An Introduction to Website Translation

If you’re looking to sell in foreign markets, you can increase brand awareness, sales and revenues by engaging with potential buyers in their language. One of the best vehicles for this is through a multilingual website.

Although English is considered by many to be the global language of business, international companies around the world have long understood the benefits of having websites in their customers’ language(s). Although it may seem obvious, when attracting business overseas your chances of success are greatly increased when you relate to your target audience in their native tongue.

How is a Website Translated?

There are two main types of website translation: professional human translation and machine translation. In many different respects, professional translation beats machine translation hands down and is the only viable option for many businesses. Only a human can translate your website content in a locally sensitive way whilst capturing the essence of your brand and corporate tone of voice.

Furthermore, a human translator has the ability to complement their work with the use of a computer aided translation tool, also known as a CAT. This helps to ensure consistency and increase efficiency, but it can also be used to translate HTML source files where the copy is immersed in HTML code.

The other alternative is machine translation. Website-based machine translation tools have grown in popularity in recent years, partly due to their accessibility thanks to companies like Google, but mostly because they are free. Whilst the price is certainly an attractive feature, it should be remembered that free translation is no match for the skills, expertise and creativity of a professional linguist. If you want your prospective customers to take you seriously, professional human translation is well worth the investment.

How Much Does Website Translation Cost?

Human website translation pricing varies from country to country, agency to agency. However, most follow similar charging structures and usually charge a fixed fee per word. This fixed fee can then be different based on numerous variables, such a language combination, complexity, format and deadline. Depending on the nature of the website content, prices may be reduced through the use of sophisticated translation technology that helps to indentify duplications and repetitions in the source content.

How Do I Get My Website Professionally Translated?

Human translation will help to deliver maximum return on investment potential, so speak to a professional translation company like Sure Languages. Depending on your website structure (static pages, dynamic content, content management system etc.) we will be able to advise on the best approach to ensure you get a multilingual website perfectly aligned to your requirements.