Technical Translations - What Website Owners Need to Know

Language translation services remain in demand despite the availability of translation apps. This is because there are many limits on translation software if it is an option at all. But it isn’t enough to hire the first person who says they speak the language, and there are quite a few ways you can make the task as painless as possible. Here’s what website owners need to know about technical translations.

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Decide How Your Website Will Handle Foreign Language Content

There are two main ways you can have content in several languages: multi-language or multi-site. Multi-site content means there is a different website for each language. Multi-language means that all of your content is available in a variety of languages. The approach you choose affects the current website’s design if you aren’t setting up a new website for each customer base.

Multi-site makes your content seem more local and more relevant to the country in question. The downside is that you have to buy and maintain many different domains. A multi-language strategy can be run off a single website, but it often forces you to do translation work as soon as you’ve created the original content. You’re going to need a good content management system to make it work. You’ll also need an effective multilingual SEO strategy.

Not Every Language Is in These Apps

A surprisingly large number of languages are not covered by translation apps, and they may fall short when it comes to dialects and regional accents. This is why you may need to hire a translator to translate your home page and other content into your target audience’s native language.

AI-Driven Translation Isn’t Good Enough for Technical Translation

Translation software can give you a general overview of what a message means. However, the translations done by computer software and online tools lose nuance. This means that your technical article on how to minimize combustible dust explosions in pharmaceutical manufacturing is confusing in another language. An article on computer routers may use terms related to woodworking, and stories heavy with slang or pop culture references are outright confusing. Legal terms and conditions don’t have the same impact when written in another language either.

If you’re trying to give them advice on how to use your website or troubleshoot account problems, machine translations won’t be good enough to be of use. Hire a human translator to create good content in another language unless you want foreign language customers to contact tech support regularly.

You Need the Right Team Doing the Translation Work

The translators must understand the technical terminology if they’re going to translate it correctly. Unfortunately, some people may say they’re qualified, but they may not really be fluent in the language or understand the subject matter. This is why you should have them undergo translation tests before you ask them to translate your technical content.

Give the Translators Everything They Need

They say that context is everything. When it comes to technical content, the related reference files are essential to supplying context. Give people access to the software application or the device itself when they’re translating the user manual.

If you want your business to go global, you need to hire human translators to do the work. However, there are many more decisions you need to make aside from who you’ll have translate your website and other content.