However, preparing your site for a multilingual audience doesn't just mean feeding the content into a translation site and hoping for the best. You need to ensure that your content and brand don't get lost in translation and avoid making a cultural faux-pas.
Why bother?
Making your
website design multilingual isn't just a nice thing to do. It offers serious commercial benefits. Your site can:
- Reach a wider audience
- Target foreign territories
- Improve your profile as a global brand
- Find new revenue streams abroad or with non-English speaking users
In fact, when you compare it to the cost of opening a new branch and advertising in a new country translating your site seems like an incredibly cost-effective way to reach foreign customers.
Which languages?
Obviously, the languages you choose depend on the countries and markets you're interested in. For example, if you're an exporter of goods to continental Europe, then you probably want languages such as German, French, Spanish and Italian. If you're trying to appeal to Chinese markets...well, you get the idea.
However, there are variations to consider.
For example, you may want to have your site translated into Spanish. However, are you targeting people in Spain, or are you more interested in reaching Argentinians or Mexicans? Each has its own language quirks and culture.
Local understanding
Every country has different cultural sensibilities.
Language is the most obvious difference. Phrases and colloquialisms often lose their meaning when translated directly. For example, tell an Englishman that his grub's up and he'll be expecting dinner. Say that to someone in Italian, and they might think they're about to get an insect thrown at them.
Humour also does not travel well. In fact, a badly judged joke can cause offence.
Language also includes your product names and branding. You've probably heard the stories of names and slogans that haven't travelled so well around the world. For example, Kentucky Fried Chicken's famous Finger-lickin good slogan translates in Chinese as Eat your fingers off. A little bit of research beforehand can help avoid these embarrassing mistakes.
A picture says a thousands words...
...But sometime they're the wrong ones.
As with words, images mean different things in different cultures. For example, an image seen as edgy in the UK, might be seriously offensive in an Arabic country.
Navigation icons can also cause confusion. For example, the classic image of home in the West tends to be a square with a triangle on top. However, this isn't always the case elsewhere. In fact, this applies to logos and colour schemes too. For example, in the UK yellow is often associated with cowardice, yet in India it's synonymous with prosperity.
Small details and common sense
It's challenge creating a genuinely multilingual website. You have to get the balance between appealing to several different cultures, without being bland and losing your message. However, the benefits of getting it right can be huge. Using a specialist
web design agency can help ensure that everything is in place for you to successfully reach an international audience.
