What are the Mistakes to Avoid When Translating an E-Commerce Website?

Expanding an e-commerce website to attract an international audience is a huge step toward building a wider customer base. As the market of e-commerce continues to grow, it is expected to surpass $5.55 trillion by the next year. But you cannot achieve that without the right website and content to sell and market effectively to your potential customers. Have you ever wondered how websites like Amazon, IKEA, and Nike have mastered the ability to sell to a global audience? Creating user-friendly, multilingual, e-commerce websites fueled by certified translation has helped them.

If your company aims to achieve global success, here are common mistakes that need to avoid while translating an e-commerce website.

Relying on automated translation tools

There are plenty of automated translation tools available. They offer a quick and easy way to translate your website with just a click. Although the convenience of these tools is tempting, automated translation comes with several limitations. As they are powered by technology such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, these translation tools often fail to consider non-standard language and idiomatic expressions. Thus, they often generate literal translations that may have some different meaning than what was intended and it could even be offensive to the audience.

Ignoring multilingual SEO

E-commerce websites heavily rely on search engine optimization (SEO) for traffic generation. It is the process of improving the quality and volume of the website traffic with the help of keywords in order to rank higher in online searches. While translating an e-commerce website, it is crucial to research which keywords are most effective for targeting the local language and location. Neglecting it can hamper globalization efforts and make it difficult to get your brand in front of the audience.

Not localizing the product details

A women’s size 4 in the UK is equal to the size 0 in the US. The dollar is used as currency in the US while 27 EU states use the euro. So when translating and tailoring your e-commerce website for a global audience, you must take into account the local standard so that users can shop without any hassle.

Not providing customer support in the local language

Technical issues and product or service-related issues are sure to arise for an e-commerce website. So in order to provide the global audience with adequate support, FAQs and customer assistance should be available in the local language. This ensures that your customers get the help and service they need when shopping with you.

Abandoning your brand’s identity

A company’s brand and image should be consistent when it comes to e-commerce. The literal translation of branding material can ruin your brand and image. When translating and localizing your website’s copy and content, know-how the global customers will perceive your brand and how it aligns with your intended values and vision.

Conclusion

Translating the content of an e-commerce website yourself or using an automated translating tool can be a disaster. It can be labor-intensive as well as frustrating. At worst, it can lead to confusion and offensive errors that can negatively impact your business and sales. Choosing a certified translation in New York can provide you with an accurate and precise translation that resonates with your target audience. Want to know more? Feel free to contact the experts.