Best Practices in Localization How to make every penny – count!

 

Best Practices in Localization How to make every penny – count!

Translation is only part of a localization process, especially for websites. Webpages convey information beyond words, they have their own language, and whose translation is incomplete if done literally or from the semantic perspective alone. Web-page translation involves layout and functionalities of various elements apart from the main text, as well as SEO. Here are some best practices in localization for today’s advanced e-commerce environment.

Need

The need for translation cannot be overestimated. We all know that less than 25% of web browsers today speak English. More than 50% of browsers today would prefer to shop for products in their native languages – even if they read or wrote English. This is true for more linguistically evolved cultures such as Europe, China, and East Asia. This may be less of a phenomenon in linguistically suppressed cultures like India. However, off late, the penetration of the internet and the upward mobility of the “linguistically suppressed” classes of society have made vernacular languages come to the forefront, and ever more non-English-speaking customers are accessing information on the web. This makes the need for translation, localization and transcreation even more important.

The cost of localization is one challenge, which a rational result-oriented management will put aside and take the plunge. The issues that need to be discussed is HOW to get a good translation done, and to make the money spent worth its value.

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In this article we will discuss what companies must do to correctly execute their translation projects.

DO NOT Machine Translate

Before we discuss what we SHOULD do, let us throw light on some important DO NOTs. The last thing one should do is to translate their content using a machine. A machine after all does not understand the complexity of human language. We may see human language as complicated or flawed and devoid of linear logic. But it is different from how a machine is designed to think. Language has too much ambiguity and too many complex rules, subtle nuances, which a machine translation will not be able to grasp. We all know the errors in machine translation. Idioms are the worst hit. Literal translations of figurative speech is a catastrophe. Machine translation only serves the purpose of internal consumption of alien communication. It is most inappropriate for publishing or for client consumption. Machine translation may be very cheap, but it will cause damage instead of adding value to the work we put in. Instead, a business should invest in human translation. Engage professionals, who will orient your content to your target audience.