Discover the challenges and solutions to successfully implementing a multilingual strategy. Learn why multilingual website translation is important, how it enhances user engagement, increases revenue potential, and provides a competitive advantage.
Anyone who has been involved in growing a business knows how difficult it can be. But those who have boldly gone international understand that the challenges will ramp up quickly.
Entering a new market means understanding new language and cultural needs to connect with a different audience. This is a whole new level of complexity.
Fortunately, there are ways to make the journey a bit easier.
Why is multilingual website translation important
When you enter a new market, it becomes glaringly obvious that most of your potential customers won’t speak the language you normally use.
For example, English is often seen as the “business language,” however, only 1 in 5 people (18%) globally speak English.
Ignoring these other language speakers can significantly hurt your growth.
While some people may struggle through a foreign website with a bit of perseverance and some Google translate, data shows that at least 90% of users say they are more likely to buy from a website in their own language.
Selling-online or offline-is all about trust and engagement. It seems illogical for a company to spend millions on optimizing the customer experience from end to end, but then choose to create intentional barriers to understanding their services.
As products and services become more complex or specialized (or in other words, more lucrative), these barriers will become increasingly amplified.
Trust, safety, engagement, and buying propensity. All of this depends on the ability to deliver the right message to the right customer at the right time.
Let’s dig a little deeper into the key benefits that translation brings to the table.
Enhanced user engagement
As mentioned, users are more likely to engage with content that utilizes their native language.
But this preference doesn’t just extend to product descriptions and points of sale. Reviews, support content, tutorials, even social media updates – all play a huge role in the conversion process.
Research from CSA found that 73% of users want product reviews in their own language, while 40% will not buy from a website in a foreign language.
Increased revenue potential
People buy from brands they trust. According to Adobe research, 70% of customers will stop buying from a company if that company breaks their trust and trust is built on the accuracy of product information.
If customers can’t access or understand that information, they can’t trust you.
It is also important to remember that product knowledge is a two-way street. If you have a multinational sales or support team, having enhanced internal product knowledge will allow them to outperform with customers and prospects, significantly impacting conversions and retention.
Competitive advantage
Your website is your storefront and in a crowded market, standing out is essential. If your competitors are already providing a multilingual website, then you can level the playing field through multilingual translation.
Additionally, you can tap into softer benefits, positioning yourself as a user-centric brand that delivers seamless, enjoyable experiences to customers.
With so much to play for, translation seems like an obvious move. But many businesses struggle to implement it.
With so many types of content that need to be translated, the whole process can seem daunting. There are also some common misconceptions that contribute to this reluctance and can make it difficult to know where to begin. Let’s take a look at some of the more prevalent challenges and some practical solutions that can help.
多语言网站翻译的常见挑战
内容本地化
一个常见的误解是，翻译仅仅是从一种语言转换为另一种语言。
这种字面上的翻译方法往往达不到预期，因为它没有考虑到文化差异和习语表达。
例如，在英语中意义完美的短语，如果逐字翻译成另一种语言，可能会让人困惑，甚至冒犯。
有效的翻译需要本地化，这意味着要根据目标受众的文化背景调整内容。
文化适应和保持一致性
文化适应与保持整个网站的一致性相辅相成。
在将内容改编成不同的语言时，务必保留品牌声音和信息。这种一致性会建立信任和品牌认知度。
为此，要为译员创建风格指南和术语表。这样可以确保所有语言的关键术语、语气和风格保持一致。
实用解决方案
利用翻译管理系统可以显著提高效率。翻译管理系统将所有翻译工作集中起来，简化和自动化工作流程，同时帮助保持一致性。
它允许您管理和跟踪整个翻译过程，确保团队中的每个人都在同一页上。
将人工翻译与机器翻译相结合，可以发挥两者的优势。机器翻译可以快速处理大量内容，从而节省成本和速度。
机器翻译的质量不断提高。这加上它的准确性，使其成为处理大量内容的理想选择，例如自动客户服务响应、实时客户支持或用户生成的评论。
然后，人工翻译人员可以成为例外，而不是规则，在机器翻译工具中扮演指导和培训的角色，以确保持续改进。
部署多语言网站翻译
多语言网站翻译的成功始于彻底的调研和计划。
首先要了解您的目标受众和竞争对手。
了解您的客户是谁以及他们使用哪些语言至关重要（像英语熟练程度指数和您自己的市场调研这样的工具在这里非常有用）。
您还应根据市场潜力考虑语言优先级。
专注于对您的产品需求量大且非英语人口众多的地区。
例如，如果您要面向东亚市场，优先考虑普通话、日语和韩语等语言可能会有益。评估每个市场的经济潜力，以决定首先支持哪些语言。
了解您的竞争对手也可以提供宝贵的见解。分析他们的多语言策略，并确定您可以填补的差距。
这些调研可以帮助您做出明智的决策，确保您的翻译工作与您的业务目标和市场机遇相一致。
衡量成功
最终，在进行更改后，您当然希望确保这些更改按预期工作。
虽然能够看到新市场销量增长总是很棒，但还有许多更细致的指标可以帮助您看到整个投资回报率。其中一个更有用的方法是在您推出翻译计划时对翻译后的内容进行 A/B 测试。
检查漏斗顶部的指标，例如本地 SEO 性能和翻译版和未翻译版内容的网站流量，并确保跟踪页面活动。除了数据之外，请确保您定期进行用户调查，要求提供定性反馈，以更好地了解哪些有效，哪些无效。
理想情况下，您将有预翻译情绪评分和基准来进行比较。通过跟踪这些指标并积极寻求用户反馈，您可以确保您的多语言策略有效地支持您的业务目标。
无论是提高用户参与度还是创造新的收入，翻译您的网站都提供了一系列明显的优势。
通过利用合适的翻译管理系统并采取细致入微的方法，您可以变得更加以用户为中心，并提供始终如一、更优质的客户体验。在这里，我们探讨了网站翻译带来的优势的一瞥。
