15 tips for website translation and localisation by freedman international
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15 Tips for Website and Mobile translation & localisation
by Freedman International
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TAKING YOUR WEBSITE GLOBAL
Rolling out a global website (or network of localized
sites) may seem a daunting challenge. But with a
systematic approach to strategy, development and
implementation, the process can be painless.
Follow Freedman’s top 15 tips for avoiding common
website translation and localization pitfalls.
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1. FREE UP YOUR CREATIVES
De-coupling the creative process from implementation.
This will free up your creative teams to play to their
strengths. Production experts can then handle the
logistics involved in the global roll out.
• Keep the lines of communication open with your
local markets• Work closely with in-market teams and allow for
‘freedom within a framework’• Build campaign implementation in to your whole strat
egy
— plan this from the get-go
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2. THINK GLOBAL, ACT LOCAL
Your website and brand messages need to resonate in many markets and languages. Align your global
objectives with the reality of in-market conditions.
• Deliver campaign translations that really resonate locally by
adapting global concepts, words and imagery
• Adapt and localize creative assets centrally, but with in-market QA
and testing
• Define standard metrics and implement consistent reporting
across markets
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3. GET BUDGET CLARITY
Amongst the biggest challenges for global campaign managers is establishing a good collaborative
process and trust with the local market teams. Part of this is getting everyone on the same page
where budgets are concerned.
• Clarify and communicate budget responsibility and ownership to all stakeholders• Share information on which assets will be centrally generated and available locally• In-market teams need to know if they’re covering costs for adaptation and media
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4. ADHERE TO LOCAL LAW
Many global website implementations have been brought
to halt because local laws weren't taken into account.
• Different countries, cultures and religions mean local
legislation varies a great deal
• Consider legal compliance issues right at the start
• Get legal clearance in your target markets: focus
on music usage, image rights and local legislation
(particularly important for transactional e-commerce
sites)
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5. USE THE RIGHT CMS
Websites for global markets require a powerful, sophisticated content management system (CMS) featuring:
• Advanced user management: permission levels, admin languages, time zone management• Workflow management: approval systems, embargoed content, multilingual content,
currency conversion• Integrations: sites may require third party integrations such as translation tools, digital asset
management and editorial or content planning tools
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6. USE PERFECT CODE
Always use globally accepted coding standards for scripting and middleware.
• Always code in UTF-8 to avoid corruption of special characters if content is localizable
• Ensure the code is clean and tidy
• Test localized applications of code early in any development
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7. OPTIMIZE LOCALLY
Re-framing an English language site for new markets requires sensitive translation taking into account
cultural relevance, tone, nuances and motivation. But it’ll also need localized search optimization:
• On-page local SEO must be natural and relevant. Keywords, titles, descriptions, headlines and call-outs must all take into account language and cultural differences
• Local competition needs to be researched and factored into positioning and key messages
• Localized sites will require their own link-building projects
• Some territories have important local search engines with their own ranking algorithms
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8. GEOTARGET YOUR SITE
Search engines algorithms include a weighting for location. For example, results shown to a user in Spain will differ from those user in Mexico sees.
Choose the right domain strategy:
• Generic domain plus subfolder (www.yourcompany.com/uk) URL structure provides no country-specific SEO value.
• Subdomain (uk.yourcompany.com) allows for local hosting. Sitemaps for each country folder possible.
• Country-specific domain (www.yourcompany.co.uk)
better visibility for country-specific searches. NB requires a physical local address.
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9. LOCALIZE GRAPHICS
Brands spend time and energy on localizing written content but often overlook the crucial role graphics play in successful website development. Here’s how to get graphics right:
• Adapt graphics by region, taking on board local cultural sensitivities
• Consider the impact of imagery, colours and fonts, market-by-market
• Make sure titles and alt. tags are suitable for each local market
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10. GO BEYOND TRANSLATION
Messages in content must resonate in different regions with power and clarity. The challenge is wider than translation. Adopt these strategies to make your content chime with local markets:
• Factor in cultural nuances. Within content, make brand voice and vision "native" to each and every part of the world.
• One size never fits all. Messages must fit local preferences. Adapting content invariably requires local input beyond simple translation.
• Aim for gut-level impact in each market. Test and adapt.
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a better way11. HAVE A CONTENT PLAN
If a network of brand sites require regular content updates or blog posts then content planning is a must-have:
• Set up a robust content plan. Produce a content calendar it transparent for all parties
• Agree short, regular cross-team content meetings. Allocate tasks across local teams
• Take on feedback, be nimble, but stick to the plan
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a better way12. THINK COPY LENGTH
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AggiungereHinzufügenAjouter
Written content tends to contract or expand depending on the
language translation. Here’s how to avoid common pitfalls:
• Use translators with deep experience of multilingual campaigns and who understand marketers’ challenges
• Find linguists based in local markets — they live the language as it evolves every day
• Plan your content evenly for web and mobile. Customers are device-agnostic
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a better way13. VALUE YOUR ASSETS
• Use process that streamlines workflow and keeps all team members in the loop
Creating and localizing assets is hugely important for
successful global website implementations.
DO:• Use a Digital Asset Management (DAM) system to
catalogue, annotate, retrieve and distribute your valuable assets (logos, photos, videos, audio files and animations)
DON’T:• Waste valuable time searching for the latest assets among many versions• Let marketing teams share images by email or basic file-sharing software
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a better way14. UPDATE AND ADAPT
Make sure your site network is regular
maintained — technically and for content.
• Cascade technical updates to CMS across a multi-country site network. Use local teams to check and re-check website status
• Each product or service update to be implemented with the same rigour as the original global rollout
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Mistakes give you an opportunity for testing. Gathering feedback from your team and
users is always useful. They will appreciate your efforts and will see software updates as
part of the improvement plan.
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a better wayGET IN TOUCH
When it comes to making your marketing work around the world Freedman can help. We’re the global
marketing implementation people. Our mission is to make multi-region marketing campaigns work
better, faster. We bring on the ground knowledge and global understanding to localize campaigns so
they fit different territories, and the project management and implementation power to deliver them
anywhere in the world.
Chris Scott
chris.scott@freedmaninternational.com
+442074634816
Urszula Briens
urszula.briens@freedmaninternational.com
+442074634812
Ele Rumary
ele.rumary@freedmaninternational.com
+1 212 905 6096
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