How worldwide is your web site?

As more and more people gain access to the Internet, web sites are becoming a vital marketing tool for almost every type of business. The opportunity to sell online is huge. By 2004, Forrester Research predicts, global online sales will reach around $7 trillion, rising to over $12 trillion by 2006.

Lloyd International, one of Europe’s leading specialist technical translation companies, believes however that without a multilingual web site many companies will miss out on this opportunity.

Early Internet users were mostly English speaking. Today, in contrast, the Web is increasingly multilingual. By 2005, it is estimated that more than 70% of people with access to the Internet will speak a language other than English (source: International Data Corp.).

This statistic has important consequences for web site effectiveness. Studies show that people are significantly more responsive when addressed in their native tongue. As the Japanese say, “If I'm conversing with you, I'll speak your language. If I'm buying from you, you speak my language.”

Yet, many companies’ web sites focus primarily on the requirements of the home market, even when their brochures have been translated into other languages. As web sites increasingly replace printed brochureware, it makes commercial sense to invest in a multilingual web site. Consider how much more potential business could be won. A recent study in the US found that major web sites turned away almost half the orders coming from outside the country. The reason given is the inability to store, access and retrieve multilingual information or to process multiple currencies (source: Oracle white paper).

website localization involves more than simply translating what appears on screen. It is about adapting the web site to the cultural and social conventions, literacy levels, legal standards and accounting practices of a country so that it looks and feels local. This means, for example, changing date and time formats, currencies and screen layout, and avoiding culture-dependent or ambiguous text and graphics that may lead to misunderstandings.

On the Internet, first impressions are everything. Translated web content needs to have the same impact as the original. The better-written and clearer the text, the easier and more cost-effective it will also be to translate. Using translation memory tools to incorporate previous translations can reduce costs further.

Lloyd International is experienced in handling all the factors which need to be taken into account when localising web sites, such as the types of web pages, character set encoding and the need to maintain integrity of formatting tags and embedded software. Lloyd International counts many household names and industry leaders among its clients and the firm can provide all the language solutions needed to localise web sites quickly and cost-effectively:

	detection of content which requires localization;
	protection of codes and links;
	translation memory software to reduce cost and increase speed, accuracy and consistency;
	specialist in-country and mother-tongue translators who are knowledgable in the subject area being translated;
	liaison with clients’ subsidiaries and agents in target markets;
	ISO 9001 quality assurance systems; and
	a secure gateway to the firm’s project management system, enabling clients to track progress, anywhere and anytime.

To address a worldwide audience professionally and well, website localization is not optional – it’s essential.

For more information call us on +44 (0)1829 730050 or email us

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