Is it necessary to translate your website? New research proves overwhelmingly that it is. A recent survey found that consumers distrust companies that fail to translate their websites.
In particular, only 40 percent of global survey participants said they have faith in those brands that don’t translate their sites. In the United States, that number is even lower; only 17 percent of Americans trust such companies. The same held for those businesses that did not provide native language translations of apps, product packaging or marketing materials.
As you can see, in today’s global economy, it pays to translate your business artifacts. Here’s why.
Make it Easy for Consumers to Understand Your Content
To truly reach a potential customers, you need to make sure they thoroughly understand your content. They need to hear (read) your sales pitch. This might seem like an obvious point, but many businesses still fail to heed the warning.
Launching a product or service in a non-native or overseas market requires a full localization effort. If your new market prospects perceive that you’ve simply slapped a foreign language title on materials written for a different market, they will be much less likely to trust your brand.
This axiom also applies to any developing or unexpected markets. Once your site and content are active online, you may be surprised to find you have a burgeoning market you didn’t anticipate in an overseas location.
If you discover a market you never considered and that you’re inadvertently ignoring, effective localization and translation is a quick and easy way to expand your reach to this new location.
Let Customers Know You Want Their Business
When people visit a website and find it is not in their own language, many perceive that the business is not interested in their patronage. If you visit a site that is not in English, for example, you might assume that the business is not meant for English speakers. Your next step is likely to click away from the website, because you might suspect that it does not target customers in the United States. As a result, that business misses out on a sale and a potential new customer.
If you want to avoid this and are hoping to grow your business, make sure you translate your website into multiple languages. The way you deliver your localized content will depend on your marketing model.
Personalize the Experience for Your Customers
Once you become open to customers who do not speak your native language, it’s important to not only accept their business, but to welcome and encourage it.
To capture a prospect, you must do more than get them to read your content. You need to include powerful calls to action designed to appeal to specific markets. Ensure that all product descriptions are accurate in the non-native language and that the price is displayed using the correct currency and formatting for the location. All of these actions are helpful in earning the trust of a foreign prospect.
Consumers around the world demand an engaging user experience. Localization will help ensure that you display the appropriate respect for culture as well as language. A personalized user experience and interface goes a long way today toward converting a prospect in any country.
If you would like to learn more about why it’s so important for your company to gain the trust of overseas consumers, contact Verbatim Solutions today. We specialize in translation, localization and interpretation services for businesses of all sizes. Contact us today for more information on why it’s crucial to translate your websites and other documents.
