The most recent report on Internet use by We Are Social, which is published annually in partnership with Hootsuite[1], affirms that nearly 60% of the world’s population regularly goes online. This means that over 4.5 billion people use the Internet as a means of consultation and communication. In other words, being online is already a way of life.
The Internet and globalization duo have been opening up markets and have done away with physical borders as a result of having brought the world online. And in the middle of this vortex of communication and new contacts between cultures, translation has become indispensable.
Anyone who wants to participate in the current global market must clearly understand that translation is essential to being a key player in the market. Merely having a web page is no longer enough to be visible to the eyes of the world: now web pages must be optimized and must get closer to customers, which means they have to be translated into several languages.
If you’re still in doubt, here are 10 reasons why any company will benefit from translating their website.
- The objective of a website is to attract and captivate customers, and to do that, you have to speak their language. Comprehension is essential for customers to take an interest in your products and services. Merely “getting an idea” of what your texts mean isn’t enough: you have to speak and express yourself like your customers in order to create a beneficial effect.
- Every language into which your website is translated means that you increase your target audience. In the marketing world, knowing the audience you want to address is vital. And through the organized translation of your web page, you’ll be able to reach a greater number of possible customers.
- Having your website translated into several languages improves the image of your brand. Customers receive information about your company: you have a modern brand that seeks optimization, you are concerned about communicating with all users and you want to get close to your public.
- Through translation, you can make a cultural adaptation of your brand to every country. Marketing is governed by concepts and ideas, not just words. That’s why it’s important to rely on professional translators: we don’t just think about what words we use, we also consider their cultural impact.
- When you translate your website, you open yourself up to new possibilities and markets. Don’t limit yourself: Why not try new audiences?
- Translating your website improves your positioning in search engines. You increase the number of key words and improve link building. You also add value to your brand and become more relevant.
- You gain a competitive advantage over your competitors. Anything that can differentiate you from others will always be positive: take advantage of the opportunity to offer customers the option to read your web page in several languages.
- A good translation generates trust and interest, and it shows that your company has an international image.
- If you think in various languages, then you also show that you’re concerned about your company’s employees. If your website is only displayed in the language of your company’s headquarters, then you will merely appear to be a centralized company. But by translating your web page into the languages of your foreign offices, your employees will feel included and will feel that are an important asset of the company. It’s a good way to generate a satisfied team feeling.
- Ultimately, by translating your products and services, you’re also taking care of and improving them: you’re thinking about them, reconsidering them, seeking the best way to re-adapt them to your audience… and you might even come up with new ideas!
In conclusion, translating your website into several languages is almost as important as having a web page in the first place, and they are both the best ways to be present and visible in the online world. Remember that first impressions count and that we all like to be spoken to clearly and in our own language.
[1] We Are Social (2020). Digital 2020: 3.8 billion people use social media (online article). https://wearesocial.com/blog/2020/01/digital-2020-3-8-billion-people-use-social-media [consultation date: 10/08/2020]