When brands and companies want to expand internationally, translating their websites into the languages of their respective sales regions is an inevitable step. The fact that the content is translated into the language of the market in which it is developed not only increases the effectiveness of the offer due to a significant increase in the number of visitors and interested people, but also for ranking in search engine results. It also meets the basic requirements of desired market.
What methods can I use?
There are three common main methods you can use to translate and localize your website. Here's what you need to know:
Method 1: Copy/paste-based translation
Copy/paste is one of the easiest ways to translate a website because it doesn't require any additional technology on your website and is relatively easy to use. Using this technique, webmasters copy each phrase or expression into a Google Sheet. The Google Sheet is then shared with translators, who add the required translations. The new text will be copied and pasted onto the new localized page of your website.
Method 2: Plugin-based translation
Plugin-based translation is primarily used in CMS or e-commerce applications such as Shopify, BigCommerce, WordPress, Drupal, WIX and other similar apps. The advantage of plugin-based translation is that you can share access to your website with the translation provider and have them translate the text on your website directly. Therefore, all updates are performed in real time without interruption.
Method 3: Dynamic content-based translation
Dynamic Content Translation takes everything a step further by allowing translators to translate content using a visual editor on your website instead of manually creating and uploading files. This method improves the quality of localized content. The syntax and context of the translation match the original language almost 100%. From a webmaster's perspective, this is the easiest method and allows you to do virtually everything, including publishing, on the Translator cloud network.
What should I pay attention to when translating a website?
Website translations must be flawless, fluent, and adapted to the target group. There can be many differences in language and cultural nuances between countries, so these must be taken into account when translating. Additionally, digital and marketing communications often include slogans, sayings, and calls to action, which can be very difficult to translate.
Therefore, a professional translator specializing in website translation is the only expert who can capture all the nuances of the language and adapt it to the target audience.
The 5 most common mistakes related to translation
When it comes to website translation, there are plenty of resources for DIY enthusiasts. But still, translating a website is harder than you think, and a poorly translated website can be damaging to your brand and business. Here are five common website translation mistakes that can scare off your customers.
1. I trusted Google Translate, but the website is full of translation errors.
Machine translation has improved significantly over the past decade, but it's still not completely secure. Free online translation tools still often produce awkward and unintelligible expressions, as well as grammatical and vocabulary mistakes.
2. The layout was lost during translation.
Different languages have different ways of filling the page horizontally and sometimes vertically. This means that design often needs to be considered during translation.
3. Forget about multilingual SEO.
This is one of the most common website translation mistakes, and one of the most serious. Multilingual SEO often requires more than just the text that users see on a page to be translated. Fields such as meta tags and description should also be optimized for the target language.
4. I forgot to translate the form.
You probably spend a lot of resources trying to convince your visitors. Don't sabotage this effort by providing them with unreadable contact, sign-up, and payment forms.
5. Just translate without considering locale.
Start by translating text on your site from one language to another. However, that is often not enough. To understand how cultural differences affect your audience, you need to consider cultural differences. Localizing your website is more than just translating text, it allows you to more effectively target customers in your desired market.
How much does it cost to have my website translated by a translation company?
There are several factors that affect the cost of website translation. At Alphatrad, we work with many customers who ask similar questions every week. It is difficult to give an estimate without specific information. Website translation costs range from DKK 700 for 500 words on your website to Japanese, to a few thousand DKK for a product description.
You should consider the following factors that can affect the price:
Word count Homepage theme Related languages Deadline Additional services (SEO, glossary, video subtitle creation, etc.)
Now that you know how to calculate the cost of website translation, planning to grow your business with a multilingual website should be easy. Choose a translation company that is open and honest about website translation turnaround times and offers translation technology and integrations to help you reach new international markets faster.
Would you like to know more about how much website translation costs? Welcome to contact us to get a personal offer.
