Translation – Why You Need Website Localization?

If you are conducting business internationally, you need to get your website localized. Nowadays, more and more people are Internet-savvy, and they are more likely to browse through the Internet to look for information, products and services. However, a substantial part of Internet users are non-native English speakers; that is why your business website needs to be localized into the respective languages.

So what exactly is localization? Website localization is the process of translating an English website to a foreign speaking language so that the audience is able to understand the information on the website. Usually, the work of website localization is performed by a professional translator. The translator is professional and experienced enough to provide accurate translation services that will give your corporate website a professional quality. He or she also needs to understand the native language well enough in order to translate the information correctly. This is because every country has its own cultural variations in sayings, phrases, and terminology when it comes to languages. So, to effectively localize a website, it is not as easy as taking a text and translating it into another language. The translator will need to conduct a thorough research and study in order to obtain the maximum impact on the target audience.

Although website localization is not cheap, it is essential for every business that has operations internationally. By localizing your website, it will demonstrate that your business is truly international and also shows its respect and appreciation to the respective countries. Another benefit of website localization is that your target audience will be able to understand your company better and feel more comfortable if the information, products and services are translated into their native language. Therefore, it is important that your website localization and translation be done well in order to leave a good and deep impression in the mind of your target audience.

As more users are getting onto the Internet, businesses realized that it is important for their websites to be able to sell to their target audience. A website is a marketing channel that every business must capitalize on. If you are conducting business internationally, you need to have websites that cater for the people in those countries. You need to present accurate, professional, and up-to-date images and information on your website. Therefore, the task of localizing a website is not as simple as you think. It is very complex and is best to leave this task to the professional translators who can provide reliable localisation and translation service for your site. If you are an international business, the investment on website localization will definitely be money well-spent.

- Cheow Yu Yuan
Source: http://www.translatorsbase.com/articles/1190.aspx

The Necessity of website translation

You may not have realized but website translator is the main requirement if you want to grow and popularize your website. Let’s find out why website translator is required if you want more and more people visit your site and when they arrive at your site they will take the necessary action. Read the following to know more.

Internet users

Considering the Internet user by country, do you know which country has the highest users? If your answer is USA then you are not right. America is ranked two and China is ranked one as far as internet users are concerned. You have any idea, how many people in China only speak and read Chinese? Although there are many people who know English, around 250 million Chinese people don’t know English; they only speak and read Chinese. These people do not understand anything about your website.

China is not the only country, other similar no English speaking countries also have large internet users. For example, Japan ranked as number 3 with 94 million net users out which most of then only speaks and read Japanese only. Think about the number of visitors you will get when your site is translated in to Chinese or in Japanese. India is ranked 4 with the approx. 60 million internet users. Germany is ranked 5th with 50 million net users. Brazil has the same number of net users as Germany and ranked 6th. France is ranked 8 with 35 million net users and Italy is ranked 10 with approx. 35 million internet users.

If you sum up all the non English speaking internet users then you will get around 1 Billion users that don’t understand English. If you are marketing products that appeals to International market then website translator is the best service you must have in order to reach those non English people. If your website is only in English then you are leaving the sizable amount of your market.

Sourcehttp://www.translatorsbase.com/articles/1199.aspx

Helpful Definitions

• Translation – The first step in the Translation Process, translation is the conversion of written text from one language (source) to another (target).  Translation is often handled by a single translator for consistency purposes.  Most translators can handle about 2,000 words/day.
• Editing – The second step in the Translation Process, editing is a review of the translation (i.e. comparing the source language to the target language) to ensure meaning is correctly conveyed and any errors are corrected (e.g. spelling, grammar, etc.). For professional results, all translations must be edited.  Most editors can handle about 8,000 words/day.
• Proofreading – The third step in the Translation Process, proofreading is reading the translation without any knowledge of the source text, checking for readability and correcting any errors that the editing step may have missed.  Proofreading is an optional, although highly recommended and often neglected step in a professional translation process.
• Leveraging – Leveraging describes the method of using resources (e.g. previous translations, translation memories, glossaries, outside references, etc.) to reduce costs and to ensure consistency and quality in translation.
• Localization – Localization could be described as taking a step beyond translation and translating for a target audience. Thus, localization takes into account cultural items that go beyond mere words.
• Quality Assurance – The professional Translation Process has certain procedures in place to make sure that a quality product is the end result.  In translation, for example, many quality assurance steps occur in the editing and proofreading stages.
• Interpretation – Although there are several subcategories and definitions, interpretation could be described as translation for the spoken word.  Interpretation generally requires a far different skill set than translation.

What are the Top Ten World Languages? (Did Yours Make it in?)

