Once a company begins to expand internationally it’s crucial that their brand messages, company values, services and/or products are showcased in the right way and this is achieved through high quality website translation. Serving a global market online entails dedication and commitment to understanding the needs of each new territory as operating translated websites requires more people, expertise and effort than most in-house teams can provide. Web users are up to four times more likely to purchase from a site that communicates in their own language so it is vital to get the translation right. The key issues that most companies encounter once they have decided to translate their website can be split up into 5 areas… Quality Perhaps the most common problem that companies face is their translation being done to a poor standard. This may not necessarily mean obvious wording errors or spelling mistakes throughout the translation, it could mean the translation has not been localised for its target audience. Localisation is a key part of the translation process as it ensures the content translated is culturally appropriate for target markets. For example, if a company’s potential customers in Mexico speak Spanish this does not mean the process is as simple as translating the existing website into Spanish. It is important to make sure the website is culturally appropriate for the Mexican audience by localising words, phrases, images and terms of address to make sure they are in line with what the Mexican audience expect. Compatibility The next key issue companies face is finding technologies that properly support multilingual websites. A business needs a solution that will allow it to upload its content to be translated easily and one that can cope with website changes and won’t be susceptible to failure. This is essential for making sure the content can be sent off for translation efficiently. If your business has a WordPress website then WPML is a great plugin to get the content translated. You can simply select which pages or sections you want translating and upload them to your language service provider who will translate the content for you. WPML then puts the content back in the right place which is much easier and efficient for both parties. Optimisation Another problem companies usually encounter is once they’ve had their website translated they realise it hasn’t been optimised, resulting in less traffic to the site which isn’t productive if you are trying to grow your business in that foreign market. Many companies make the mistake of thinking they can just use Google Translate for tasks such as translating keywords, but they don’t realise that the keywords for their product/service may be a completely different word or phrase for their foreign market. The same goes for SEO titles and meta descriptions. Meta descriptions usually cause problems for translators as they have a character limit. This means that simply translating the meta description word for word won’t work for languages like German where the words are longer. The meta description, along with the other SEO elements, will need to be reworded in a way that still makes sense and still contains the relevant keywords needed for optimisation. If your company website has already been translated then you will have to pay for an SEO specialist who is fluent in your target language, to optimise your foreign website. Maintenance Once the website has been fully translated, localised and optimised that must be the end of the website translation process? Many companies think this is the case but unfortunately, it isn’t. To ensure the website always performs to its best capabilities it will need continual competitor research, site audits and maintenance. The translated version should mirror the updates and activity that is carried out on and for the domestic site. Just like the domestic site needs assistance from social media, blog content and press releases in order to generate more traffic, the translated site will need all of this too. All of this content will, therefore, have to be translated, localised and optimised as well as the website in order to maximise company reach and engagement in the new market. However, what is posted on the domestic social media channels and blogs may not be relevant to a foreign audience so you will need someone who is creating separate content for the foreign site. Cost All of the common problems listed above will all ultimately contribute to this final problem…cost. If your company hasn’t used a professional language service provider and the website comes back without being localised or optimised this will result in the costs being higher as you will have to waste time and money fixing these issues. Some companies take one glance at a professional language service provider and think they are too expensive but the truth is you pay for what you get. Surely it’s better to pay slightly more initially for your website translation if it means the process will run smoother, quicker and will produce higher quality content that is effective as soon as it is used? After identifying these common problems that companies face when getting their website translated, it’s not all bad news. They can all be easily avoided by using the right website translation provider. Your provider should firstly translate then localise the website, whilst optimising it thoroughly throughout the translation and localisation process. The best use superior proxy-based technology that can be used with any tool, handle any site and read any programming language to make the whole translation process easier for both parties. Your provider should use native professional translators which will provide you with thorough, and brand-perfect, translations for your online and multi-channel content, all around the world. This provider should be Language Insight.