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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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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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a better way15. TEST YOUR RESULTS

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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