To effectively reach a global audience, ecommerce merchants must look beyond mere translation and embrace full localization. This includes cultural nuances, currency, and broader business strategies like shipping and fraud management. Addressing these aspects significantly improves conversion rates and expands market reach.
Key takeaways
For North American merchants targeting non-English speakers within North America, prioritize Spanish and French (especially for Quebec) due to high purchasing power and cultural familiarity.
Machine translation is suitable for factual content like product reviews and shipping addresses; however, human translation is crucial for nuanced content such as advertising copy and legal documents, which influence human behavior and carry legal implications.
Factor in localization beyond language: currency, cultural colloquialisms, shipping, customs, fraud management, and order fulfillment are critical for international expansion and require a comprehensive business strategy.
Allocate budget for translation strategically: expect around $0.20 per word for professional human translation for high-impact content, while machine translation for high-volume, factual content might cost $10,000-$20,000 annually for a medium-sized retailer.
Don't just translate, communicate. Focus on the end goal of effective communication with customers in their native language and cultural context, integrating this into your overall business strategy.
There are more consumers that don’t speak English than those that do. And how to reach those non-English-speaking prospects is our topic today. Merely translating a website is only part of the challenge. To help us understand all of the issues surrounding the language translation of an ecommerce site, we are joined by Swamy Viswanathan, vice president for Language Weaver, a translation company. He speaks with Practical Ecommerce’s Kerry Murdock.
Frequently asked about this episode
What does this episode say about content strategy?
For North American merchants targeting non-English speakers within North America, prioritize Spanish and French (especially for Quebec) due to high purchasing power and cultural familiarity.
What does this episode say about international expansion?
Machine translation is suitable for factual content like product reviews and shipping addresses; however, human translation is crucial for nuanced content such as advertising copy and legal documents, which influence human behavior and carry legal implications.
What does this episode say about market localization?
Factor in localization beyond language: currency, cultural colloquialisms, shipping, customs, fraud management, and order fulfillment are critical for international expansion and require a comprehensive business strategy.
What does this episode say about content strategy?
Allocate budget for translation strategically: expect around $0.20 per word for professional human translation for high-impact content, while machine translation for high-volume, factual content might cost $10,000-$20,000 annually for a medium-sized retailer.
What does this episode say about content strategy?
Don't just translate, communicate. Focus on the end goal of effective communication with customers in their native language and cultural context, integrating this into your overall business strategy.
