Building a website can be costly. The costs increase when you need to have your site’s content translated and localized for different language versions. But did you know there are some easy hacks you can use to reduce website localization costs?
Let’s get right to it!
Steps to Reduce Website Localization Costs
1 – Always Plan for Localization Right from the Start
If you are just starting a business, think global and act local. If reaching a global audience is part of your vision, your site should already be multilingual from the very beginning. Setting up a website with multiple languages already in place is much more cost effective than setting up a site only in English and eventually converting it into a multilingual site.
Although it may not cost you more to have your site’s content translated in bulk, there are other cost factors your need to consider. For instance, it will cost you less to integrate search engine optimization (SEO) from the start.
2- Use Translation-Friendly Content
Veer away from using specific jargon, slang, idioms, and culturally specific terms and phrases that are difficult to translate. Also, avoid ambiguity and errors so that translation will be a breeze.
3- Adopt a Glossary and Style Guide for Translation Quality Management
A glossary is a big help in reducing translation costs and streamline the process of localizing content. Talk to your team or your language service provider (LSP) to use the terms in the glossary provided so that you can get across your target market without any confusion that terminologies other than the ones in the glossary may bring.
This will help reduce the need for rewrites and it will guarantee consistency for all content. The glossary and style guide don’t have to be something you create yourself. It could be something developed by your language service provider.
4- Employ Translation Memory Technology
Translation memory technology is your best friend. It is mainly a database that stores the source and target language sentences as the translator completes a job. It stores the translated sentences and words so that they can be reused in the future. This does not only save time, but costs as well because all the translated content will be readily available.
5- Develop a Translation Template
Just like with having a glossary and style guide, you can get a lot of benefit in using a template. This is particularly useful if you have numerous websites. If you have multilingual campaigns on different sites, using a site template will save you money. You only have to supply the information needed for each website and replace the samples on the template.
6- Avoid Using Texts in Images and Videos
Embedding or integrated texts in images is a big NO. Doing so will make the translation job more difficult since a graphics editor will have to be involved in the process. There are ways to add texts to images, so you don’t have to edit the image to implement the translation. Similarly, if you are putting up translations for videos, don’t use hard subtitles or subtitles that are embedded on the videos.
7- Centralize Translation and Localization Activities
Make sure that all of the website translation tasks that need to be undertaken are managed properly by centralizing them. You need to do this to avoid inefficiencies and to remove redundant processes. This is also important in ensuring the quality and consistency of the translations produced.
Final Thoughts on How to Reduce Website Localization Costs
It would be preferable to just use one language service provider. If you have already employed multiple translation companies, assess each one and decide which among them provides the best service. You can then give all of the translation project to that one efficient translation service provider. As the concept of economies of scale dictate, you see your overall per-word translation costs reduced as language service providers typically charge lower for greater project bulks.
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