Best Way to Localize Multilingual Content
March 10, 2023
Modifying your messaging for a multilingual audience is called content localization. If your brand has plans for globalization, marketing content not only needs to be translated for each target market, but to be effective it is a must for your communications to be culturally appropriate. Multilingual content that is not correctly translated will be difficult for potential consumers to understand.
Word-for-Word Translation Has Limitations
Since speakers of most languages use figurative forms of speech like idioms, a word-for-word translation of your website content, social media messaging, or online multimedia will likely miss important cultural nuances, naming conventions, and structural formats.
To build the brand loyalty you need to succeed, it is crucial to deliver professionally translated content that has been localized in the target language (and dialects) with unique language sensitivities.
Consumers want to feel engaged with brands and multilingual audiences are no exception. So, there are numerous benefits that come from proper content localization. Fact is multilingual buyers who feel connected spend more money than those who feel like they are doing business with a complete stranger. Often the hardest part is sparking a connection in the first place, which depends a lot upon the effectiveness of your content localization.
Steps for Multilingual Content Localization
There is much more to content localization than just translation. Although adding a translation software module to your online platforms may allow users to navigate your website, it cannot be relied upon to deliver your brand’s marketing messaging across the Internet. The tips below can help align your multimedia assets with any targeted language:
- Determine Content for Localization – Having a clear business expansion plan for new target markets starts with determining the content that needs translation to effectively deliver your brand messaging.
- Identify Cultural Sensitivities – Awareness of cultural sensitivities is crucial for success and ensures your brand’s message is correctly perceived. A lack of localizations can come across as being out-of-touch with your audience.
- Use Professional Language Services – Simply adding Google Translate or other artificial intelligence translation software will not get the job done. There’s more to targeted content localization for brand expansion.
- Accurately Interpret Localized Content – Making payments online can be concerning for a majority of consumers, especially in foreign markets. Understanding local preferences results in a more familiar processes.
- Modify for Unique Dialects – Delivering properly localized content ensures prospective customers can truly interact with your brand’s message. Each new location needs its own voice and tone.
Truth be known, a failure to localize content can suggest to potential consumers that your brand is not fully vested in who they are and what they want. So, word-for-word content translations will always need a little tweaking. Moreover, it is not just a matter of translating the words correctly, local language nuances can impact the formatting and graphic layout of your brand messaging.
Linguists Provide Better Content Localization
By investing in professional translations, interpretations, transcriptions, captioning, voice-overs and subtitling, you can deliver localized content that aligns with the interests and needs of consumers in each of your target markets. Accurate interpretations and translations show you are vested in knowing who they are and what products and services they want or need. So, there are numerous reasons as to why content localization can be vital to business growth.
Successful multilingual content strategies involve combining the geo-data collected from language targeting to deliver more effective brand messaging through content localization. Whether delivered through your website, paid inclusion, or social media platform, creating well-translated versions of the information you plan to deliver online is necessary to ensure your brand correctly aligns with your user’s expectations.
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For cost-effective solutions and professionally translated content that is also correctly localized for each target language, contact ProLingo at 800-287-9755 to speak with one of our language specialists.
