So you’ve decided to take the important step to get your website translated. Maybe you’ve noticed you are getting a lot of visitors from certain countries but you are getting a high bounce rate because the content isn’t in their native language, or you have identified a market where your business can grow further and increase exports?
Whether you want to get started in website translation quickly, or require localised content to show your commitment to new markets in the long term, there is a website translation service to suit your needs.
Translation Proxy
How it works
When a visitor reaches your site, the proxy server will determine which version your user sees by factors such as browser and device type, location and which language the device uses in order to provide them with the best language. The translation proxy software will automatically seek out strings of text and HTML from your website, which will be sent to professional translators and quality controllers to ensure that the new text seamlessly matches the style of your native website.
Is this service for me? Yes, if…
You have a non-dynamic, standardised website and want consistency across all languages
You don’t require a lot of ongoing IT support, freeing up time or reducing workload if you have a small department
You need to roll out content across a wide variety of languages simultaneously
Speed is your ultimate goal – proxy translation is the fastest method available
You want to test new markets quickly before committing to a more integrated solution
You are regularly adding new content, investing into individual translations may not be as cost effective as translation proxy
CMS Integration
How it works
An API (application program interface) between your content management system and the TMS (translation management system) from your language service provider transmits the source text and the translated text seamlessly, ready for you to publish. If you have a large website and are fully committed to your new markets in the long-term, this may be the best option for you.
Is this service for me? Yes, if…
You have a highly dynamic website
You want to save time – the CMS can keep track of translation revisions and eradicating frustration when searching for revisions of a given document
You don’t want any security risks – CMS integration eliminates your security risk by restricting the unprotected transfer of documents
You don’t need to download or learn new software
There are multiple people creating content for your website, it removes the need to keep on top of all the translation work required
You want to produce websites that are fully localised and can be adapted to each local market
You want local markets to manage their own content, allowing for content editing and change management at each target country site through your multilingual CMS
You want to maximise functionality from your CMS, whether this be for reporting purposes, user experience or personalisation; you can leverage CMS functionality across all target websites.
Standalone Translation/Manual File Transfer
How it works
This method involves manually sending your HTML or XML files from your CMS database directly to your language service provider. If you have a relatively small number of web pages where the content largely remains the same, or you only add pages on a sporadic basis – you may want to look into this option.
As with anything more reliant on humans than machines, there is always the increased risk of margin of error, so that is always a caveat to consider.
Is it for me? Yes, if…
Updating your website quickly isn’t a priority
You are trying one or two pages as a test of the market
You have an obscure or home-grown CMS that may be hard to support with an integrated solution
There is no cookie cutter approach to translating a website, but hopefully you can identify which approach may work best for you. If you would like some additional advice or to discuss your needs in more detail, feel free to contact us via the contact form below.
