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Content is King, But How Does it Translate?

These days, content is everywhere. Any company that plans on establishing a real presence in the world needs content on their website and on social media channels.

Content is King

Content can be as simple as a daily Tweet, Instagram photo, or Facebook post. Website content can include blogs, articles, and even eBooks that can give consumers more information that ultimately leads them to trust you. And trust is not the only thing that keeps them coming back, it establishes you as a thought leader in the industry. You’ll find businesses in every field with content, from A to Z (literally!): swimming pools to waterproofing, medical to marketing and more. Everyone who wants to see their business thrive has content in some form. Content can be educational or entertaining—or both—but if you want your content to resonate with your consumers, it has to be understandable. That’s where a translation service comes in.

Preparing Your Content for Translation

Let your translation service know the audience they are translating for.

Simply directing a translation service to your website and asking them to translate what they see is a poor idea. In order to ensure the best experience for everyone involved in the process, there are a few things you can do to prepare your content for translation.

  • Let your translation service know the audience they are translating for. Upwork suggests consideration of the “subject matter and target audience. Legal, medical, and technical translations usually require a serious, formal tone.” Other businesses require a casual, even humorous writing style. But always let the translation service know what you’re looking for, so they can write in a tone that your audience expects.
  • Keep the terminology consistent throughout the content to ensure that the message is clearly translated throughout the piece. Use basic and simple words throughout the content; refrain from “hastening a project” and simply make it “quick,” use “therefore” instead of “ergo.”
  • Avoid cultural references unless you’re sure there’s an equivalent in the target language (a professional translator can tell you if one exists). What might sound hilarious in one culture can be downright offensive in another. It’s best to keep content clean and neutral. In this same line of thought, using acronyms and abbreviations can lead to misunderstandings as they might take on new meanings in other languages. Be sure that you send along an explanation if they are necessary to the content.

And remember that your content can increase or decrease in size depending on the language. Leave enough space for your content to fit where it’s going.

Time for Translation

With your content prepared and ready to go, it’s important that it goes to a translation service that has professional experience in the field they are translating. Our translators work in about 75 language pairs to ensure that what you want said gets said the right way. Whether starting from U.S. or U.K. English, the translation will sound appropriate in both Czech and Slovakian. With so many industries to choose from, you’ll always find the expertise you need to get your business where it needs to be. Contact us to get started with your content conversion.

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