Web Translation

Translating a website

If you are looking to develop your business internationally, the translation of your website is indisputably one of the first steps you must take on the conquest of these new markets!

If you want to build deeper relationships with your foreign clients or make more of an impact on these new markets, all the studies are in agreement: a website in your clients’ native language is a must!

So the question arises, how should you proceed with the translation of your website? What steps should you take for a blog, a corporate or showcase website, or an e-commerce site and its database?

To translate your online content, TradOnline is proud to provide you with our web-translation specialized project managers, who will accompany you every step of the way with their expertise.

Web translation expertise

For more than 10 years, TradOnline has been working with top companies to ensure they have websites targeting clients and prospects in a number of languages (English, French, German, Spanish, etc.). We offer effective and optimized translation project management solutions.

Every website has its own particularities, and therefore every translation project must be managed in an appropriate manner.

We first take the time to understand the underlying objectives of your translation needs. Our offer of accompaniment and our final quote take into account a number of different elements:

From a technical perspective:

• How was the website created? What technological solutions were used? A CMS (Content Management System) such as WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, EZ Publish? Was the solution built in-house?
• What format are the exports of your website? HTML5, PHP, ASP, JavaScript, XML, CSV, PO, etc.?
• How will the process of exporting and re-importing content be managed (a key question when it comes to optimizing the workflow)? Via Microsoft Word documents, CSV or HTML files? Or perhaps you’d prefer a translation directly online via a dedicated platform such as Transifex, Smartling, Pootle, or WebTranslateIt?

From a content perspective:

• How much volume do you have to translate (measured in the number of words)? Does your site undergo frequent updates to the content?
• Does every page on the site need to be translated? Is certain content out of date? Or is some of it not relevant to international audiences?
• Are there repetitions in the content?
• Is the style formal or rather informal? Very polite and professional or more colloquial? Are there any specific terms we need to use and be aware of in order to differentiate your offering from that of your competitors? A glossary?

We’ll be with you every step of the way as you respond to these questions, and others, in order to optimize costs, lead times, and the quality of your website’s translation.

We will share the experience we have gained from years of piloting numerous web translation projects, each in its own unique circumstances. Our team, including our web-specialized project managers and translators, will help you identify potential problem areas and make the right decisions adapted to your objectives and restrictions.

What kinds of websites do we translate?

• Corporate, institutional, governmental websites;
• E-commerce sites;
• Small websites for particular events or dedicated to a specific brand or range of products;
• Websites for online reservations for conferences or events;
• Blogs.

We have also been receiving more and more request from our clients for the translation of their mobile apps.

How to go about localizing your website’s content for the target foreign market

How do you go about adapter your translatable content to the cultural references and language of your international audience?

The browsing habits of users may differ from one country to the next. Certain best practices for the web, from user experience, colours, the presence of ads or not, may indeed be slightly different.

These reading and consumption habits should be reflected in the way you address your target, and thus in the content that you offer.

• Formal or informal?
• Which variant of Arabic, Chinese, or Spanish should you use (or English, or French, or German for that matter…)?
• What tone should you use for your content?
• Will you use metric or imperial for your measurements?
• Where should the monetary symbol (€,$,£, etc.) be placed for a price (and should we use points for decimals or commas)?

For every translation project, TradOnline mobilizes native, specialized translators who bring to bear their full linguistic and cultural expertise. They will be able to offer you pertinent options and adapt the translations for the culture of the target markets.

Note: If you find yourself in a situation where you don’t have your own webmaster and aren’t working with any web design firm, the export of your website may seem a bit daunting, especially when web results return a lot of tech jargon you can make neither heads nor tails of. But, don’t stress it! Our project managers all have experience dealing with web translation projects and would love to sit down with you and go over the first steps in your project.

We aren’t (all) web developers, but we’ve seen such projects often enough, that we’ve managed to glean a certain amount of know-how and the right reflexes when it comes to translating websites.