It’s far too easy to end up with a mediocre foreign translation. There’s absolutely no point in going to all the hassle if you end up with a mediocre translation. Worse still, is when you have your site translated into 14 languages – but don’t get the menu’s, text-within-images and other key content translated as well.

When going through your site, beyond text content, make sure you translate:

• Sound & videos.
• Images.
• Image captions.
• Alt text for accessibility.

When all this is done, ask a native speaker to have a brief look at your site. They should be able to tell you very quickly if the tone and style reflects your original language – and if there are any glaring errors or omissions.

Finally, make it clear when your customer service line is English speaking only, or if you only ship your goods to certain countries. Forgetting these crucial steps will drive your customers away, and render all the money you spent translating the text a complete waste of time and effort.

Ben