Localisation and Translation may appear daunting for those who aren’t well acquainted with them, but it needn’t be this way.
There are lots of useful tips, insider information and some general advice that will de-mystify the process and ensure you make the most of any translation that your company requires.
Localise to maximise
We all know that the internet is now a global market place for your business, but whether you make use of that option, or not, is up to you.
With the right localisation strategies even a relatively small company can market its products or services on a global scale, enabling access to millions of potential customers worldwide.
If global marketing seems a little overwhelming to you at present the advice given here will still be valid, even if you are only planning on utilising localisation within a specific area, and it can be tailored to match the growing needs of your business one step at a time.
Localisation is key to marketing your products directly to the new customers you have in mind and while the expense may seem large initially it is worth considering that in 2007 the Localisation Institute Standards Association (LISA) reported that on average for every $1 spent on localisation $25 of additional revenue was realised. With the weakening dollar, that ratio is likely to keep growing, now is the time to invest in localisation.
Crucial Markets
The top five languages spoken around the world are Chinese (Mandarin), Spanish, English, Hindu and Arabic. If you already know the area you plan to target then the choice of language is made for you, however, if you are looking to invest in localisation to enable a broader reach of customers then it’s worth looking at these top five first.
The internet has had a massive impact on the localisation industry. Recent changes introduced in 2010 are now enabling companies to produce websites with domain names in native languages, which use local language scripts and non-Latin alphabets, to facilitate users who don’t speak, or read, English. Growth, in regions such as the Middle East, is advancing rapidly and internet penetration rates increase yearly. To ensure maximum customer growth, and increasing revenues, businesses must look beyond English only websites. Localisation assists with entering these new marketplaces by utilising knowledge of the language, culture and customs, to target customers appropriately.
In terms of GDP the top 12 countries are United States, China, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, India, France, Brazil, Italy, Canada, Russia and Korea. While individual consumers in Russia and Korea may not be the top targets for the US, China or Japan, by localising a website into French, Arabic, or Mandarin will create millions (if not billions) of new potential customers who can access the site in their preferred language.
A survey, by the independent research firm Common Sense Advisory, of 3,000 online shoppers across 10 Countries found that 60% rarely or never buy from English-only websites and that 75% prefer to buy products in their native language. Armed with this information it is easy to see that localisation isn’t just a good idea for your business, it is a necessity in the global markets.
Choosing localisation content
Trying to decide what content to localise isn’t an easy task and depends on your long term marketing strategies, budgets, available resources and requirements for localising. In the most general terms it is often wise to localise content that is customer facing such as, websites, product or service brochures, packaging, online support, instruction/direction booklets etc. Of course, promotional material like press releases, advertisements, newsletters and so on will need to be localised for a successful marketing campaign.
Within some industries it has become essential for localisation due to global marketing by manufacturers. Large companies, such as Ikea, that distribute thousands of products around the world and have more than 1800 suppliers in 50 countries, must ensure their instructions, safety manuals etc are understood by all consumers, whether they are based in the UK or abroad. Likewise, there are standards that medical and pharmaceutical industries must adhere to, ensuring they provide proper documentation for each country they sell within.
Plan ahead for localisation and select your content according to your needs, finances and long term ambitions.
Getting localisation right
If you want your localisation to be spot on you need to find the linguists that are experts in the subject matter you require, engineers that can deal with internationalisation and localisation issues as they arise, and talented multilingual content publishers. You want cost effective, punctual, quality localisation that meets all your requirements and is completed with minimal hassle. Some of your smaller translation tasks can be completed in-house if you have the means, however, there are benefits of subcontracting larger projects to a language service provider.
These include:
- Single point of contact for ease of coordination
- Highly qualified staff for specialised projects
- Well established localisation strategies
- Assurance of ISO certified processes
Selecting the best vendor to suit your requirements is essential as they will have responsibility for the overall success of your multi-lingual creation, its integrity in-country, and ultimately, the reputation of your product or service.
For success to be guaranteed you should methodically investigate potential vendors; checking their methodologies, reviewing previous projects similar to your own, investigating their resources etc. the maxim that you get what you pay for is certainly true in the field of localisation and translation.
You can also submit a Request for Information (RFI) or a Request for Proposal (RFP) template to prospective vendors to avoid any misinterpretation of your request. Compare responses from vendors to see which most suits your needs and budget.
Some benchmarks to work from are;
- Technical competence
- Commitment to customers
- Quality of products
- Experience with similar projects
- Reliability
- Available resources
- Reasonable and clear pricing structures
- Good communication processes
Multilingual Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Depending upon your budget and the projection of your company’s requirements, it is worth considering only localising key web pages to begin with and monitoring the response.
Making use of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) will ensure your website is optimised in such a way that search engines such as, Google and Yahoo, will consider your website content more relevant due to keywords or phrases used, which will result in more traffic for your site and therefore, more views of your products or services.
It can be a very cost effective marketing strategy, if done well, compared to the cost of localising for TV, radio, and print campaigns. Once you know if this is working you can then choose to add further content as required.
Getting content right
While SEO is a good strategy initially, probably the single best thing you can do to increase website traffic (and potential customers) is create content that is relevant, individual, interesting and worthwhile. This gives users a reason to visit, peruse, and, hopefully, purchase.
Content should be worthwhile enough that it draws users in without the need for cheap tricks such as, hidden text, irrelevant keywords, duplicated content or cloaking, which are occasionally used as attempts to deceive search engine spiders or crawlers. If discovered these bad practices may well get your website on a search engine’s black list.
Do your research
Having insightful knowledge of keywords or phrases that a potential customer will use in their search will greatly increase your website’s ‘searchability’. If possible begin by researching the specific keywords for your English (or primary language) website and place them within your website’s description and keywords Meta tags. Tools that can help with this are Google’s Adword, Wordtracker, or Yahoo’s Overture.
Creating good content, that is inclusive of these keywords and phrases, will attract more traffic to your site and is well worth the effort, research and time it might take.
Avoid machine translation
Machine translation is not a viable alternative to professional human translation. It can be used to help with getting the ‘gist’ of your child’s French homework but it does not have the awareness to comprehend nuance, cultures and customs that are specific to languages. Machine translated web content can be far from desirable, even lowering ratings on search engines due to mistranslation and irrelevance.
Monitor web traffic
Analyse your web logs and monitor the traffic that your localised web pages receive. There are many useful sites that can assist with this such as, www.alexa.com or Google Analytics. Keep up to date with how the pages are being used, how long visitors stay and if they are purchasing.
Build upon your content
The more updated and relevant your site is the more traffic you’ll receive. Regular updates such as press releases, e-newsletters, blogs and external links will all benefit your website and users. You might wish to outsource some of these to a PR distribution firm as these will reach major news outlets, or use a free PR resource available online.
Remember to make use of your translation personnel to provide these updates in multilingual form so they are accessible to all users.
Localised websites should also be listed on foreign internet directories and by posting good quality blogs, newsletters and articles you will find more traffic is directed to these localised pages and sites.
Professional, quality translation and localisation will ensure you can successfully market your brand to a global audience, and by using the advice above you should find the process is more manageable and trouble-free.
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