Translating websites - Surrey Translation Bureau

Your website is perhaps the most valuable tool at your company’s disposal. It’s the one place where you can present your offering in exactly the way you want users to see it.

So when it comes to entering a new market, recreating your website in the correct language is an obvious place to start. In fact, as Google only returns search results in the same language, it’s highly likely that unless your website has been translated, your prospective customers in another country won’t find you at all.

Yet, translating a website is more than just swapping words from one language to another. It’s about creating a seamless, engaging experience for users from different cultures and backgrounds. Getting the tone, word choice and idioms right can make a huge difference to your ability to engage your audience, build connections and entrench your brand in the new target market. And ultimately grow your business.

A good translation shows respect for your reader and that you care about the quality of your offering. But when it comes to translating a website or other marketing material, you need to connect with their hearts, minds and values too.

Understanding and respecting cultural nuances make your audience feel valued. When you take the time to get the details right, it builds a stronger connection. You may not get direct feedback along the lines of “Yes, I can see you are a German company who has adapted your message to suit me and my culture, here in Japan”.

Users either get it or they don’t. And they vote with their clicks.

Some things to consider

Perhaps it’s better to look at this as ‘adapting’, rather than ‘translating’ your website, especially when translating it for different cultures. Your marketing messages and slogans might need to be entirely different when adapted to a new language and culture, taking into account the following considerations:

Cultural nuances and contexts

• Different values and priorities: What resonates in one culture might not have the same impact in another. For instance, a message that highlights individual success might be great in Western cultures but might not connect as well in cultures that prioritise community and family.

• Cultural references: Straplines often use specific cultural references, idioms or humour. These elements might not translate well or could be completely misunderstood in another culture. A joke or pun that is funny in English could be confusing, nonsensical or even offensive in another language.

Linguistic differences

Idiomatic expressions: Idioms and phrases are deeply tied to language and culture. A direct translation often loses the original meaning or impact. For example, KFC’s English strapline ‘Finger-lickin’ good’ didn’t work in Chinese because a literal translation ‘eat your fingers off’ didn’t resonate well. Professional translators use a more creative approach known as transcreation, combining their language skills with marketing and copywriting expertise to achieve a natural approach that retains brand voice but speaks in a way that resonates with the new audience.
Tone and style: The tone of a website can vary significantly between languages. Some languages may prefer a more formal tone, while others lean towards a casual or humorous approach. Adapting to fit the preferred tone can result in a completely different expression.

Marketing strategies and brand positioning

Different market positions: A brand might have a different market position in various countries. The translated website needs to reflect how the brand is perceived and positioned in each market. For instance, a brand seen as luxurious in one country might be marketed as affordable and practical in another.

Target audience preferences: The preferences and expectations of the target audience can vary widely. Content that appeals to young, trendy consumers in one market might need to be rephrased to appeal to a more conservative audience in another, with a knock-on effect on imagery and colour palettes, that in turn must reflect the accompanying text.
Localised SEO: Although some of your keywords could be translated directly, it’s important to work through the same cultural and idiomatic considerations as for your web copy. Using the right keywords and idiomatic expressions relevant to the target audience can drive more organic traffic to your site.
Expanding Your Market: Effective translation helps you reach new audiences. When potential customers can easily navigate and understand your site, they’re more likely to engage with your brand.

Legal and ethical considerations

Avoiding misinterpretation: Sometimes web content might need to be changed to avoid unintended negative connotations or misunderstandings. What might be a harmless phrase in one language could have a completely different and potentially offensive meaning in another.
Compliance with local regulations: Advertising regulations differ from country to country. Certain words or claims that are acceptable in one market might be restricted or require specific disclaimers in another.

Although these considerations stretch across the new market strategy as a whole, unlike things like pricing (where local benchmarking is relatively straightforward), they require in depth understanding of the new market if the web content is going to hit exactly the right note.

But done well, a successful adaptation of your website and marketing collateral can enable your brand to successfully find its own natural space in the new market and positively impact overall profitability.

Choosing a translator

It’s important to choose a translator who has marketing expertise – and who knows your industry.

Translators with a background in marketing understand how to craft persuasive and compelling content. They can ensure that your translated messages are not just accurate, but also impactful, driving engagement and conversions.

But your professional translator should also be knowledgeable in your specific field, whether technology, healthcare or finance. They will be confident in adapting industry-specific terminology and can convey complex concepts clearly and accurately, ensuring your content remains authoritative and credible, as well as engaging and compelling.
For the best results, the translator should translate into their native language as they will understand the nuances of their language and culture. Collaborating with them ensures your translations are natural and accurate and hold true to your brand voice and values.

A word of caution on translation tools: although, they can be helpful in achieving a rough translation, they are not suitable for adapting marketing copy. Automated translations often miss cultural and idiomatic nuances in a way that a human native speaker will not.

Getting tone, word choice, and idioms right when translating marketing material isn’t just important – it’s crucial. It impacts user experience, builds trust, preserves your brand’s identity and helps you reach a global audience. By focusing on these elements and working with experts in marketing and subject-specific fields, you can create content that truly resonates with users worldwide, fostering stronger connections and driving business success.

If you’re thinking about translating your website or marketing material, the team at Surrey Translation Bureau will be happy to help.