Marketing your brand overseas is not a new concept; global giants such as, MacDonalds, Pepsi, Microsoft, and many others, have been doing it (largely successfully) for many years, but when it comes to smaller, international companies, knowing how much content needs translating for your new audience can be tricky.
This article will look at the benefits of translating your blog posts for your new, overseas audience with tips on how to this, how to ensure greater language accuracy, and advice on why it is necessary to translate blog posts alongside other website content.
Website Translation
Research has shown that most of us prefer to browse, and purchase, from websites that are in our native language. We believe them to be more trustworthy, better quality, and more reliable.
Offering your website in numerous languages will give you a greater return on investment, offer more opportunities for growth, help to build your brand presence, and ensure you are reaching your target audience.
At times, translating just part of your website may be enough, however, if you offer a service, or product, which is likely to require customer enquiries, product specifications, FAQ, purchasing options in different currencies, and so on, then translating all your website is probably the best way to go.
It is also worth considering which target languages you require for your website translations. Do you only need one other language, or are you planning a greater expansion in the near future? If you expect to use more languages then it is wise to plan ahead for this in the early stages as this will make for an easier translation experience.
Be aware of cultural differences too, not only between different countries, but also different regions. For instance, the Arabic language covers a huge range of countries where you are likely to find subtle differences in accents, language, and cultural norms.
Don’t forget, language is only a small part of the translation process, there are other factors which are can be adjusted through the process of localisation.
Website Localisation
Localisation (also known as l10n) is the process used by translation specialists when targeting language, either as a text, marketing product, website, advert, or other specification, to a defined region.
For example, if you are marketing an English made product to an Arabic nation, just changing the language on the packaging or your website isn’t enough to build brand faith.
Localisation would consider variances in culture, idioms, currencies, religion, and so on, to ensure your product/site is acceptable within the cultural norms of the target region. This can help avoid any inappropriate humour or region specific phrases, and also, evade any embarrassing faux-pas.
Translating Blog Posts
As you may have gathered from the above points, merely translating your website may not be enough to encourage potential customers to purchase your products/services, or create a positive brand image in your target country.
Localisation plays a large part in ensuring that your translation is culturally correct, and that potential customers find the language accessible and acceptable.
However, alongside the translation and localisation of your main website, it is worth considering translating your blog posts (and social media posts) as this can also increase traffic to your site.
Don’t forget that ‘keywords’ vary from country to country, so while your main site pages might have some of the keywords as standard needed to enable customers to find your site, there are likely to be new ones which should be included in blog posts in a bid to optimise SEO.
If you are unsure about Keywords it is worth asking your translation provider for advice, as they should have native speaking experts who are familiar with your business sector, target language, and localisation requirements.
Blog posts are also an ideal way to promote your business brand – they give customers a chance to hear your ‘voice’, find out about your work, discover your company ethos, and open the possibility for direct communication with customers through comments sections at the end of posts.
All of these factors encourage customers to spend more time on your site, potentially increasing sales.
Working with a professional translation team for your translations, localisation, and linguistic advice, will give you the best opportunity to integrate your website into your new target market.
If you require assistance with any points raised in this feature please contact Creative Word, and we’ll be happy to help.
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