Ultimate Guide to Facing the Challenges of Website Translation and Localisation
Whether you’re a small business owner or a marketing professional from a big corporation, you may know that having a multilingual website is essential when looking to expand. How else could your brand transcend the invisible borders of the internet? And while this is a vital step within your overall strategy, it can be challenging in multiple ways. But don’t panic. With this guide, you’ll gain insight into what you need to know to prepare right on time, from common challenges to the right solutions to make the website translation and localisation of your website happen. Ready to dive in?
A Quick Intro: What’s Your Part in the Process
Let’s start with an example to better understand the situation.
Your car is making a funny noise, so you take it for repair. The diagnosis is this or that, and the possible solution is the mechanic doing something that you probably don’t fully understand by replacing pieces that you might only have heard about.
Does this guarantee that the diagnosis was correct or complete? Will the solution they are offering you nip the problem in the bud? Hard to reply, right?
This is not to make you suddenly paranoid or distrustful. Rather, it’s to show you that by knowing more about the process and how to describe what you require, the more accurate the support you’ll find. Following the example, if you know a bit about how the engine works (even if it’s just the names of key components) or the symptoms that afflict it, the better you’ll be able to describe what’s going on. Or have a clearer understanding of what the expert should do to solve the problem and to what extent you should be involved.
With website translation and localisation, it’s no different. Doing so it’s not exactly a child’s game, so we think that the best way to translate a website is getting expert help. However, you’ll still have your own challenges to sort out, and you’ll need to know about the tools and the process. And that’s why we are here.
#OptimationalTip: We hosted a webinar on how to successfully manage a website translation project, and this blog post is perfect for that session. In it, we went point by point through the process, revealed the benefits, and more. Check it out! The recording is available to watch on demand.
Website Translation and Localisation Challenges—And Possible Ways to Overcome Them
Here’s a list of the most common challenges (that you might need to face) and some suggested solutions or ideas to prevent them from happening.
#1 Linguistic Hurdles
One of the most significant quests for international expansion is navigating the linguistic hurdles. This includes not only accurately translating all your website content, but also ensuring that the language and tone of the website align with the cultural norms and expectations of the target audience. Additionally, some languages may require more space to convey the same message, which can present formatting issues.
Overcoming these hurdles requires a deep understanding of the grammar and syntax of the source and target languages (and more specifically, their variants.) But also, an understanding of the cultures, habits, customs, and belief systems of the people who communicate through them.
On the other hand, it’s also critical that the content feels fresh. As you know, no languages remain stagnant: They evolve to adapt to the changing times of their users. And that’s why your translated content should evoke the idea of contemporary, not only in the information but also in their way of expressing.
How to Solve It?
Partner with expert linguists that carry out a curated and efficient process for quality checks. By working with a translation agency, you’ll be sure they’ll assign your project to native professionals of each language. Moreover, the content will go through editing and proofreading, so that when you receive the translation, it’d be ready to live on your site.
#2 Content That Becomes Irrelevant
Another challenge is the risk of translating content that becomes irrelevant to your new audiences. Let’s take an example. Netflix has a vast library of films and series from around the world, right? However, not all content is equally available everywhere. Moreover, there are regional productions that are only popular in their country of origin.
Would it make sense for Netflix to translate, for example, the description of a film that it can’t offer in your place? Or even promote it on their dedicated social networks per country? Not only would it be pointless, but it would be a waste of time and money.
Another instance where original content can become irrelevant is when it uses familiar references from the source culture. These may be the use of regional case examples, information from local news portals, or from popular, though not international, people. Moreover, the usage of metaphors, slang, etc.
How to Solve It?
The website translation and localisation process is about adapting as much as possible. As long as it flows and doesn’t feel artificial. Therefore, first analyse whether the entire content is irrelevant or if it’s a matter of, i.e., just a paragraph. In case it’s the whole text, you can exclude it from the translation project. Later on, you can consider crafting a different and more appealing material.
Presupposing the issue lies only in a piece of the text, leave it to the localisation services professionals. If there’s a phrase that has no equivalent, they’ll look for another way to convey the same message. Additionally, they’ll be able to employ references that resonate with your new audience.
#3 Website Translation and Localisation for SEO Features
Up to this point, talking about the importance of optimisation for a business pursuing international expansion is almost old-fashioned. In fact, multilingual SEO has become such a buzzword that every company that aims for an online presence should master its essentials to succeed.
But the thing is that when translating your website content, you aren’t just copying and pasting your SEO strategy—so it can keep working in a new market as it originally did.
