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Did you know that 55% of consumers only buy on websites written in their own language? However, if you “just” translate your website, it won’t be enough to gain global success! To really do well, your site needs to be adapted to the cultural differences of your target market. We call this website localisation! But what is “website localisation”? What are the differences between “website translation” and “website localisation”?
Semantic analysis or keyword research will help you find out the main terms entered into local search engines. This is a vital step in website translation or website localisation, because it will allow you to considerably boost your site’s visibility abroad.
However, many companies translate their keywords literally. This mistake will damage their website’s visibility on the target market, so their sales will suffer!
We don’t just translate website content. We adapt it for SEO success. Remember: website translation alone is not enough: you need to adapt your site to boost its search engine ranking!
Click here for more information on international content marketing!
“Languages” and “markets” are not the same thing. Countries that share the same language may use different vocabulary, grammar, spelling, style (formal or informal), etc.
Portuguese in Portugal is hugely different from in Brazil. For example, the word for “train” is “rem” in Brazil, but “comboio” in Portugal. Spanish differs between Spain and Latin America! In fact, it even varies within Latin America itself. So the Spanish spoken in Argentina isn’t like Mexican Spanish! American English differs from British English; Dutch is not the same in Holland as in Flanders; there are differences between French in France and in Quebec, etc.
If you translate website text without taking into account these variations, it can lead to confusion, or your target audience may find it harder to have confidence in you.
Website translation should also extend to the visual elements of your website, which need to be adapted to the socio-cultural sensibilities of your target audience.
This means it is extremely important to adapt your payment methods for your target market, or your conversion rate might plummet!
The difference between date format in the United Kingdom and the United States is an excellent example of this. If your site states the delivery date as 11/12/17, Brits will expect to receive their order on 11 December 2017, but your American customers will read the delivery date as 12 November 2017.
Dates are written differently again in Japan: year / month / day. A Japanese person might be rather confused by the delivery date above, reading it as… 17 December 2011!
It is therefore essential to ADAPT your legal notices for your target market, rather than just translating them.
Beelingwa is an Internet platform connecting professional translators with clients. Order your translation with just a few clicks!