Localisation/translating your website/…
Do what with my website?
First things first, why would you want to translate your website? Half the world speaks English anyway, right? In today’s ‘globalised’ society, clients are increasingly outsourcing commissions abroad in search of the best provider. If potential customers cannot even understand your home page, nine out of ten will click straight past you to someone who has had the forward-thinking to make their webpage more accessible. Even if you’re the best person for the job. Contrary to common belief, tapping into this potential market needn’t be time-consuming or expensive. Plus, doing so will enhance your image to overseas and home clients alike as a modern, international player proactively catering for every need.
The details…
Before anything else, you will need to think carefully about how much of your website you want to translate and the language(s) you will provide. You might just give an idea of what you offer through an alternative home page and possibly a couple of main links. Or you may opt for a version of the entire website. Be practical – having your website in Zulu or Gaelic might be appealing, but it’s unlikely to win you many potential clients. Your energy would probably be better spent adding German or French to inject an online presence in those search engines. A few well-chosen keywords will get you the clicks you need. Then your images can speak for themselves!
Remember to make clients aware of your actual linguistic capabilities, or include provision for communicating when they get in touch. No point wowing them with your perfect Polish website if you can’t then understand their requirements or give them a quote! Similarly, don’t be misleading with your translated page. Nothing will annoy visitors more than finding a wonderfully translated homepage, only to discover that all the links go back to English content pages.
Bring on the translation!
Now that you’ve planned what’s to be translated and how, there are several ways to tackle the translation itself. We’ll outline a couple of the main ones below.
* Do it yourself. If you happen to speak a (relevant – see above) foreign language, this is the simplest way, and gives you the most control over what the translated version says. If you plan on an extensive amount of translation, however, do make sure you have the time to invest in it. Also, only attempt this if you really are fluent in the language concerned, including any industry-specific vocab. Even native speakers make mistakes; anything less and your text is guaranteed to sound unnatural. At worst it will be totally unintelligible.
* Computer Assisted Translation (CAT) tools. These vary a great deal, from commercial software such as STL Trados to online translators such as Google Translate. The latter group is likely to be the one of use to you, and we’ve put a list of some of the better-known apps below. One idea is to try the url translation box in the Google’s tool, for an instant version of your website in almost any language. (Caution: this WILL need revising!)
* Call in the professionals. Getting a professional translator to tackle your webpage saves you the time and hassle of doing it yourself, as well as providing a contact for summarising any foreign-language correspondence you receive. You can contact translation agencies for recommendations. Ask about experience and qualifications to help find the right person for you – a specialisation in your area would also help. Check if they use CAT tools such as Trados or Déjavu – among other things you may be able to negotiate a better rate and a quicker deadline as these can cut out a lot of the more tedious parts of translation. You can cut costs further by simply getting them to redraft an online translation or proofread a later draft.
* Phone a friend. Whether it be proofreading or helping with the initial translation, make use of your native-speaker contacts, especially if they understand your area.
So there you have our brief guide to translating your website. Contact us if you have any questions. Good luck!
Guest Writer: Tamara Bloom
All content © 2010 by Acuity Designs
In my oppinion you are great author!I’m in this business since 1999,but many people hava no clue on how to start website translation.Thanks!
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