A translation option in your website would be great
Your website would have got off the ground and things would be moving smoothly with your business gradually taking root. But then you tend to realize that your competitors have a translation option on their website, which you do not. If they have it, like that old saying you need to “keep up with the Jones”. What your competition does you too would need to do because they would have an edge above you which you would have missed.
This aspect would be totally alien to you and would invariably bring an additional cost to your operations. Hence being prudent would be your best choice and that too by being cost-conscious. Whether the translation would benefit your website is another matter to be considered but it is an important option to have especially with the much-hyped globalization.
If your brand is internationally marketed and you have customers other than those within your borders a translation option would be a very good idea, indeed. Communicating with prospective customers in their own language is definitely an advantage. It could break the ice when you need them to engage with you. That is the main objective of having a website, which would be accessible universally, by prospective customers.
Hence translations are an option that could propel your website into a new dimension and ensure additional traffic and new customers from all corners of the world. Even those who would have been apprehensive of engaging with your brand would climb onboard and check out what you have to offer. They would be more comfortable when you engage with them in their language.
We have listed out six salient tips which would hold you in good stead to ensure you have the best of both worlds which would be the option of translation at the minimal cost to your operations.
#1. Advance planning is necessary
Filter out your international customers and decide where you would be enjoying more traffic. Once you have this information it would be prudent to try out one or two languages to be translated. In fact, it would be a trial and error initiative at the beginning as this whole gamut is still in its nascent stage. You would not know what the responses would be till you swim in the translations waters.
You translation initiative could be monitored for results which could provide you with the necessary feedback to apprise you whether it is successful and what changes would be required. There is no doubt that it would have an impact on your website but what it would have to be quantified.
#2. Content created should be translation friendly
It is imperative that your website would be full of content, images, text and other information to help entice the customer to engage with you. These should be translation friendly with the correct phrases and words being selected to ensure compatibility. There is also the cultural aspect because certain words in one language could be misconstrued in another.
Hence care should be taken to ensure no harm is done to anyone with the wrong impression being delivered in the translation. Using different terms and phrases for the same idea should be avoided and it would be prudent to stick to one wavelength. Such differences could bring out different meanings in the translations which could do more harm than good in the end.
#3. Digital content should be compatible
It would be necessary to ensure that your digital content used to design the website initially would accept the new initiative of the translation. If there are issues in the two you could have confusion all the way and the translations may not help you but cause unnecessary problems.
Ensure they are both hands in gloves before you would release it to the public domain because once you are on the internet things could get only from bad to worse and not better. It would be advisable to avoid hard coding or embedding text into images which would create additional issues to your website.
#4. Take advantage of technology
There is an abundance of various technologies available when you need the translation option for your website. Using them to the optimum would hold you in good stead and ensure you have minimum issues with its operation. These technologies are all in their nascent stages hence being a little apprehensive would be in your better interests.
It is not necessary that you use all the technology that is available but choosing what would fit your purse and would be compatible with your brand and operation would be your best option.
#5. Select a reputed translation provider
It is always in your best interest to ensure you work with professionals because there are many “fly by night” operators who would accept work at ridiculously low prices and not do the required job. Hence it would be prudent of you to select a translation provider with a reputation to maintain. You may dole out a few dollars more but you may not have to regret at the end.
Those translation providers who would quote low prices may employ unqualified staff who would not be equipped with the necessary qualifications and have the required experience to do what they are doing. It would be you who would take the brunt of this inefficiency.
#6. Initiative should be centralized
Once you make that all important decision to initiate translation onto your website it would be best that you select and stick with one translation provider. It is often said not to put all your eggs in one basket, but in this case, that would be a better option than spreading out and working with many translation providers.
You could initiate dialogue and also ensure you get the translation provider to think on your lines and come out with a better job every time they do a new project.
