Translation Tools

When marketing to an international audience online translation widgets come in handy.

On my personal blog here at cindyking.biz, I chose a WordPress template with the translation widgets integrated. But it is not really ideal.

Get International Clients Newsletter – Translation Tool Reviews

First, a few comments on what the big guys are doing.

My Get International Clients newsletter has been published weekly now for three months.

Every week I have a look at a website that has been voted as one of the top 20 best Global Websites by John Yunker. I only do a brief review and look at 3 different points:

• My general first impressions
• The choice in language and country navigation tools
• The use of templates

There are often some interesting things to note just by looking at these three points. With regards to the choice in language and country navigation tools it is obvious there are a few different solutions available for global companies.

All of the big companies have fully localized and translated websites in a large number of locations.

But not all of their localized websites are translated.

Most of the top 20 Global Websites use some sort of world map in the navigation from one country to the next, and one language to the next.

The important thing is to write the language in the foreign language. This does give the website a better global flavor.

Get International Clients – Translation Widget

And now let’s look at companies at the other end of the scale.

What are the choices for small companies, with one website targeting the world?

On my other blog at Get International Clients I am using another option. An instant translation widget with 24 languages to choose from on all of my pages and articles.

My articles on Get International Clients are longer and more detailed. They are customized to provide real tips and how to instructions for small businesses who want to do something now to get more international clients.

So the articles are more detailed. And they are read all over the world.

I wanted to try an easy translation tool, strategically placed on all of the articles, covering as many languages as possible. And the whole idea behind the Get International Clients website is to provide useful tips and how-tos.

So this downloadable widget helps the Get International Clients readers by giving them a translation service and also provides them extra value.

The widget was made for my readers in China, and in any of the countries where Google Translate supports the language. They can download the Get International Clients Translation Widget, for free, and put it up on their website….it would be a useful service for my readers to offer all of their readers too.

You can read more about the Translation Widget in the Get International Clients Resource Guide.

Small Step Towards Globalization

Translation widgets come in a variety of different formats. Businesses just starting to expand internationally might consider putting up one of these free translation widgets.

They are not ideal tools for any marketing or sales materials. Only human translations can bring you sales results.

But they can be better than nothing in certain circumstances. International thought leadership does not always need 100% accurate translations online. In any event international thought leadership is subject to the many pitfalls in cross cultural communication, with or without translation.

Free translation widgets have one distinct advantage, they clearly identify your openness to the world.

Need a free translation widget to put on your website?

Download this Translation Widget on Get International Clients

More On Translation Tools

• How To Use Online Translation Tools
• Over The Counter Translation Perfection Not Here Yet
• Translate Server Error
• Translation Software – It Is Time To Question Old Truths
• Translation Widgets – A Small Step Towards Website Globalization

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

Translation Widgets – A Small Step Towards Website Globalization

Website Localization

So you are all excited you want to get more clients from one foreign cournty. Or maybe your company has a few good clients in a country and you want to develop that market further.

You are now ready to create a localized website. A website for a foreign country.

The very first thing you should do is start an analysis of your foreign prospect. One part of this foreign prospect analysis is identifying his online navigation habits.

Different Navigation Habits

• He will probably use his search engine differently.
• He will not get to your website the same way as your domestic internet visitors.
• He may not arrive on your website at the same spot as your domestic visitors.
• When he is on your website he will not have the same reactions to your website.

There are three main reasons for this:

1. Different languages have different structure. The mechanics of the language are different. Some things just cannot be processed with the same logic in a different language. Sometimes they could more or less be processed the same way, but the foreign language has a better way for doing it, so people think of approaching things differently.
2. Different buying cycle. Different cultures are used to doing business differently. This comes out in how they go about buying things.
3. Differently cultures have different personality traits. We’ve all heard of the different clichés for different cultures. These stem from the fact that different cultures do things differently.

Analyzing your foreign prospects will be an ongoing process. Here is something you can do to get started:

Visit a website in your foreign market. Identify your foreign competitors and have a look at their website. Or try to find a website on a topic you know written by people in the foreign country. This will give you something to compare with.

