Earlier today I came across an online article listing Search Engine Optimization tricks for translating your website. The article was helpful in parts – hosting the website in the target country and assuring that you have the right keywords in your translated site; and obvious in others – don’t get your cousin to translate your site if you need your site to be professional.
The topic got me thinking about website translation. I have done a lot of copywriting for websites and realized how many people get bogged down by trying to find the right wording in English, never mind another language.
A few pieces of advice I usually have for people wanting web content for commercial sites, should be observed when having your website translated as well.
1. Stay away from flowery language and complicated wording. Your website is not a technical manual, it’s an invitation to your product or service.
2. Be specific about what you do, and if you specialize in any area be sure to mention your expertise there.
3. Answer frequently asked questions. You can do this either on a FAQ page, or simply within the main site content. This seems like a no-brainer, but can actually require some real thinking.
One line of thinking goes: If we don’t post all the answers customers may be more inclined to phone thereby offering us the opportunity for personal interaction and greater opportunity for sales. I whole-heartedly disagree with this approach however. Because so much information is at our fingertips now, customers are far more likely to simply keep looking for the information, on someone else’s site. If translated, FAQ’s are a good place to localize your information to a particular region.
Any further thoughts on website translation, FAQ’s or localization? Send me an email at fainne@hummingbirdtranslations.com !
November 19, 2007 at 10:38 pm
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