Make your site multilingual!

A Guide to Website Localization

First of all, website localization and translating a website are different concepts. During the website localization process, each element is adapted to suit the target market in the best way possible. In this case, standard translation is considered a step in the localization process.

• Why should you choose to localize?

It is essential to determine an objective and set goals in accordance with what you expect to earn from localization. For instance, the aim of localization can be increasing sales, finding new customers, preserving existing customers, or attempting to build a brand identity that is successful in the long term. 

• When do you need a localization service? Is your budget ready for localization?

Similar to any type of service, time, cost and quality are important factors in localization. Therefore, at the planning stage, a date should be determined as to when the localized content would be presented to the audiences, and the localization agency should be informed accordingly. In other words, the delivery date and budget must be prepared in advance in line with expectations.

• Have you conducted adequate research on your target audience to ensure that your product or service meets consumer expectations? (Purchasing power and habits of potential customers, the number and profile of competitors, etc.) Have you considered international differences that could affect your website such as languages that are written from right to left or format issues concerning characters and space?

It is necessary to make sure that the translated content does not violate any restriction, regulation or cultural tradition in the target culture. Otherwise, the product may need to be recalled from the target market or may need revision. For example, countries where sexual diversity and gender equality are not fully accepted need to be approached sensitively. In Muslim countries, clothing is regulated by religious law, therefore in countries where the majority of the population is Muslim, marketing strategies including images and statements should be adapted accordingly. In order to create a successful marketing campaign for a particular audience, it is necessary to deeply examine the traditions, habits, beliefs and cultural background of the target audience, paying attention to the elements they are uncomfortable with. A lack of localization will result in failure in the target market and therefore require companies to spend more money, time and effort to rebuild their reputation. Nelson Mandela’s statement expresses the importance of appealing to the target audience in their own language: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language that goes to his heart.” Localization aims not only to preserve the message of the text but also to optimally adapt it to the target audience. The right colors, visuals, music and words should be chosen in order to appeal to the target culture. In other words, no matter how effective and high-quality the translation is, a seemingly trivial visual or symbol may offend the target audience and have a negative effect on the campaign. For instance, green symbolizes fortune, nature, freshness, spring, environmental awareness and wealth in Western cultures, whereas it is forbidden in Indonesia. It can also symbolize infidelity in Eastern cultures.

• Why should you get a professional localization service?

For a high-quality localization service, a professional localization team should be consulted. It is known that translation agencies that rely solely on machine translation have failed in providing quality localization services. After all, a computer program cannot provide a localization service that takes into account the cultural values of the target audience and consider goal-oriented elements. It is also incapable of processing and reflecting linguistics nuances such as idioms, humorous sayings, metaphors and wordplays. 

It should also be noted that being able to speak multiple languages does not necessarily mean translating and localizing successfully in those languages. In other words, knowing the grammar rules of a language very well does not mean being able to conduct quality localization work.

In addition, localization is a teamwork. For instance, in website localization, programmers help enhance the interface of the website while translators, linguists and editors ensure that the website has an enriched and effective language that appeals to the target audience. Digital marketers help optimize the localized website to achieve SEO and SERP qualifications.

• Why should you take into account the relationship between SEO and localization?

SEO is a basic tool that is necessary to move the website to the top in search engine results. Therefore, SEO is as vital as the localization process for the website’s success. Search keywords differ among languages. For instance, American and British English differ from each other in terms of spelling.