When to translate your website and how much does it cost
The key to a successful international business, or a business that serves clients from all over the world, is to understand that not everyone can read or understand English that well. There are countries where English is not the lingua franca. If you translate your website, which is your store front in the internet, and be available in different languages can attract you a wider client base. Even if the clients do understand English, seeing their native language in your website makes them feel special. It sends the message that you do think of them, that you are interested in building and maintaining long-term relationships with them and not just short-term transactions. It says that you took the time and the money to translate your website when you didn’t have to. Clients will take that you can go the extra mile to cater to their needs in other ways as well.
Translate your website: how much does it cost
It doesn’t take much to get it done, but it’s not a simple process either. If you want to save on the cost of translation you can be selective about the pages you want translated. Choose only the ones you think clients would be interested in, such as the contact page, the ordering page and the good description page.
Do not use machine translation to translate your website even if the savings is attractive. As much as the machine translation programs have improved over the years, they still contain obvious errors. You risk irritating your clients with strange-sounding sentences.
It would also be good to invest in proofreading services, especially if the content of your website is technical. The translator you have picked may not be that proficient in the target language, it’s always a good idea to have it checked by a native. Even if the translator is a native expert of the target language in the first place, no one is infallible. The errors or oversights may only be minor but proofreading ensures that the final product is pleasing enough to impress your clients. Mistakes, however minor, can cause you to lose points with your client trust. If you’re going to spend on having your website translated, you might as well make sure that it is done well.
The final consideration is probably the most overlooked one. Can your website display the translation in the letters or characters of its language? You would probably need a web developer to ensure that it does but there are some website providers who already have multilingual support built in.
It may be unwieldy at first but you’ll see that the decision to translate your website would be the best one you’ll ever make. Another great decision would be to have a translation company do it for you, as they have the means to provide quality translation and localization services at a fair price.
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