Have you ever wondered what the most widely spoken languages in the world actually are? As the Project Manager for a translation company, someone asked me that question recently and I didn’t have an answer! I knew Mandarin would top the list, but had no idea what would follow. Some were very intuitive and others surprised me. In case you’ve ever wondered, here they are, listed by number of native speakers. Enjoy!
1. Mandarin – 873 million speakers
2. English – 508 million speakers
3. Hindi – 497 million speakers
4. Spanish – 438 million speakers
5. Portuguese – 236 million speakers
6. Arabic – 206 million speakers
7. Bengali – 171 million speakers
8. Russian – 145 million speakers
9. Japanese – 122 million speakers
10. French – 113 million speakers Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_number_of_native_speakers

The LinkedIn Controversy

Most of us by now are familiar with the idea of crowdsourcing. The role of crowdsourcing in the language industry and its possible effects, both positive and negative, has been widely discussed and debated.

Most recently, LinkedIn proposed to use a crowdsourcing project similar to that of Facebook and Wikipedia to localize their website. However, I believe their approach communicated an incorrect message to the translation community. Instead of coming across as a crowdsourcing effort, they asked in effect if professional translators would be willing to donate their time, or translate “for fun.”

An outraged translation community responded with pleas for translators not to become involved in the project on the grounds that LinkedIn was demonstrating a lack of respect for the profession. Again, I think it was just incorrect communication on the part of LinkedIn. Either way, they will likely have to come up with another solution in order to localize their website.

Ideas taken from “Translators Wanted at LinkedIn. The Pay? $0 an Hour”
New York Times (NY) (06/29/09) Newman, Andrew Adam

Do you need for translation in your business ?

Globalization has changed the entire world. The world has become a global village. But one thing still exists, “The Great Language Barrier”.

Business can exist in any form, but when you plan to expand it and would like to grow it in other regions and countries, then language does become a hurdle for you. But thanks to those people who share love for a language that we have professionals called “Translators” in this world.

At its simplest, translation has always involved a person, a text, and some writing implement to record the output. In today’s corporations and government agencies, this act of rendering words in other languages has morphed into a major business function as these organizations strive to maximize their outreach.

* For a global presence. Companies can reach roughly 85 percent of the world’s GDP with translations into 17 languages for the top 25 economies (see Common Sense Advisory’s report, “On the Web, Some Countries Matter More than Others,” Sep07).

* More ambitious? It would take 83 languages to reach 80 percent of all the people on Planet Earth, regardless of whether they’re good prospects. Want everyone on Terra to know who you are? That will take more than 7,000 languages.

* For domestic multicultural markets. You say that you don’t do business internationally. Okay, how can you build a relationship with your neighbors who prefer speaking other languages? To maximize reach among residents of the U.S., you’ll need to adapt your content into Spanish. For firms in India pitching to the whole nation, the ante goes up to the 29 Indic languages spoken by a million or more people each (see Common Sense Advisory’s report, “India Beyond English,” May08).

Do you know that fewer than 10% of U.S. websites offer language options other than English? What would happen if you were the first in your industry to do so?

Website translation is crucial for your business to grow. Here’s why:

* 47 million Americans over the age of five speak a language other than English at home.
* More than half of all web users are outside North America.
* Fewer than 30% of people online are searching in English.
* More people are online in China than in the U.S. And the potential for smart marketers is limitless: the number of internet users in China increased 42% in 2008 and continues to grow.

To cut it short, to survive in 21st century, you will need to expand your business to other countries and help from a translator or translation company will help you do so.

Have you visited Tarjuma India Translations at www.tarjumaindia.com ? If not, then you must, because it’s your GATEWAY to Asia – the indispensable and incredible Asia which opens a gateway of progress and prosperity for you!

Expanding abroad? Avoid translation travesties

Expanding abroad? Avoid translation travesties

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Expanding abroad? Avoid translation travesties

Even big companies can get it wrong when they fail to do their homework before launching in new markets.

The examples have become the stuff of legend: In the mid-1960s, Pepsi’s slogan “Come Alive with the Pepsi Generation” failed to energize Taiwan, as the translation read “Pepsi Brings Your Relatives Back From the Dead”.

Coors’ campaign “Turn it Loose” went flat in Spain, urging drinkers to “Get Diarrhoea”. Few had it worse than poultry baron Frank Perdue, though, whose billboards in Spain mistranslated his well-known slogan “It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken” to read “It takes an aroused man to make a chicken affectionate”.

For big businesses, the gaffes are amusing missteps that might briefly impact the bottom line, but don’t put the company at risk. For entrepreneurs, having your message lost in translation can be catastrophic.

If you decide to expand into overseas markets, localization is key – and it’s never a good idea to take shortcuts. Online translation tools or tapping the knowledge of an employee’s foreign language skills might seem like good money-savers, but they can have disastrous ramifications. To make an impact, you’re best off hiring a professional translator.

The fact is there is a significant difference between being fluent in a language and being a native speaker. Professional translators normally only translate into their mother tongue, since the nuances of language are so subtle – and so glaring if they are missed.

