HT Localization Presents Language Translations for Real Life: Going Global - Website Localization

Segment 18 - Getting Back to Business for International Success – Website Localization: Going Global

“We are ready to go global" said the voice at the other end of the phone. This phrase is “music” to every localization agency’s ears (well, except the “Hello” part – that part would be tailored to the actual recipient of the call – in this case it is me)...

A former colleague of mine from my old days in San Francisco recently called and made this sweet declaration. Let’s call her Sam (name has been changed to protect the identity). Sam works for a pretty cool and progressive software application provider in Silicon Valley. The start-up has a promising technology, venture capital backing by some of the Valley’s leading VCs, and an inspiring list of partners and clients. The firm already has international presence and a growing international user-base.  While not quite a household name, like Facebook, they’ve got some cachet amongst their user-base (think Zynga in the earlier days).  

“Hello, Sam, it’s been a long time. Glad to hear from you.” I said. “Let’s talk. First of all, do you have an in-house localization team?  Who is doing your current localization?”  

Answer: “Sort of…”

The application has a front end UI that is already translated into multiple languages, on an “as needed basis” by their client support team (which happens to have at least 1 or 2 staff members who are international and are literate in various foreign languages.

“So how’s that working for you?” I ask.

Answer: “Good enough for the application, but not good enough for the web…”

Not surprising, this answer is quite common.  As many applications seem to get by with English only or using technical translations – meaning no frills translations, whereby little to no qualitative description is needed (e.g. Enter your User ID and Password. Submit).  In today’s world many people are more tech savvy and either know English pretty well, or have been “trained” by Microsoft’s general glossary of terms via localized version of MS Office, or other tech equivalents available.

However, when it comes to one’s website or marketing content, many firms are not willing to take the same risks.  One’s website can also be considered one’s “virtual store front”.  When I’m researching a potential product or service, I always go to the company website and check it out.  I want to see the content, how it is presented in terms of copy, layout, graphics, images, etc.  Being a product marketing person, it matters to me how the product is positioned, and that the product information is clear and complete.  This task can be difficult for even the best marketing experts to achieve in their own native language and market.  Marketing is not easy.

“Why do you want to go global, I mean, it seems that you are already “global”, with such widespread presence in many foreign countries.” I probe.

Answer: “Well, yes and no. My sales people are asking me to get our web and marketing materials localized.”

Again, not an uncommon response.  If you want more customers, then translate your materials. It is easier to communicate with people in their own language.  Sure, I can read Spanish (being here in Madrid, it is practically required), but when I’m researching a product or service, I prefer to Google it in English, and read about it on an English website.  If I’m really unsure, I’ll research the product on both Spanish and English website versions (Amazon US and Amazon ES know me well), just to see if something different is being expressed, and that might be useful to me.

According to MarketingCharts.com, based on December 2011 data, localizing a website for the top 5 markets would enable a marketer to access 50% of the worldwide online sales potential. If you want to reach 80% or 90% of the global online sales potential, then you would need to localize your website for the top 20 or top 36 markets, respectively.  While these figures are from 2011, I imagine the 2013 figures wouldn’t be too far off.

“Great. Where do we start?” says Sam.  The answer to that question will depend on many things. 

I suppose we should start by considering some things to avoid.  Here are a few based on my experience:

1. Let’s talk Copy: Garbage in = garbage out.  

• Poorly written copy will translate to poorly translated copy. Before you decide to get your content localized, think very carefully about the copy. 
• Some people are paid a lot of money to write copy with the right tone, voice and positioning. At my former employer, we had a department dedicated to copy services.  Marketing copy in the source language should be well written, if you want it to be well translated.
• I would say that about 70% of the translation problems I’ve seen are due to poorly written source content.  Now, a good linguist might be able to “fix” many of the issues due to source content as they flow it or massage it into the translated copy. 
• But now you’ve just allowed someone else to interpret your copy and hope that their linguistic interpretation is spot on with your positioning and voice for that market.  Maybe they improved it, but at the end of the day, you may have lost some consistency, as that same interpretation may not be carried throughout the various local markets. 

2. Careful with Style and Culture: Some styles just aren’t always able to transcend borders

• Know your market. If your firm is a young progressive company, you may want to project a “cool” or “hip” image; which is great for certain markets, but that won’t always fly everywhere.
• For example, Banking or Finance is a very traditional industry in most major markets across the globe. In the U.S., some banks have been successful marketing to a younger crowd, using words or phrases like “Hi” or “Talk to Chuck”, and images like bright bouncy orange balls.  However, in many European and Asian cultures, money is not a subject of fun or a subject for the young; rather for the older, wiser and conservative. Such “playful” or casual approach may be off-putting to consumers in some markets.
• Same goes for images and colors. Footprints are offensive in Thailand, and white means death in some countries. Don’t make those culture mistakes.

 3. Pick your words wisely: Be sure the Brand names used don’t offend

• You may have the perfect name for your product domestically, but please check to make sure the word doesn’t imply something else; something that you don’t want associated with your product.  You can see the hundreds of examples out there, just Google “Bad translations” for a long list.
• Pronunciation matters too. Maybe the word itself isn’t offensive, but what if it were to be pronounced by a local person? How would it sound?  The car branded “NOVA”, sounds perfectly fine in English. But when pronounced in Spanish, it sounds like “no va”, which means something like, “it doesn’t or won’t go”.  Not exactly an idea that you want associated with a car.

There are many things you can do to have a successful global experience and attract more customers; localization of your website and marketing materials is a key step forward.  However, very often, history repeats itself. It is wise to review the mistakes of others and learn to avoid those pitfalls. In the next segment, I’ll point out some key success factors that have moved the needle in website localization and ultimately in some of today’s major global brands.

  … Stay tuned for the next Segment of HT Localization Presents Language Translations for Real Life Series, where we’ll continue … Getting Back to Business for International Success with Website Localization (more stuff).

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This article was written by Rachanee Thevenet, Co-Founder of HT Localization.  Rachanee is an Asian-American expat living in Spain with her family.  She loves all things international including food, art, literature, culture, languages and people.  She has years of professional product marketing expertise and global expansion experience.

HT Localization, LLC. is a worldwide translation & localization agency providing a full range of professional language translation services, including social media localization, marketing translations, website translations, software localization, eLearning materials, documentation translations, etc.  With locations in the US, Spain, France, Zambia & Thailand, and coverage across all languages and most industries, HT Localization is well positioned to provide around the globe services for all translation needs.  

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