it is important to bear in mind that translating your entire website creates a more professional image of your company, which allows you to stand out from the crowd.
Cultural translation
When conducting a business translation, many things can go wrong. One of the most common mistakes is neglecting the importance of cultural differences between your home and target countries. This is a key element of professional translation and so working with an agency which provides translation services can guarantee that any local, cultural or social differences will be taken into the account while translating your material; whether it’s website or any other documents.
A great example of this can be the difference in how the colour white is perceived in Chinese and European cultures. In Europe, white resembles and reminds us of cleanliness, while in China, where symbols, history signs are very important, it symbolizes death.
Work with professionals
Again, the importance of ensuring that the translation of your business website is accurate and of high quality is crucial not only for consumer satisfaction but also brand image. Working with a professional translation agency which specializes in providing business translation services can guarantee this. Such companies will not only translate your content word-for-word, but will also take into the account any cultural differences between your home and target markets as well as consumer behaviours and adjust your content accordingly.
How to present your translation
If you’ve decided to translate your website, you will have to link all of your pages together and allow your visitors to choose their preferred language. One of the most common ways of doing this is simply linking the pages through a drop-down list where a visitor of your website will be able to choose their native language. Alternatively, another solution would be to define the language page based on visitor’s location, so for example, a person based in France will be redirected to the French version of your site automatically.
International SEO
Last, but definitely not least. One of the side benefits of translating your website content is the fact that users in your target market will be able to find you organically through search engines. It is important to pay a close attention to your international SEO efforts, which can be greatly beneficial in the long run.
As you can see, website translation involves a number of factors which can directly or indirectly affect your project. If conducted in a chaotic manner, it will be waste of time and money. Before you begin, make sure that you choose the right translation partner. Working with a translation agency which specialises in business or marketing translation services can ensure that cultural and local differences will also be taken into the account and that your material is translated to the highest possible standard and also that your website will be ready from a technical point of you. Website translation is important for customer satisfaction and brand image and therefore must be planned and executed professionally.