Website Localization – Hiring Tips

by Armando Riquier

Websites are an integral part of most businesses today. They are the portal to the world and if marketed correctly, can generate revenue, offer an avenue for promotion and an easily available way of providing information on a company. However, the global economy now demands that companies look beyond national borders, if they desire to expand their businesses.

Numerous countries now have Internet access, and internet cafes such as Starbucks Coffee and Panera Bread can be found abroad. People pour into these cafes looking to log onto the Internet and conduct their business no matter what country they are in. There are also more freelancers now than ever before, and these people are utilizing the Internet outside of their home, as well as within. This means there is a large pool of potential customers that will ultimately visit your website. A vast majority of these visitors will not speak English, so translating your website, or website localization might be a very crucial element in promoting your business.

Website localization is, at present, a large industry, as companies are beginning to realize its benefits. When you search the Internet for translation services, you can find hundreds of these types of organizations out there. It's important to consider the organizations that advertise on the web carefully though, as not all are as reputable as others. You will find freelancers galore, and also firms that specialize in this field, so you want to make sure you investigate and do your homework prior to hiring any of them. Most sites will offer a references tab where you can view testimonies from other companies that have hired them, so read them.

Hiring tips for your company's website localization:

When looking into the organizations that offer translation for your website, make sure you check their references. Ask to look at previous work, ask for a sample or ask for a reference. A translator must have qualifications, training and experience.

Explain to them clearly what you need done. There are key elements to your website that you want to remain intact. Make sure you tell them who your target audience is so that they can do the proper research and make sure nothing on your website is insulting to them. You want the translation to be done properly and with taste.

You may want to use an internal staff member, or have the use of an electronic translator, but this is not a viable option. The reasons are that the employee may not have a cultural understanding of their ways, and the electronic device certainly will not. You want to make sure you translate your site as professionally as possible, because you could miss subtle things and poorly translated phrases could be interpreted the wrong way.

Consider the fact that depending upon which language you are translating your website localization will change the length and feel of the website. For example, if you are translating from English to French, the addition of extra characters will lengthen the word count, thus increase the size of the pages of your website. You will therefore have to decrease the font size used or make other changes in the layout.

Website localization is not as straightforward as other translation projects. There are many variables involved, so make sure you do your research so that you can make an educated decision when choosing who will do this for your organization.

About the Author:
Armando Riquier as a freelance writer and expert translator collaborates with Tectrad, a company specialized in website's translation. Make your sites accessible and usable by specific contries or regions through expert website localization of all your online properties.