Role of Translation Services in E-Commerce

With the boom in online marketing, e-commerce has become widely popular as a medium of business. Websites like Amazon, eBay et al have become household names now and people across the world are finding online purchases a convenient and cost effective mode of buying.

Most of the customers across the world prefer to access a website that is published in their native language. Since only 25 percent of world's population belongs to English-speaking community, localization of ecommerce websites has become a necessity.

According to a recent survey, 63 percent of consumers are more likely to buy from a website that communicates in their native language.

Localization or offering content in mother language helps in building better connect with customers living in different demographics and speaking different languages.

In this scenario of increasing importance of localization in the midst of rapid globalization, the business opportunities for translation agencies are set to boom.

However, translation agencies need to be careful while capitalizing on these opportunities. It is indeed a Herculean task to provide translations that are in harmony with the terminology and culture of a place.

Here are some points that need to be considered by offering translation services to different civilizations across the globe:

Consider Cultural Preferences

Every country has its own cultural preferences - Asian people like to be greeted by their surnames but are not comfortable when greeted with first names. Similarly, there are different symbols and icons that hold spiritual, cultural, or emotional significance in a particular part of the world.

A translation agency should be well aware of all these cultural preferences while translating the content for a particular class of people.

Be Aware of Language Barriers

People living in different parts of world have their own characteristics, consciousness, and thinking. Be careful with your vocabulary as some words may sound offensive for a particular community.

Every language is unique in its display, grammar, alphabets, and syntactical rules. For instance, there is no one-to-one mapping between upper-and lowercase characters in languages like European French and German.

Similarly, in non-Latin character-based languages including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese, there is no concept of lower-and uppercase letters. (Source: MSDN Library, 2007).

The translators should also be careful while translating the idioms or proverbs popular in that area as the message it conveys symbolically may be entirely different from what it literally means.

Prefer Human Translators

When it comes to translation of e-commerce websites, prefer a human translator. E-commerce works automatically. There is nobody available to help visitors understand different terms and conditions. A small error in content can result in the disinterest of a potent customer.

A human translator who is well versed with the terminology of that country is a better choice for reliable and effective translation.

Have A Look At Local Sites

When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Take a notice of local websites and try to understand the pattern and terminology popular in that area. It will help you translate the content in a way; the natives of that place would like to read. It will also help understand the cultural and behavioral patterns of the locals.

Always opt for a renowned and reputed for your translation projects. You can consider translation Edmonton or translation Vancouver for the same.