Those who develop their services in line with the latest trends and market needs have long realised that the success of an online shop lies not only in its multilinguality. It also lies in the quality of the language and the precision of the message delivered. If you wish your webshop to gain trust of your customers, you need precise and authentic communication. Customers will spot the clunky language of machine translation for the first sight. Therefore probably leave the site after a few clicks. In addition, text jotted on by robots ruins your webshop’s SEO too. Translation agencies, on the other hand, can not only translate professional texts, but also help you to proofread your existing material. Like official documents related to the purchase process (terms and conditions, delivery terms, etc.).
What kind of official documents do you need to translate or proofread for online shops?
If you operate a multilingual website or webshop it is crucial to make all content available in the relevant languages. For webshops, the following official documents should be translated into the languages of the website:
- Privacy policy
- TERMS AND CONDITIONS
- Shipping and returns policy
- Product specifications
For official documents, it’s practical to have a master copy that is updated from time to time. Even translations of these shall not be forgotten to be updated! You may only need to insert a sentence or two, but legal texts require precise wording. It also makes a difference what is actually stated in contracts. In such cases, a translation agency can be of great help, providing proofreading or translation services on short deadlines.
Professional translation agencies offer much more than just translation
The comprehensive services offered by translation agencies, such as proofreading, content creation for multilingual websites, interpreting for foreign relations or language training for employees. These are all key factors in the international success of a company.
For webshops, the quality of the written texts is crucial. These messages represent your company to the outside world. Proofreading ensures that the translated texts are accurate and understandable. It also ensures that their style and expression meet the expectations of the target audience and professional standards. Proofreading guarantees that the above mentioned texts are in line with the overall communication style of our company.
Website, webshop translation
The translation of product descriptions, general website content and customer service information is essential for all languages in which our webshop is available. Many people forget to translate the content of the Blog or News menu into several languages, even though this can greatly improve the organic ranking in the Internet search engines.
SEO optimisation
Speaking of search results, it is also important from an SEO point of view to use the right keywords in the right languages. Different softwares can help you to find out which keywords to optimise your site for in your region. However, what phrases to use so that your content is not repetitive but grabs the reader’s attention is something that a specialist translator can convey much better.
Sales and marketing materials
Downloadable brochures, product catalogues, etc… Customers tend to look at all available content before they buy. Make it easy for them and available in as many languages as possible. If you send out a regular newsletter or are preparing a major campaign, translate these materials into the language of your target audience.
Customer support
Chat customer support is now almost indispensable in the life of an online shop. With well-directed questions and keywords, we can easily direct customers to the right platform, relieving the burden on customer support staff. However, it is essential that website content such as FAQs, T&Cs, etc. are available in the necessary languages. Otherwise we cannot direct the user any further. Going further along this line, accurate translation of pre-loaded questions and answers is also necessary for the chat function to work properly.
Translation Agency or AI (Artificial Intelligence)?
Since the launch of ChatGPT, the question of whether it’s still worth using a translation agency has been asked more and more. Both translation agencies and artificial intelligence (AI) have their advantages and limitations. Translation agencies also use machine translation systems, but human proofreading is essential to ensure that the texts are consistent with the living language. Also free of mistranslations and fit the context. AI-generated texts can provide inspiration for the writer or a pretty good basis for proofreading for the translator. Although they are not currently suitable for publishing their content on our webshop site without post-editing, one-to-one.
In the following cases, it is definitely worth using the help of a translation agency if you don't want to appear frivolous in the eyes of your customers and partners!
Context and culture
People tend to have a better understanding of the linguistic context and the linguistic nuances that arise from cultural differences. These also can be important for correct translation and message delivery. AI is not always sensitive enough to different cultural contexts.
Accurate and sophisticated drafting
In the case of webshops, it is common for several merchants to sell the same products. In order to distinguish oneself from the competition, product descriptions need to be written in a way that is more interesting and colourful. Of course without compromising the content. Translators can easily add these subtle linguistic nuances to texts, as they translate legal, professional and literary content.
Specialised fields
Translation agencies often have experts in different fields (e.g. law, economics, engineering, etc.). This can be an advantage when a professional or specialised translation is needed.
