Translating a Website? Here Are Three Things To Keep In Mind

"If you talk to a man in a language that he understands, it goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, it goes to his heart." This famous quote by Nelson Mandela stresses the importance of speaking to any particular group of people in their language. If you're running a business, it's wise to keep Mandela's words in mind. Translating your company's website allows you to reach a wider audience in the language they best understand.

Is your website able to display content in multiple languages? If it isn't, don't worry. Most websites are written in a single language. At times, featuring numerous languages is as easy as installing a multilingual plug. In other instances, you will need to redesign some website elements. In this article, we expound on some points that you should have in mind before you embark on the translation process.

1. Automated Translation is Common

A simple online search of website translation gives you a plethora of sites and software that use artificial intelligence to perform this task. If you choose to go down this route, you simply have to select the language of your choice from the dropdown menu provided. Sounds pretty fast and easy, right? However, when you go through the translated website, you will find that the result is disappointing, with much room for improvement.

It's worth noting that automatic translation often leaves out any written content that appears within an image. To this end, the final product is often inadequate.

So why do people use machine translation? Well, they're faster and cheaper since you can use one tool to translate text into several languages. But you know what they say about cheap services - they can be expensive in the long run. Some of the issues that may crop up in machine-translated websites include: 

• Inconsistencies in content across different languages
• Low levels of accuracy
• Loss of context 

Auto-generated content may sound like a shortcut, but going by the factors outlined above, it hardly is.

2. The Option of Human Translation

Instead of going for machine translation, you can have experts translate your website. What should you be aware of before you settle for human translation? You need to understand that having people translate your website will definitely take more time than auto-translation. Fortunately, you will have a top-notch result to show for the extra time taken.

If you are looking for the highest level of accuracy when translating a website, human translation is the way to go. Even the best artificial intelligence cannot beat the attention to detail that professional translators possess. 

Are you worried that the work will take too long? Thankfully, that will not happen if you go for a reputable translation company. Professional translation companies have adequate personnel to start translating your website right away and have it completed within a set timeline. Here, you can opt for a wide range of languages, from the common French, German, Spanish, Chinese, and Italian, to the rarer languages such as Bengali, Estonian, Lithuanian, and even Vietnamese.

They offer web translation in more than 50 languages, with native writers hand-picked from all over the world. Other than accuracy, consider these additional benefits of human translation: 

• Humans do not simply translate the words - they capture the context as well.
• Where there's the creative use of language such as metaphors, sayings, and puns, you can expect humans to provide a figurative translation instead of a literal one.
• Human translators edit and proofread their work, ensuring the final product is presented in perfection. 

How do you determine that the translation is correctly done even though you don't speak the foreign language? It's simple - hire a good website translation firm. Trusted companies like GoTranscript vet and employ native speakers for each of the languages they specialize in. These translators are also constantly evaluated on their work, so you know you're in good hands. Additionally, a reliable firm makes sure to perform multiple levels of quality control before handing in a completed translation. 

Don't forget to read the testimonials from existing clients to gauge the quality of services offered. Reviews are the best way to determine if a company cares about what it's doing. 

3. Consider SEO

Search Engine Optimization is one of the most effective strategies to generate traffic to your website. SEO basically involves enriching content with phrases that people typically use when looking for related information. Human translation allows you to use keywords to their full potential, which you will not achieve with machine translation.

It has been proven that up to 90% of visitors landing on any given website arrive from search engines. Therefore, you are casting a wider net with every additional language you translate your website into. Now, you can expect to appear in more search results that are carried out in other languages.

If you want your business to grow, you need a strategy to reach out to people in other regions. A multi-language website translates into more visitors and ultimately into more customers. Let your website reflect your diversity by communicating with people in different parts of the world in their local language.

Speed Versus Quality

If you are trying to decide between an auto-translation and a professional translation company, consider how trustworthy you want your website to look. Firms like GoTranscript offer 100% human-generated translation services. Their translators are native speakers of the respective languages and do not merely translate words; they consider the content's structure and context, as well as language nuances. They then edit and proofread the resulting translation accordingly to ensure that clients receive only the highest quality of work. In addition to expert translators, they have in-house project managers to keep you updated on the progress of the job at hand.

Are you itching to go global? The only way to do that is by localizing your website content to match the language preferences of your target market. What are you waiting for? The world is your oyster. Get your website translated today!