Translation of an online shop

You sell products through an online shop, order products on manufacturers’ website or advertise your offer in social media – examples of similar activities can be multiplied. What they have in common is e-commerce – a number of actions leading to completing a transaction with a customer via the internet. Due to this medium, you can manage your business globally, which is associated with communication with foreign recipients in their native languages.

Which elements of online business are worth translating?

Today, we will tell you which aspects of your business require help of specialists who know a foreign language and what documents should be translated first so that it’s possible for you to operate on foreign markets.

To make it easier, we divided the above activities into several areas.

Translation of the online shop website

This is your visiting card and first platform of communication with customers. It should clearly inform them about your offer, principles of cooperation and form of contact. The above components are a must on the foreign language version of your shop’s website. We will list them, focusing on the static elements first:

• The “About us” page,
• The “Offer” page,
• The “Contact” page (along with a footer and other areas on the website where such data appears),
• The “FAQ” page (only those issues that are important from the point of view of international customers),
• Terms of Service and Privacy Policy (keeping in mind that any legal changes in this scope should be translated on an on-going basis into a given language, if such a need arises).

Dynamic elements include:

• Product descriptions,
• Blog posts.

Translating content belonging to the second category requires a specific strategy. You should take the following into account when thinking about the strategy: selection of texts (e.g. products for Polish customers will not always be interesting to German customers, etc.), as well as regular and systematic activities (the offer changes continuously).

When it comes to the company blog, it would be a good idea if you considered content personalisation. Think whether writing new articles in a foreign language would be better than translating Polish posts (please note that you should not just translate them like any other documents. You have to adapt them to the needs of the specific recipients).

Translating advertisement

Advertisements are a drive for your company’s growth, while their quality and relevance will be decisive when it comes to conversion. Advertisement can be divided into text, graphical and video content.

• Text: for general guidebooks or tutorials, all you need is a standard translation. Marketing slogans, mailings, social media campaigns will require transcreation (creative translation) and localisation (adjusting the content to the characteristic of recipients).
• Graphics: besides the translation, the visual aspect is also important. This involves proper and legible content planning, creating several language versions of the material, etc. (e.g. for banner campaigns).
• Video: you should consider the format (and costs) of preparing this type of materials. You can record materials with voice over in different languages or translate subtitles for a video recorded in one specific language.

Translating legal documents

This can include translations of terms of service and privacy policy, which we have already mentioned above. Nevertheless this is just the starting point. Acquiring customers from different countries and cooperation with foreign partners require that varied content is prepared in foreign languages continuously. The method of translating the above can be divided into the following categories:

• Written translation: business mail, cooperation agreements, complaints, financial statements, cost estimates, price quotations, applications, etc.
• Consecutive/simultaneous translation: video-conferences, telephone calls, business meetings, etc.

How to translate an online shop?

As you can see, there are many aspects of conducting business abroad, where translation is an integral part of the entire process. You can consider who will provide translation services and on what conditions. There are several options to choose from.

1.    The first option is to employ native speakers. This way, you won’t have to worry about the professional and linguistic aspects of the created content.

2.    The second possibility is to choose specialists in a given area, who are fluent in a foreign language. You can source such specialists in a recruitment process on the local market, which reduces costs and involvement. Nevertheless, it is worth cooperating with a native speaker if you want to ensure a high level of language correctness, and more importantly, proper localisation in terms of expectations of foreign customers.

3.    The third option involves cooperation with an online translation office. Such a solution will not bind you with particular subcontractors for longer, as the case is with employing people at your company directly. It also provides access to multiple fields of expertise and languages. If you use an online shop system that is integrated with such an online translation service as Selly.pl, you are on the right track as translation of your shop will be easier, faster and even cheaper.

Translation can be easy

Taking into account the complexity of managing a business online, you have to look after its growth on many levels simultaneously, and consequently build a strategy of communication with international customers. Thiss will be possible if you pay attention to its professional level and proper targeting of messages in a foreign language.

If you still don’t know how to start, we will be happy to help!

