{"id":2853,"date":"2022-10-03T16:17:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-03T16:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edittranslations.com\/7-tips-for-translating-a-website\/"},"modified":"2023-07-07T11:01:55","modified_gmt":"2023-07-07T11:01:55","slug":"7-tips-for-translating-a-website","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edittranslations.com\/fr\/7-tips-for-translating-a-website\/","title":{"rendered":"7 tips for translating a website"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Are you thinking about translating your website<\/strong>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether you want to respond to the newly developed consumer demands or expand onto international markets, you know that a multilingual presence is essential.  (Just in case you need any convincing, you can read about why it is a good idea in my blog post<\/a> here.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choose your target market<\/strong> wisely<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before you even start looking for a translation service provider, you need to know your target market<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using tools such as Google Analytics will help you determine which countries and languages will bring you the most sales. For a more comprehensive list of tips on identifying markets and the best product-market fit I recommend this article<\/a> by Nataly Kelly, VP Localisation at Hubspot, where she says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou want to ideally choose markets where you\u2019ll have a high degree of success. This means you want countries where you can achieve product-market fit \u2014 but ideally, without having to make too many significant adjustments to your product or your go-to-market strategy.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the difference between translation and localisation? <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When launching your website on a new market, you will actually need to \u00ab\u00a0localise\u00a0\u00bb it, not translate it. So let’s look at these two terms? What’s the difference and does it matter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Translation will transfer the meaning of your content into another language. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what is localisation?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The term \u201clocalisation\u201d actually comes from the term \u201clocale\u201d, which refers to the combination of the language a user speaks and the place they are from. So, in other words, it is making something appropriate for a given locale<\/strong>. It deals with the technical needs of each locale such as postal addresses, currency, pricing, units of measurement. It also means culturally adapting<\/strong> the text, making it appropriate for the target audience. For example, if your website is in American or British English, your CTA (call-to-action) will probably be too firm and compelling in France, where a subtler and softer message is necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to translate a website – 7 practical tips<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, you are ready to embark on the website translation journey and you want to entrust your content to a professional linguist. Now what?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are my 7 tips for translating a website (or rather, localising it):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. How will we work together? <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will be our processes and tools?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Word or Excel files<\/strong> <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

If you create all the new content for the website in MS Word, this will mean a rather simple process for the translator. They will process the files in Word or in their CAT (computer-aided translation) tool for consistency purposes and send them back in the same format. However, (a BIG \u201chowever\u201d), this means that your web design team or firm will have to insert all the bilingual content into your page templates. Then your QA staff will have to proofread every single source page, and the translator can proofread every single target language page. This is laborious and time-consuming. Do not run the risk of having the words translated, rather than the overall message. Make sure that you share the context with the translator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"7-tips-for-translating-a-website-same<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

With a plugin such as TranslatePress we can immediately see how the translation fits on a page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Translating directly in a CMS<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

If the website is in WordPress or Squarespace, it can be helpful to use a plugin like TranslatePress (picture above) or WPML. The translator can work in the front end of the website and no one has to paste text. We can immediately see how the text fits on the page. The French language is longer than English and this method can quickly flag any placement or font and box size issues. It saves time but can also add another technical layer to the project, so you need to be comfortable with it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"7-tips-for-translating-a-website-same
The same text box length can vary in different languages<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Complex releases<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

If you want to run your website in several languages and manage multiple updates, a proper localisation management tool will be a worthy investment (such as Lokalise or Phrase). <\/strong>Not only you can see and edit your translated text in real time, directly in the front-end, but without it, managing the translation workflows in spreadsheets would be a logistical nightmare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Who will proofread and QA your site? <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will the translator do it or do you have linguistic resources at your end? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If it is the translator, ask for the cost upfront<\/strong>. It may be a separate item on their quote, or it may be built in their hourly rate (check that). The entire site must be proofread before it goes live. QA is vital:<\/strong> if you think that having a typo in a document is bad, how embarrassing will it be if there are typos on your website for the whole world to see! Your top-notch products will not look professional. And do not think that only linguists laugh at language mistakes. The media is full of photos and articles, written by clients, about embarrassing goofs in museums, famous tourist attractions or on e-commerce sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.<\/strong> Do you have a style guide or a glossary?<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you translate a website, it is important that the new language version carries the same appeal and style<\/strong> (e.g. friendly and relaxed or formal and professional). When we talk about formality, we also need to talk about inclusiveness. Consider your audience\u2019s age, background and business environments. Deciding between the formal or informal<\/strong> \u201cyou\u201d in certain languages \u2014 \u201cvous\u201d in French, \u201cdu\u201d in German or \u201ct\u00fa\u201d in Spanish \u2014 will allow you to convey an inclusive, clear, and courteous<\/strong> style. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a translator is part of your localisation team (e.g. working with QA staff on your site), sharing these guidelines and technical terms with everyone involved will help to keep the terminology consistent. And if you make further updates, next time these resources will make the website translation process faster and more accurate (not to mention the eternal gratitude from your chosen translator\ud83d\ude0a). You can find more details about style guides and glossaries in this article<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. What about images?<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They say a picture can be worth a thousand words. And it is true! In the era of digital marketing, imagery plays a part so important that it would be your loss to ignore it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly: are your images still appropriate for the culture that you are targeting? Your translator’s advice here can be crucial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make sure all images have appropriate translations and that they have been adapted to fit the local culture because they may carry different meanings. Additionally, links, headers, and titles should not break when users switch between languages, so including this in your QA process is vital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. What will happen after?<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, you have a new, shiny webpage in Spanish, French or Polish. Congratulations! Your multilingual website is likely (let\u2019s hope!) to generate inquiries from people reading the site in languages other than the original. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What now? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How will you follow up on inquiries in other languages?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you sell physical products, maybe this isn\u2019t much of a consideration. A multilingual ordering interface will simply allow clients to place orders in their language that are then fulfilled like any other order. Even then, you may get questions from your potential clients about the technical details or features of your products. But what if your business is a hotel, a spa or a ski resort? What happens when you start getting reservation inquiries in French? Will the French website create a demand for French-speaking staff, and can you fill that demand?<\/strong> This is where continuous support and relationship with a freelance translator might help.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Prioritise<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You received some quotes, but in the end you think you can’t afford a translator. Before you decide to quit and go with a free tool, consider some other options:<\/p>\n\n\n\n