Specialist advice
How to make your website work for a global audience
In an increasingly web-enabled world, having a website that appeals to a global audience is becoming the prerequisite for many franchises, but it is really that easy to achieve? Website ‘localisation' is becoming the buzz-word in the language and creative world and means much more than just standard text translation from language to another. Now design, colours, layout all play a part in making a ‘localised' website work for a franchisor looking to expand the business. Here are some top tips for getting started.
What is website localisation?
Website localisation can be described as modifying an existing website or concept to make it more accessible and suitable for a new audience, be it language, culture or both. Part of this process involves translating content but real localisation is about understanding the difference in culture, religion, design etc. It is often said that there is no such thing as marketing ‘to Europe' or ‘to Asia' and this is especially true when it comes to websites, as each country has its own rules, practices and dialogue.
When thinking about website translation, it is important to consider why the website is being translated (e.g. to generate revenue or just to provide information) and who the target audience is. Remember that there tends to be a number of languages within particular countries or variations in dialect, so it is important that you understand the key languages that are used within that country, rather than just assuming you can translate an English site into ‘German' for the whole of Germany.
Other key considerations include:
Requirements of your supplier
Some translations such as into Arabic and Chinese require special fonts which don't come with standard software packages and those which use different alphabets (particularly Middle Eastern languages) aren't standard to English typesetting software, so be sure you have checked with your supplier that they can provide the translations you require before committing to the project.
Design and Layout
Many people forget that text usually expands when it is translated into different languages. As a rule of thumb, this amount is usually about 20 per cent but will differ between languages. It is always advisable to leave some white space in the design to accommodate for this.
Cultural considerations
Believe it or not, colours can play a critical part in how a website is received by foreign visitors, mainly because they mean different things to different cultures. In some countries, even just putting conflicting countries next to each other in a list (perhaps if you have different languages listed at the bottom) can cause offence which is why it is important to understand the context in which you website will be viewed by the respective countries you are targeting.
Over-translating
Be aware of the dangers of translating things which don't need to be. For example, if you have an English postal address on your website for franchisee enquiries and you are translating your website for Chinese customers, it would not help to translate the address into Chinese too as the English postal system would not understand it and it would not reach you! So as a rule, the name and job title and the words for telephone, fax and email can be translated, but the company name, address, email and contact telephone numbers remain in English.
The key to successful web translation is viewing each language as a separate entity and ensuring that you engage with the respective audiences in the best way to get your message across. Always use professional translators and don't rely on automated translations. Remember, your website is your business card to the world, make it count.
By Simon George, MD of Thames Translations
