Do I need to translate every page of my website?

Top Tips from Iwona Lebiedowicz, founder of PAB Languages Centre

A multilingual website engages new audiences and opens the opportunity to become visible across international search engines. However, it is a common belief that to successfully engage international audiences you must translate every single page on your website, but is this true? While there is some truth to this statement, adopting a more considered approach to website localisation may save your business time and a considerable amount of money. Today we explore how choosing the right translation methods can engage global markets within your marketing budget.

Consider what content you want to localise and why?

Getting your website translated and localised may seem like the first step to gaining global visibility. So, should you do that? The answer depends entirely upon your chosen route to market.

If you supply directly to the end user in your target market, having a comprehensive multilingual website is essential. 56 per cent of consumers said the ability to get information in their native language is even more important than price. But it’s not just about translating your content and product descriptions, localisation goes much, much further, and ensures the investment you’ve made in your website gives you the growth you want.

If you sell only through your overseas trading partners, localising the main landing pages on your website will show your commitment to your new partners, giving them the reassurance, they can trust you, your products, and services. In today’s competitive market where excellent customer service and credibility both count almost as much as price, getting the customer experience right from the outset is essential. Invest in localising the most important pages first, for example, the pages that are performing best right now or pages that are most relevant. Also, some of your blog posts might not be relevant at all to the audience you are reaching with your translated website.

If you typically export via agents or distributors, then, it is only necessary to have one link on your website (in the relevant language or with a local flag) which takes the customer to your representative’s website. In that way, the customer can ask questions of your local representative about products, prices, and availability, in the local language. You should ensure that your representative is well-equipped with a selection of good quality photographs and technical data for each product. However, if you are planning to supply directly to the end user in your target market, then it would make sense to translate all or most of your website (the important pages) – as long as you have people who are qualified to answer any questions that may result, in the local language. If your website is in the customer’s language, they will of course expect you to answer questions in that language.

The magic of keywords

So, you’ve chosen the most important pages for translation, but now it’s time to consider international SEO. For those wondering – International SEO refers to a process of optimising your digital content so that search engines identify which languages or countries you want to reach. Therefore, having a multilingual website will expand your business’s traffic to include other languages and countries by increasing rankings on Google search and any search platforms that are popular in your target market. However, for the website to be visible and rank well with the international market audience the most culturally appropriate and widely searched keywords must be found for each market separately.

Cultural adaptation cannot be done by the engines WordPress like TranslatePress will offer to integrate with automatic tools such as Google Translate and DeepL. However, the meaning of words and sentences relies upon an understanding of the context of the statement and can often lead to errors in machine translation. If your website copy contains slogans that rely upon a cultural reference, a joke, or an idiom in your native language, the translator will have to find an image in their native culture that has a similar effect.

Furthermore, when it comes to crafting compelling messages, it is no secret that copywriters need to use persuasive words and phrases. It is not enough that the copy is easy to read, the copy should be effective and engaging and this is only possible when you work with professional translators with relevant cultural backgrounds and similar mindset to the target audience.

Furthermore, are your images still appropriate for the culture that you are targeting? A native translator’s advice here can be surprisingly crucial. Make sure all images have appropriate translations and that they have been adapted to fit the local culture because they may carry different meanings.

Why PAB Languages?

PAB Languages Centre helps organisations across all industries connect and communicate with their audiences in over 200 languages. Whether you’re looking to translate your advertising copy, create a video in several languages or localise your website PAB’s resolute project management team with global network of expert copywriters, marketing linguists, and certified translators can help.

Please get in touch today https://www. pabtranslation.co.uk/contact-us/ or on 07799 772360 to discuss your project.

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