Website translation – the 5 types of content to be translated

Translation of websites – Experience Sharing

Before you start to conquer the world, and even if it seems obvious, the first question to ask is: that translate?

1 – The text content “classic”

We speak here of the texts that appear in the clear on the pages of your site. Knowing that a translation quote is generally calculated on the basis of the number of source words, as it is particularly laborious to count all the words on each page of a site (this is sometimes not possible because some pages are displayed that dynamically), we almost always have need of extraction of texts for translation. This extraction basis for  assessing the cost and duration of work.

Note 1: extraction does not mean a .zip file containing 150 .html files but one or several documents containing all the texts to translate.

Note 2: we take care of the extraction, in some cases.

2 – Metadata

Your site necessarily has a number of text elements found in the source code: the securities (ALT tags), URLs in the clear, meta tags (description, keywords, etc.). If you want to translate these elements, it will specify the upstream. In the case of these items, you must be especially careful because we must not lose sight of the goal of SEO: the terms must be carefully chosen for it. In the case of URLs, you must also be very careful because the architecture of the site depends on a change can break a link.

Note: For SEO purposes, we can grace our language specialist teams assist you in finding the best keywords for a given country. Linguistic analysis (synonyms, phrase match and broad expressions, etc.) but also statistical analysis of occurrences.

3 – Images

Some images may contain text, and few CMS that can edit them directly on line (this would require that the image has been built using the CMS itself). These images may correspond to a slogan, a picture, a chart, etc. If you choose to be translated, this means that they must be isolated from the rest and dealt with separately. You can also entrust the editable versions of these images, so you can avoid the integration of translated texts.

Note 1: Do not forget either, especially in the case of e-commerce sites, to translate the tag “alt” to your images (see point 3 above). A valuable tag for SEO (but not only).

Note 2: If you aspire abroad since the creation of your website, it is best not to include text on your images (with a Photoshop layer, for example) because the cost of translation – by handling that entails – is relatively high.

4 – Related Files

Sometimes the files are hosted on the site and offered to visitors: a brochure, an invitation to an event, a discount coupon, a user guide, the examples are numerous. Depending on the case, it will determine whether they should be translated.

Note: the most important of them perhaps, the GTC, TOS and Privacy Policy. A specific translator (with a legal specialty) will be mobilized for these documents. One question you should ask yourself: local adaptation or not?

5 – Dynamic content

Do you have a blog, or news that is updated regularly? When you consider translating your website, it is always interesting to see the long term, and try to anticipate future needs. In the case of content likely to evolve frequently, translation package can be offered at a competitive price, thus have a fully translated interface including the latest content!

Note 1: the “fixed” content of your site should be in the image of your offer. These are major elements of your clients reinsurance, what they will see first … Do not overlook the quality of content, .and their translation. We set up a process of translation and proofreading by a second translator for these key content.

Note 2: dynamic content often have very low lifetimes. Hot News, limited time promotions, etc. We offer our customers who want to optimize their investment to opt for a simple (without proofreading by a second translator). A very good quality, but allowing himself here and there, a space or a missing capital.