Ideally if you are getting something translated, you should be offered the opportunity for feedback and revision of the first draft translation.  This is especially important if you intend to run the text past a focus group of native speakers.

Try, also, to find a translation company that has expertise in your industry. You’re looking for someone that not only is a native speaker, but also knows the ins and outs of your industry.

If you need promotional material, look for companies that also provide native-speaking creative copywriters.  This service, sometimes called transcreation, is vital for advertising material and brochures with culture-specific references.

Localising a product or service means more than producing marketing literature in that country’s language.  The customs and overall culture of the country are equally important.

For that reason, the best translation companies employ only people who live in the country and are immersed in the culture for which the translation is intended.  Had Colgate consulted such a firm before launching their toothpaste called Cue in France, customers might have been spared the embarrassment of being presented with a hardcore pornographic magazine when they asked for the product. Turns out the magazine, which shared the name, had been around for years.

Make sure your translation service also has a firm grip on the colloquialisms and slang in your target country.  The Scandinavian company Electrolux failed to do so when launching in the U.S., causing some snickering when its slogan – “Nothing sucks like an Electrolux” – began appearing in marketing literature.

It’s worth noting that these same considerations apply to website localization.  Marketing online in the language of the country you are targeting enjoys significant competitive advantages – but getting the language wrong can hurt you badly.

Finally, if you’re expanding to a market where widespread illiteracy is a problem, you’ll need to think about translation in a different manner.

Gerber learned this years ago when it began marketing its baby food in Africa. The company used the same packaging it did in the US and Europe: a picture of a happy Caucasian baby on the label. It was only later that it discovered that because a large proportion of the population was illiterate, most companies only put pictures of the contents on the label.

July 20, 2009 | Christian Arno

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Christian Arno is founder of translation company Lingo24 which operates across four continents in more than 60 countries covering every industry sector, with a global network of over 4,000 freelance translators.

Hourly bill rates: rules of thumb

I’m often asked, “How much should I bill clients relative to what I pay employees and independent contractors (aka subcontractors or subs)?”

A few rules of thumb:

1. Charge clients as much as the market will bear relative to your positioning (e.g. are you a boutique high-end consultant are or you selling commodity software programming hours?).
2. Pay as little as you can without losing people to competitors.
3. For employees, charge clients 3.0x – 4.0x the base wage you pay out. So if someone earns $80,000 per year, you’re paying $38 per hour ($80,000 divided by 2,080 hours per year). 3x = $115/hour bill rate. 4x = $153/hour bill rate.
4. For subs, 2.0x – 3.0x their hourly rate if you can get it. So if you pay a sub $75 per hour, charge the client at least $150 per hour.

A topic for another day is whether to quote and bill clients by hour, by day, or by project. But no matter the presentation to the client, the behind-the-scenes mechanics of what you’re getting paid per hour vs. what you’re paying out per hour for your most expensive resource (labor) are still the same.

Knowing this logic will also help you price jobs that have non-labor profit sources such as markup on materials.

10 point Networking Plan

Networking is often overlooked and viewed with hostility as the realm of the aggressive network or pyramid marketer.  However with a little attention and a lot of passion you can effectively and confidently market yourself through this powerful method.
 
Here’s my 10 point Networking Plan:

1. Show commitment Aim to develop a network of relationships for the long-term. This is a continual process that requires regular contact with your network and attendance of networking functions.
2. Focus on giving not getting You need to show an interest in other’s needs rather than getting your sales point across.Try to help others with referrals, introductions, information and feedback. Rewards will come back naturally over time.
3. Be a good listener Learn to read between the lines, ask questions and give positive and constructive input.
4. Become curious Find out more about someone’s business – you are more likely to be able to help them and also uncover areas where they could help you. People are always interested in people who are interested in them.
5. Be rigorous with your follow up You need to follow up immediately. If you leave it for six months, your contact will have forgotten you. Even if you can’t see an immediate benefit for you or your contact, you never know what’s around the corner so keep in touch.
6. Ask for help Make your needs clear, otherwise people don’t know what you’re looking for. If you don’t ask you’ll never know whether or not someone can help you.
7. Be able to brag Share your achievements so that you can show confidence in your abilities, otherwise why should anyone else? Taking credit for your achievements is not the same as boasting, so don’t be shy about mentioning any awards, big contracts or other achievements.
8. Be a consumer of knowledge By reading up on current affairs, particularly in your profession, you’ll find it easier to hold your own in a conversation and maintain someone else’s interest. Being able to comment on topics of conversation will help inspire further confidence from others and raise your standing.
9. Have courage Speak to strangers. It expands your network of contacts.
10. Be prepared Make sure you know what you are going to say when you are presenting yourself and your business.

COURTSEY:

Clifton Flack, Marketing Director,

JobShuk.com