Online shopping is now more prevalent than ever.  Millions of dollars are spent each day on everything from special-occasion purchases to common household goods.  E-commerce shows no sign of slowing down, and as the online community becomes increasingly globalized, the potential for expanding to an international market through translation services should not be ignored. 

If you own an e-commerce site, don’t be on the naughty list this year.  Treat yourself and your customers to professional translation and localization services this holiday.

Why localize your website?  

– If you translate your website, you expand the presence of your brand and products outside the borders of your own country, language, and culture, and you stand to gain considerable amounts of visibility and revenue.  You will also become more familiar with your potential clients’ needs, and have a greater understanding of how to meet those needs with products and services. 

– Using a professional Translation company ensures an accurate copy that will make your new clients feel right at home on your page.  This includes vital elements of your site such as customer support pages and product descriptions.  Professional Translators that are Native speakers of the target language, intimately familiar with not only the subtleties of that language but the culture surrounding it, provide a high level of support in this area.  

– A team of Professional translators and localization engineers, with experience and skill in localization, will not only make your website easy to use but help you customize your clients’ experience with their intimate familiarity with the target culture.  Does your target market respond more positively to text-heavy pages or do they prefer graphics?  Will you get more sales with a high excitement factor or with a more subdued attitude?  Excluding certain products, brands, and images must also be considered to make the customer feel at home and avoid giving offense or touching on a sensitive matter. For example: while working with a clothing retailer translating and localizing their e-commerce site, our Translation company noticed a military vest that was named in a way that would be sensitive for Germany, due to World War II.  We advised the retailer to change the names of the vest to avoid controversy.

– Your new clients will notice how easy it is to navigate your site and make purchases in their own language.  Reviews from the international community in multiple languages will also greatly elevate your image and attract other visitors in search engines. 

– Professional translation and localization of your website help you take advantage of the vast amounts of consumer activity surrounding international holidays. Outside of Christmas time, there are other holidays around the world that different cultures celebrate through exchanging of gifts or preparing their houses to receive their loved ones and friends. For instance, the first Sunday of August in India is Friendship Day, celebrated by exchanging cards and gifts.  Australia has its own version of Cyber Monday called “Click Frenzy,” with multitudes of promotions.  The Chinese New Year also called the Spring Festival, is an immensely popular celebration lasting multiple days.  The dates vary but usually fall in January or February. 

– When your website is localized to a variety of different languages and cultures, your brand looks smarter and stronger, with a sharper edge and good standing against the competition. 

More complex than the translation of documents

Translating a website is an important and complex task that requires planning, time and budgeting.  It involves analyzing technical options and selecting the best workflow for translation and publishing of the new content on your website and e-commerce site.

There are best practices and different elements to consider when writing source content that is expected to be used in a website translation, like selecting your audience, the proper language dialect and many other considerations that are frequently addressed in this translation blog under the category- website Translation.

Wrap(ping) it all up

The most important goal is to remember that you want to gain not only the customer’s business but their trust.  You can do that by speaking directly to them and using a professional Translation company with experience, technology, and know-how that will take your message exactly where it needs to go and place you firmly on your clients’ nice list.