When simple translation isn’t enough
In business today, few would doubt the importance of the internet to their bottom line. The decreasing price of high-speed bandwidth plus the constantly growing options of mobile internet access has translated to positive growth of internet revenue. According to the latest figures from the U.S. Census bureau, e-commerce accounts for $3.7 billion in shipments, sales or revenues[1]. Online retail spending alone was measured at $129.8 billion in 2009[2].
How can companies get their share of that pie? One of the first things companies will do is to build a website to feature their products and/or services. Next, they have to decide where their target audience is and what language versions they have to offer to generate the biggest impact. The website will be produced in one language and translated from there.
Is a simple translation enough?
The answer depends on the purpose of the website. Websites whose sole purpose is to provide information on the company can probably make do with simple translation of textual content. But as the purpose of the website becomes more complex, so does the translation thereof.
At this point, we’re no longer talking about translation, but localization. Localization is “the adaptation of a product, application or document content to meet the language, cultural and other requirements of a specific target market (a ‘locale’).”[3]
But is a website enough? Not according to Zach Nelson at Inc. Magazine[4]. Some companies make the mistake of focusing solely on the front end of selling, hoping that once a website is in place, they can simply watch the money roll in. In fact, only companies that incorporate their e-commerce operations into their overall business operations will succeed in selling online.
[3] https://www.w3.org/International/questions/qa-i18n
[4] https://www.inc.com/resources/technology/articles/20070501/nelson.html
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