So here it is. You’ve just finished translating and localising a website for your customer. The text viewed in your CAT tool seems to be flawless, with no mistranslations, typos or punctuation errors. The terminology is consistent, you‘ve used the provided TMs and even referred to similar websites in the target language. But before you hit “send”, one more question has to be answered: is it really a localised website? Does it really read like a locally made website? Does it meet the main requirement of websites in general, which is to encourage users to stay longer on the page and keep them coming back?

Make it look local and meet the customer’s goals

A properly localised website is a website that seems to be developed locally, is functional and attractive for local users. While localising and reviewing the content, you have to keep the customer’s goals in mind: what is the main purpose to localise the website? To attract more clients? Build trust in the brand and enhance corporate image? Sell more products and services? Now, does the website localised by you make it possible to achieve these goals? Review it again with the potential user’s behaviour in mind. Any signs of “importing” the website from abroad, such as incorrect data or currency format, irrelevant examples, culturally unacceptable images or sensitive colours will not convince the users to stay on the page or become a company’s client. You’ll also have to know who are the potential website users to be able to adjust the content to their needs and expectations. More.

See: Beyond the Words

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