We have entered a phase of Industrial Revolution 4.0 which emphasizes on the digitization of manufacturing process, automation of various tasks, machine learning, and integration of real-time data. This has changed our lifestyles; the way we work and the manner in which the production takes place. The scale of this massive transformation is not only limited to the manufacturing industries but also impacts other industries, language and translation industry being one of them. The latest technologies in translation like website localization has improved language translation services and simultaneously smoothened the business interactions and relationships around the world.
What is Website Localization?
Website Localization essentially means tailoring the content of your website to fit the cultural and linguistic nuances of each new international market. It basically takes into consideration the cultural, linguistic and technical differences of a region and transforms the website content without changing the authenticity of the original content.
Today, industries sell their goods and services not only to the domestic customers but also to the customers located in different parts of the world. The interaction with the international customers majorly depends upon how effectively the businesses are able to convey their brand’s message through their website content. Keeping in mind the cultural and linguistic differences across regions, well-planned website localization technique is necessary for any business looking forward to expanding their operations overseas.
Why is Website Localization Important?
To understand the importance of website localization in today’s digital era, we need to make a small analysis of internet users. You will be surprised to know that out of 4 billion internet users, only 25 % of users speak English and more than half of the Google searches are made in languages other than English.
This means that there is around 80-85 % of internet users that don’t speak English and prefer the brands’ websites that offer multi-lingual accessibility. They will not purchase your products or services if they don’t understand the product description written in some alien language. Restricting your business only to English-speaking customers will limit your growth prospective. Therefore, language localization of your website is important to grab the attention of a huge chunk of prospective customers.
Is website localization different from website translation?
Both these terms are used interchangeably; however, there is a clear distinction between them. Website translation means translating the content of the website in a different language by simply substituting words in the native lingo.
Whereas, website localization involves translation as well as formatting the website content to suit the language and cultural likes and dislikes of the targeted audience. The aim is to make the customers feel homely and relatable to various aspects of the website while they browse through your products and services.
How can website localization help in growing your business?
A well-curated website content attracts more audience, increases the conversion rates and ultimately your sales. For those who are engaged in business dealings across country borders, website content that effectively delivers the brand’s voice in the local language is as important as a grammatical-error-free content.
In today’s digital age, website represents the company and if not properly designed, it will negatively impact the visitors. Therefore, it is important to alter your website content through website localization.
Here’s how website localization helps in outreaching your prospective customers based elsewhere in the world:
- Ensures accurate translation: Taking into consideration the regional and linguistic differences, website localization ensures that the content, copy and the brand voice is precisely translated without losing the authentic meaning of the text. Consequently, the customers feel that the site has been customised as per their needs.
- Emphasizes cultural elements: Through localization, you can alter various aspects of a website such as date and time formats, measurement units, and incorporate local holidays as per the cultural subtleties of the particular market. These minor changes make it simple for visitors to browse through the website.
- Caters to the transactional needs: Few of the specific changes such as incorporating the local currency, payment options and addresses are crucial in simplifying the transactions made by the customers. An option of on-site conversion with accuracy further increases the trust of the customers on your brand.
- Customer support and easy discovery: Customer support in a native language and an option of easy discovery on your translated site is an important feature of website localization. This allows the customers to select the language they need and start browsing your services and products with great ease. Also, an in-built customer support system further improves the customer experience.
- Better Customer engagement: Inclusion of multi-media, local lingos and phrases are also important in making your website culturally fit for the targeted local market. Videos, pdfs, and other multi-media which are in a correct local language enhances the brand’s credibility and ensures better customer engagement.
As more and more information is being exchanged in the shortest possible time, holistic multilingual translation and localization are needed to overcome the cultural and linguistic differences including the regional differences.