Are you looking to expand your business and reach new customers for increased revenue and sales? As ambitious as it may sound, you should also put ample thought into your localization strategy, particularly into the website localization process and best practices. Website localization is not just about website translation into another language but also encompasses website internationalization, adapting to local culture, user interface and SEO adaptation, and designing web pages.
In this article, we have discussed some of the essential elements of the website localization strategy and laid out some best practices to upgrade your multilingual website.
Website Translation and Localization: What’s the Difference?
Website translation is associated with the use of words, whereas website localization is more about how the product or service resonates with the people. In the simplest terms, website translation helps break linguistic barriers, and website localization helps overcome cultural differences.
Let’s dig deeper into these aspects to understand when and why they’re used differently.
When to Translate or Localize
As the world has become more interconnected through the internet and mobile connections, international users want to consume content in their local language. Only about 25% of the world’s population speaks English. To tap into this market of native language speakers, you need to set up a localized website to attract users.
But a simple word-by-word translation may not sit right with users from other parts of the world. You need to appeal to their cultural context. With the right content localization strategy, you can ensure that your products/services are marketed right and increase website traffic from the target markets.
Why Translate or Localize
The demand for different languages is growing stronger every day. Translating content can help grow your online presence and help you find new international users.
On the other hand, localizing your website can help enhance customer experience on your localized website, which, in turn, would help retain customers.
However, you should consider machine translation services with a human translation backup to ensure that your translated content is error-free and not mistranslated. Hiring professional translators may help in your translation process.
Website Internationalization vs Localization
Website internationalization may sound the same as website localization, but the concepts are quite different in their approaches.
Both form a part of a company’s globalization strategy, and good development of both is essential for success. Localization meets a specific region or locale’s lingual, cultural, and other requirements.
On the one hand, internationalization creates a framework supporting different languages and regions, and localization involves customizing the software or application for a specific target market or region.
Importance of Website Content Localization
Website localization is the process of adapting your website to the different languages in the international markets so that the target audience feels comfortable with the localized site.
One of the biggest aspects of the website localization process is translating the website content into the same language as spoken by the target audience. But there are other areas covered under localization.
Website localization efforts can include adjusting what the website talks about or the references made in the content, as well as changes in number formats, currencies, and more.
Benefits of Website Localization Strategy
Implementing a content localization strategy to your website can have several benefits.
First and foremost, it creates a better user experience for people from different regions worldwide.
It may not matter much to you if you’re targeting a single area or one language. But websites or businesses span multiple regions speaking multiple languages, so localization can help you offer a great user experience to your visitors.
Apart from this, localization can help you reach untapped and new markets to connect with more visitors.
When you localize your content, you can consider a search engine rankings strategy to start connecting with more visitors in search engines. When you combine localization efforts with your SEO strategy, you can greatly increase traffic to your website.
Website Localization: 10 Key Steps to Take Your Website Global
Here are ten best practices in website localization that will put you ahead of the competition in the new markets.
Don’t Hesitate to Launch the Multilingual Website
Don’t wait to start your website localization project. There are so many potential customers that all you need to do is decide to start your website localization project. The more local markets you select, the more likely you are to profit.
Prepare for Global Expansion
The best time for website localization is while selecting a content management system (CMS). With a CMS that suits your needs, localizing your website can become smoother with room for internationalization. But when selecting language, remember to incorporate language locale as well; it can make all the difference for the users.
Launch Easily Updatable Multilingual Website
When you’re building a multilingual website, ensure that the localized version can be updated easily without altering the previously translated content. This can make updates smooth and easily integrable.
Allow Website Integrations with Translation Tools
Integrating your CMS directly with your translation service provider’s translation software will help you update content into multiple languages at once with minimal effort. Translation software can store segments in a language pair-based database called Translation Memory (TM). The TM allows the reuse of information, which ensures that the same information is translated as well on the product description page as on the main page.
Choosing Localization Experts
It goes without saying that to ensure optimal website localization, you should choose a localization service provider wisely who can integrate CMS directly with their translation tools and optimize your localization process or build a new one.
Graphics and Video Localization
It is a commonly overlooked area. When localizing your website, remember the visuals while assigning content for translation.
Localize Pricing
Remember to convert prices into the currency that your buyers use, as well as the payment methods commonly accepted in a region.
Flexible Formatting Design
Be ready to change the font or to slightly reduce the amount of information, or to formulate it differently. This is done to ensure that the website encoding supports local special characters, which brings you closer to providing a website that reads well.
Adapt to the Local Culture
Website localization is all about adapting the culture and language of a local region. When localizing content, make sure to be aware of how you address the users. An informal tone may not have much difference among English speakers, while the same thing may come off as rude to users who speak other languages.
Ask for a Transparent Translation Review Workflow
Finally, check the translated content. You can do this by in-country review, which would give better credibility to your content and can be verified easily.
Get Started with Your Website Localization Strategy Today
Your website localization process should incorporate elements that reach visitors in different languages and locales; it’s important that you have a website localization strategy in place. With the best practices that we have shared here, we hope you have a successful website localization experience and bring in more revenue than ever!
At Lingual Consultancy, we pride ourselves on being a dependable solution for website localization. Our services guarantee both accuracy and affordability, ensuring that your localization needs are met with precision while granting you access to a global audience.