Translation of an online shop

You sell products through an online shop, order products on manufacturers’ website or advertise your offer in social media – examples of similar activities can be multiplied. What they have in common is e-commerce – a number of actions leading to completing a transaction with a customer via the internet. Due to this medium, you can manage your business globally, which is associated with communication with foreign recipients in their native languages.

Which elements of online business are worth translating?

Today, we will tell you which aspects of your business require help of specialists who know a foreign language and what documents should be translated first so that it’s possible for you to operate on foreign markets.

To make it easier, we divided the above activities into several areas.

Translation of the online shop website

This is your visiting card and first platform of communication with customers. It should clearly inform them about your offer, principles of cooperation and form of contact. The above components are a must on the foreign language version of your shop’s website. We will list them, focusing on the static elements first:

• The “About us” page,
• The “Offer” page,
• The “Contact” page (along with a footer and other areas on the website where such data appears),
• The “FAQ” page (only those issues that are important from the point of view of international customers),
• Terms of Service and Privacy Policy (keeping in mind that any legal changes in this scope should be translated on an on-going basis into a given language, if such a need arises).

Dynamic elements include:

• Product descriptions,
• Blog posts.

Translating content belonging to the second category requires a specific strategy. You should take the following into account when thinking about the strategy: selection of texts (e.g. products for Polish customers will not always be interesting to German customers, etc.), as well as regular and systematic activities (the offer changes continuously).

When it comes to the company blog, it would be a good idea if you considered content personalisation. Think whether writing new articles in a foreign language would be better than translating Polish posts (please note that you should not just translate them like any other documents. You have to adapt them to the needs of the specific recipients).

Translating advertisement

Advertisements are a drive for your company’s growth, while their quality and relevance will be decisive when it comes to conversion. Advertisement can be divided into text, graphical and video content.

• Text: for general guidebooks or tutorials, all you need is a standard translation. Marketing slogans, mailings, social media campaigns will require transcreation (creative translation) and localisation (adjusting the content to the characteristic of recipients).
• Graphics: besides the translation, the visual aspect is also important. This involves proper and legible content planning, creating several language versions of the material, etc. (e.g. for banner campaigns).
• Video: you should consider the format (and costs) of preparing this type of materials. You can record materials with voice over in different languages or translate subtitles for a video recorded in one specific language.

Translating legal documents

This can include translations of terms of service and privacy policy, which we have already mentioned above. Nevertheless this is just the starting point. Acquiring customers from different countries and cooperation with foreign partners require that varied content is prepared in foreign languages continuously. The method of translating the above can be divided into the following categories:

• Written translation: business mail, cooperation agreements, complaints, financial statements, cost estimates, price quotations, applications, etc.
• Consecutive/simultaneous translation: video-conferences, telephone calls, business meetings, etc.

How to translate an online shop?

As you can see, there are many aspects of conducting business abroad, where translation is an integral part of the entire process. You can consider who will provide translation services and on what conditions. There are several options to choose from.

1.    The first option is to employ native speakers. This way, you won’t have to worry about the professional and linguistic aspects of the created content.

2.    The second possibility is to choose specialists in a given area, who are fluent in a foreign language. You can source such specialists in a recruitment process on the local market, which reduces costs and involvement. Nevertheless, it is worth cooperating with a native speaker if you want to ensure a high level of language correctness, and more importantly, proper localisation in terms of expectations of foreign customers.

3.    The third option involves cooperation with an online translation office. Such a solution will not bind you with particular subcontractors for longer, as the case is with employing people at your company directly. It also provides access to multiple fields of expertise and languages. If you use an online shop system that is integrated with such an online translation service as Selly.pl, you are on the right track as translation of your shop will be easier, faster and even cheaper.

Translation can be easy

Taking into account the complexity of managing a business online, you have to look after its growth on many levels simultaneously, and consequently build a strategy of communication with international customers. Thiss will be possible if you pay attention to its professional level and proper targeting of messages in a foreign language.

If you still don’t know how to start, we will be happy to help!

Translation of your e-commerce website? We will take care of it!