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Merely offering a software translated version of your website to readers of a specific language group is not sufficient to ensuring you have actually met their localization needs. How is it then that your site will be received with the same level of enthusiasm as is the case with your usual English readers?
You need to pay special attention to several factors, culture being the most important one. Culture is without doubt the driving force behind the understanding and use of all languages. It is integral to the way in which people respond to any message you may endeavor to transmit through your website.
Take for example the use of humor in our language. A snappy line or sentence used for the purposes of invoking a pleasant reaction in your readers will most likely not have the same desired impact in another language. Simply put it may not even be as funny as you intend it to be. Worse still is if it results in offending your visitors who are for the most part defined by their cultural upbringing and backgrounds.
In English we are able to say the same things in an unlimited variety of ways. The same is true of all other languages. For instance, you may sometimes need to be professional in your words? perhaps your target market is a business oriented crowd. Other times you could be more relaxed in the language you use, by employing a bit of slang, as would be the case if your audience was of a younger variety.
Another area of concern is how people interpret figures of speech. You do not expect readers to get the deeper meanings of a particular phrase or metaphor that is commonly understood by English readers.
In fact learning some new figures of speech from another language will actually go a long way to enhancing how visitors in a target language group appreciate the content you are delivering to them. This is essential as the last thing you want is to create a negative perception in the minds of your website's visitors.
So keep these things in mind when looking at translating your website. The last thing you want is for the incorrect usage of a language to spoil your audience's understanding of what your company is all about.
Your best bet is to partner with an agency, with a native speaker of the language you want to make accessible to your visitors. And also to take out some time to learn more about the cultural influences behind the language of your target audience.
Authored by the editorial team at Beer Club Guide.com, where beer lovers can find the top beer clubs.
Photo by Carl Morris at flickr.com, highlighting EasyJet.com's website localization language and flag selection. |
