A website is a brand’s virtual storefront. But are your brand’s virtual doors open to global customers?
As a marketer, you may wear many hats. One of them may be managing your brand’s online content, including site content. Your website is an important vehicle for driving prospects and customers to your brand’s products and services. And in terms of global marketing, a website allows you to enter a country without having to establish a brick and mortar business. But are you doing all you can to appeal to global consumers? In an article called “Is Your Global Brand Marketing in Your Customer’s Native Language?” Danny Goodwin asked readers to examine the languages spoken by their customers. Why is this important? Market research company Common Sense Advisory conducted a survey called “Can’t Read, Won’t Buy.” And its most recent findings show:
- 55 percent of consumers prefer to only buy in their native language
- 53 percent of consumers are more at ease buying in their native language
- 74 percent of consumers are more likely to make a second purchase if post-sales support is offered in their native language
So if you’re looking to localize your website, what kind of options do you have? Let’s take a look at three choices:
- Traditional Website Localization
- Global Content Management System (CMS) Integration
- Website Translation Proxy
Initial Self-Assessment
Before narrowing down your choices, do a self-assessment. Examine your company, your marketing department, and your website closely. Ask the following questions:
- Do you have enough staff in your office to assess internationalization of your site, manage the translation process, and host translated content?
- Does your IT department have the capacity to handle importing of translated content into your CMS?
- Is your website completed by a third party website developer?
- Is your CMS multilingual friendly? (A multilingual-friendly CMS will allow for different date, time, calendar, number, and currency conversions. It will support international-friendly forms, left-to-right languages, as well as different types of scripts and characters.)
- Can your CMS integrate with translation technology used by your language translation vendor?
- Does your website update frequently? (If so, you may need a way to automate your workflow processes to make sure that translations occur in tandem with website updates.)
- Do you want to shorten the “time to market” for your multilingual website launch?
Traditional Website Localization
First of all, what is it?
Traditional website localization involves transfer of files (manually) from your CMS for translation. Content is exported from your CMS, translated, and then imported back into your CMS. Content is then tested for accuracy and functionality within your multilingual site. This is typically referred to as localization testing.
How does it work?
Decide how you want to transfer your content to your translator. Most CMSs have an export function. Common file types are XML or HTML files. CSV exports are also used. Translation technology tools can hide tagging and only pull text that is required for translation. Files are sometimes copied and pasted into a Word or Excel document, which would require cutting and pasting on your side. This may leave a lot of room for human error. Text is then imported back into your content management system.
Will this solution work for me?
If your CMS is not multilingual friendly, this may be an approach to consider. (Website translation proxy would be the other.) This also works best for simpler websites with fewer pages where content does not frequently change, or if you are only looking to localize into one or two languages. If you want to have total control of your content and hosting of your site, this is the best solution for you. This solution involves the least amount of technology.
Is there anything else I should know about this solution?
As noted, there is high potential for human error. Content is manually imported and exported. In addition, once content is imported, linguistic and localization testing should be deployed. After text is translated and imported into CMS, a translator will want to ensure that all content displays correctly and functions properly for your target market. This may be charged at an hourly rate.
Global Content Management System (CMS) Integration
What is it and how does it work?
Integrating website localization with your global CMS automates the more traditional website localization approach. Your CMS must possess the ability to integrate with a file transfer portal. (A lot of language translation vendors have their own Translation Management System (TMS).) This integration allows for a seamless transfer of your content from source to target. Integration software is used as a bridge between your CMS and the TMS. For example, the use of a plug-in or middleware.
Will this solution work for me?
If you have a large and/or dynamic website and a long-term commitment to global marketing, this is a good option for you. All information is at your fingertips. This includes keeping track of your content, the workflow process, in-content review, and revisions.
Is there anything else I should know about this solution?
Note that CMS integration can be a fairly complex process. There are initial upfront costs in terms of time and money. Larger corporations use Enterprise Content Management Systems (ECMs) and are most likely to use this type of website localization.
Website Translation Proxy
First of all, what is it?
Simply put, a website translation proxy is cloud-based. It is a translation layer of your website that sits between your website server and the consumer. In this case, your translated site mirrors the layout of your existing website.
How does it work?
The proxy server “crawls” your main website and pulls strings of text out for translation. Translation is completed by professional translators and placed back into the proxy layer to replace source text for the localized version of the site. This process can be updated regularly when edits are made to your source site.
Will this solution work for me?
You may find that your CMS does not support multilingual capabilities. No problem at all! With the website translation proxy, this does not matter. In short, website translation proxy is more of a hands-off approach. (If you were a car buyer, this would be the leasing option!) There is very minimal involvement for a marketer, which leaves you more time for your core responsibilities. If your content updates frequently, website translation proxy provides an automated workflow to make sure that translations occur in tandem with website updates. This is also the best solution if you have a short “time to market” for your multilingual website launch.
Is there anything else I should know about this solution?
With the website translation proxy solution, the localized site mimics your source site. Therefore, any changes made to the localized site will have to happen to the source site first. Also, any add-ons such as catalogs or any upload files or PDFs will need to be translated separately and uploaded to the proxy site. Today’s global environment demands a multilingual component to any online presence. Having a localized website is absolutely necessary to communicate with international audiences and compete in the global business arena. As a marketer, weigh the options you have available and decide which solution works best for you and your company.