Research tells us that three-quarters of internet buyers are more likely to buy from a website if the content is presented in their own language. A Eurobarometer survey added that less than 20 percent of survey participants would frequent a site that is not in their own language and a whopping 42 percent said they would never make online purchases in a language that is not their own.
Many business owners have addressed this issue through language translation apps that quickly convert the text from one language to any of a hundred others (or more) with the click of a button. These machine translation apps are convenient and cheap (many are even free), but do they elicit the desired …show more content…
Key note: this is not what the research said. Even the data which showed no benefits referred to foreign language websites sporting translation apps and not fully translated, localized websites, and there is an enormous difference between these two concepts and approaches. In short, when it comes to successful multi-language web content, there are many more considerations other than merely translating words.
Most Important Considerations for Multi-language Websites
While people are more likely to purchase goods from sites presented in their own language, it is not just the language that is influencing their decision. In fact, the language is quite a minor component of the overall decision. Beyond the language, consumers are interested and influenced by relevant and meaningful content. A multilingual website may attract viewers from other places, but if the content does not engage them, they will not stay or return let alone make a purchase. Consider the …show more content…
If the site is written in another language, the customers may expect to communicate in that language as well. This means emails, phone calls, etc, could be written in a language that you do not understand. If there is a live chat button, they may expect the chat to take place in their language as well. Be certain to specify any limitations that your staff may have in your ability to communicate with customers in their language. It 's always better to be up front than to lose customers to a frustrating experience.
When websites are localized for consumers, returns on investment go up considerably. Just remember, there is a whole lot more involved in localization than simple machine translation.
Teaser:
Translation Services: Considerations for Web Page Translation
You know that your website should be translated into several languages to take advantage of additional consumer groups. Do you need to use a translation service agency, or will a simple translation app on your source-language site