08/11/2021
Website localisation: translate websites and online shops efficiently and effectively
Today, business and the possibilities it presents are endless. Making the most of these, however, poses a few challenges for international companies. One of them is communicating effectively in the target markets so that potential customers understand and feel understood, especially when the initial point of contact is the website and online shop. A website translation that just focuses on the text is not sufficient for this.
Formula for success: act global, get local
Whether we are talking about the website or e-commerce content, if the marketing translation is to be professional, the message and effect of the original must be preserved, but local specifics, cultural characteristics and conditions of the target market must be taken into account. We have already illustrated this with transcreation for campaigns and marketing materials. Now we turn our attention to localising websites and online shops, which is crucial for international companies to have successful marketing and which also involves much more than mere translation
What does website localisation mean and how does it differ from website translation?
A comprehensible and convincing website is crucially important for opening up the relevant target market. As a rule, this is the point at which the customer decides whether to make contact or not. In this context, the quality of the translation of a website or an online shop is a decisive factor in whether potential customers and business partners find their way to the company and its products.
Therefore, for website localisation, it is not enough to simply transfer the content of the individual texts from one language to another and create a website translation. Of course, the translation quality must be consistent, because it forms the basis of the text. Real and effective localisation builds on this and involves adapting all components of the content to the customs and language conventions of a country or region and its local audience.
Side note: Website or web page?
A short definition, because the terms “website” and “web page” are often used synonymously and it is not rare for them to get mixed up: both have their place but denote different things.
Website is comprised of the World Wide Web and site for place or location. Therefore, it is an internet or web presence – as it used to be called – that includes all the content behind a domain such as www.oneword.de.
A website usually consists of several individual web pages. Originally, this really meant individual book pages, the concept of which was transferred to hypertext documents or HTML pages on the World Wide Web, which are connected to each other via links.
So that we have covered all bases: there is also the homepage. This is the name of the website that is displayed first when a domain such as www.oneword.de is called up without adding an address extension, which is why it is called a homepage.
What does professional website localisation require?
Essentially, localisation means linguistically and culturally adapting the translation. First, the complete text (body text including expressions, forms of address etc., menus and menu selection, text passages such as page titles and directory names, as well as all meta descriptions and keywords, anchor texts of external and internal links and alt texts of images). This also includes SEO translation, which must ensure that an optimal search engine ranking is also achieved in the target languages.
Transferring picture motifs, symbolism or colours is no less decisive, because a brand’s visual identity is also perceived differently in each country. This becomes clear with the colour white alone, which in European countries stands for purity or peace, but in Asian countries for death or mourning.
Localisation also has a distinct technical component. For example, in addition to national differences in language use, “regional-technical” conditions, such as time and date information, temperatures, currencies and telephone number formats, must also be adapted. There are even more differences with online shops in particular. When it comes to clothing, for example, not only do units of measurement and clothing sizes have to be adapted, but the destination country’s cultural or religious norms also have to be taken into account.
In view of the complexity of the content, it should be noted that internationalisation and localisation begin before the actual translation or transfer. Good preparation alone is essential in order to avoid having to postpone deadlines or even launches.
As an initial project step, a comprehensive inventory is recommended in which all elementary factors are recorded and possible stumbling blocks for localisation are identified. It is important to check the processing paths and workflows in the CMS. The text’s structure and the keyword lists must be checked, and if necessary, an SEO analysis of the original page and source language is also required. Test procedures must be used to ensure that all texts and text elements are recorded. All image content, symbols and colours must be checked for their suitability for international markets.
The extent to which web content can be localised depends on the specific circumstances, on the individual products and services and on the desired integration and effect in the relevant cultural context.
However, in all cases, websites and online shops must be flawless in each language to be successful in other target countries and to open up their markets. They are usually the first point of contact and, accordingly, are the flagship of companies and brands. Therefore, website localisation must be complete and must be carried out for all text and graphic elements
What does website localisation with oneword involve?
Do you do multilingual marketing or international e-commerce? Are you responsible for websites and content and do you want to use them effectively in different languages? Then talk to us. Our localisation experts will be happy to advise you on sensible and effective measures and options.
8 good reasons to choose oneword.
Learn more about what we do and what sets us apart from traditional translation agencies.
We explain 8 good reasons and more to choose oneword for a successful partnership.