I’m sorry, my friend, but that’s not how it works. Your local strategy is exactly that: Local. Now you need an international one, that is the sum of different regional efforts. Furthermore, it has to be monitored and updated per language separately over time.
In other words: People have distinct usage patterns and online habits, resulting in different ways of searching for information. And failure to develop a new local strategy (for each language variety and region) can affect your website’s overall visibility and ranking.
How to Solve It?
Look for SEO translation and localisation experts and establish a fruitful collaboration: You’ll need their know-how regularly. They can perform multilingual keyword research (based on language, region, and variety), localise the hyperlinks and titles, translate the meta descriptions, excerpts, and alternative texts, and more. Moreover, they can help you to enhance the reach of your multimedia resources, such as podcasts, videos, etc.
In case you have a dedicated Marketing Team within your company, they can do that by themselves. However, unless they’re a team of polyglots, we’d suggest you invest your time and budget where you know it’ll pay off in the long run.
#OptimationalTip: Finding a great website translation and localisation partner is key. One that’s well-versed in SEO has experience in your business type and industry, and it’s willing to provide you with a tailored made solution to what you need.
#4 Need for a Wider Service Portfolio
Typically, the idea of doing something new involves the most general aspects. And when the time comes, we start noticing new aspects that didn’t seem to be there at the beginning.
Speaking about your website translation project means that your first consideration is probably just translating the texts; however, you might need to go a bit further to exclude any important aspect or material that your brand has to offer.
For example, are you currently featuring videos on your site? It could be recordings of webinars, conferences, interviews, product descriptions, industry insights, etc. If you’re doing so, you can’t forget these types of content! In order to give them the international push and make them available for foreign audiences, you may need subtitling or dubbing solutions.
Another example would be the need for DTP services to re-arrange the visual aspects. As you might know, when translating content, some languages take up more room than others, and vice versa. When that happens, it’s vital to work on the formatting.
How to Solve It?
First, take the time to analyse all the content types that are encompassed in your website. Do you feature podcasts, eBooks, and infographics? Is the content you want to translate only written material? Moreover, consider the external materials that can benefit from a multilingual approach, such as PPC ads.
Once you clearly understand what you have in store and what you intend to translate, work on setting a priority list. Finally, search for a reliable partner that offers a broad portfolio of linguistic solutions (that is, more than localisation services.) This way, you’ll be sure to have everything covered—even the things you don’t need right now but might in the future.
#5 Failures in the Process
Last but definitely not least, website translation and localisation is a complex and iterative process that involves multiple stakeholders and stages. With so many moving parts, there’s always a risk of failures during the process, such as missed deadlines, inconsistent translations, or technical glitches. And we’re talking about all aspects of the project, not only the linguistic ones.
A typical error is not knowing who is responsible for each part. This can lead to redundant work, unclear expectations, double work, and poor decision-making. Having two or more people responsible for the same task can be as harmful as having none. The progress can be clunky, steps disorganised, and efforts in vain.
All the above-mentioned can also result in bigger hurdles, such as loss of important documentation, inaccurate monitoring, and so on.
How to Solve It?
You can start by preventing the problem from arising! For that, you should set up a detailed process where you can list the standard steps, the people involved, and the tasks to carry out. Furthermore, establish specific communication channels and clarify for what purposes.
Set realistic timelines—it’d be awesome to translate everything in all languages in one day. But, is that even possible? Make sure to include small milestones throughout the process so that you can measure the process and make timely adjustments.
Last, prepare the documents and tools you might need: Style guides, brand manuals, glossaries, etc.
#OptimationalTip: You won’t be able to prevent everything, so make room for flexibility. As a soft skill, but also as an asset. It will help you turn every stumble into a chance for improvement.
Wrapping Up: Get Ready for Going Places With Website Translation and Localisation
An international site with content available for all the specific audiences you’re trying to reach is essential to get a foothold in new markets and becoming competitive when new players are on the scene. However, to make it a reality, you should first navigate through multiple challenges, each of them equally important but from a wide distinct nature.
It can be daunting, yes. That’s why we truly believe that the best way to translate a website is by working with experienced professionals who can guide you through the process. With their expertise, you can ensure an accurate translation with culturally relevant content. Not to mention fully optimised results, with localised texts, for a seamless and compelling experience.
Your website is your window to the world, so don’t leave its translation to chance.
If you’re ready to unlock your brand’s true potential and make your website go places, contact us today. Our linguistic solutions can support your international growth.