The purpose of this post is to highlight the importance of business and translation. Yes, we know that English is spoken worldwide, but did you know that almost 1.8 billion people speak English, and out of that number around 400 million people speak English as a first language? In fact, English is the second most-spoken language worldwide. Interestingly, though, did you know that less than 30% of people using the Internet use the English language? And now the important information! Research shows that people are three times more likely to buy if the business concerned ‘speaks’ their language. Now, this information is enormous, because it tells you (as a business owner) how to expand your market.
This data shows you that there’s a great opportunity here for you: by having your website translated into two or more languages you’ll significantly increase your chances of attracting customers, and thus growing your business. Here are some points to consider when you decide to have your website translated –
Quality
We strongly advise that you don’t have your website translated using machine translation. Certainly, Google translate and others are great tools, but machine translations should only be utilized for an approximate translation or when someone needs a general understanding of something. Employ the services of a professional translator who will ensure that the quality of your website translation is accurate and entirely suitable for your business needs.
Localization
Localization is crucial when translating your site. Here’s a very simple example as to why it’s important: ‘This offer expires on 10/12/2016’. What does this mean? Does it mean the 10th of December or the 12th of October? We know that different countries use different date formats, and it’s essential that you get them right. Of course, this is just one simple example of localization, but you can understand now the localization is critical.
Time
Allow sufficient time for your website to be translated, because if you try and rush it, you could well be very disappointed with the results. Translating a website is a large project, and if you create a rush job out of this, the agency concerned may be forced to split the translation work between a number of translators. When this happens, it can result in inconsistencies in both terminology and style. Also, the cost will be a lot more. Allowing sufficient time for this work to be completed will mean higher quality at a lower cost.
Culture
Be very aware of culture when you’re having your website translated, and try to think international right from the start. Avoid cultural jokes and play-upon-words that not only may not make sense when translated but could well offend certain people. And again, this is where localization comes into play because it ensures that your website content is suitable for any audience.
A Translated Website Will Be a Huge Asset to Your Business!
If you’ve decided to have your website translated, make yourself available and be willing to answer any questions your translator may have. And, of course, it would be very helpful to the translator if you were to provide as much input as possible, thus ensuring the final result will be exactly what your business requires.