Even if you do not understand the language, you can still get some valuable information. Spend a few minutes looking at this website and ask yourself questions like these:

• Look at how this website is different from what you are used to.
• How does it make you feel?
• Click through some of the links.
• Come back to the home page.
• Does the link through strategy seem logical to you?
• Does it appear different?
• Can you name a feeling the website gives you?
• Is it more vibrant than you are used to?
• Does it have a busy screen?
• Is there anything that surprises you?
• Does it make you laugh?
• Why?
• Where are the differences?
• What questions come to mind when you see this difference?
• Why do you think this website is different?
• Can you give the website a personality?
• What do you like about the personality?
• What is interesting about the personality?
• Does the personality tell you anything else?
• Would you want to come back to this website?
• Why, or why not?

Of course you will not be able to answer these questions. This is just a simple exercise to try to begin understanding your foreign prospect on his territory.

Repeat this exercise as you become even more familiar with your foreign prospect. You will begin to understand him better. It is amazing what you can learn simply by spending some time looking at what your foreign prospects are used to.

Multicultural communication is not a science. Good cross cultural communication comes from developing your own mindset.

To make your localized website a success it will have to communicate with your foreign market on their level. Your company will have to adapt its mindset to mirror the foreign markets communication and business style.

You can also read up on how different cultures communicate and use their websites. You will find a list of books in the Resource section of www.cindyking.biz.

More On Website Localization:

• 4 Success Elements For International Business Development
• Analyze Your Foreign Prospects Navigation Habits
• Localization Is A Door To Innovation
• Second Transition To A Global Market Internet Business
• Which Directories are You Relying on?

Don’t Miss…

• How To Internationalize Your Website
• Website Internationalization

More In These Get International Clients Business Guides:

• Webiste Internationalization
• Website Localization
• Foreign Search Engines
• Plan Your International Sales Road Map
• International Web Visibility

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

Analyze Your Foreign Prospects Navigation Habits

Website Globalization

Your online business can have global visibility…. but is your message getting across to different cultures as you anticipate? Are you able to adapt quickly to global market opportunities you see pop up? Or would you like to know how to quickly target different international audiences, with little investment on your part?

With a little thought and some careful preparation you can have an effective international presence through your current local business. Sure, language skills can help you open doors, but careful consideration to different cultures can give you a great advantage.

Get More Business From Non-native English Speakers

Today there are more non-native English speakers in the global web market than there are native English speakers. And online business is expanding rapidly in many foreign language countries.

Today you need to know if your sales message is getting through to everyone, everywhere they have a market. You need to nurture communication with each specific cultural market.

Although a lot of foreigners do speak English, most of them don’t. And the people who do speak English as a second language, do not have the same level of understanding as native English speakers do. The problem is your international readers have different levels of English language skills.

Language is only one part of the complexity in multicultural communication. There are also the whole set of cultural differences in mindset, in habits, and in other aspects of communication as a whole. Miscommunication in some form or other happens very easily. Sometimes without either parties realizing they are not of the same understanding.

Written English also has its pitfalls in cross-cultural communication. Of course people have more time to understand when reading. But the person writing can’t tell the effect his writing is having on the reader. Is the reader understanding what the writer intended in the first place? Is he even interested? Remember, he reader can not hear your spoken tone of voice and has to pick that up from the written word.

Step 1 – Internationalize Your English

Avoiding miscommunication requires constant awareness at all stages of communication. The process is fairly easy:

1. Acknowledge constant risk of miscommunication

• Be prepared to be patient and forgiving

2. Clear communication

• Use plain English; avoid slang and local or national expressions
• Give clear explanations
• Always go through processes slowly, methodically, and logically
• Give full explanations; don’t assume everyone does things like you do
• Speak slightly above your listener’s level of English

3. Stay calm. Question your own communication first

• If your gut reaction is to respond aggressively, keep this in check and respond slowly
• Do not jump to conclusions quickly

4. Listen actively to everything

• Adjust your communication accordingly

The most difficult part is in the beginning when you train yourself to constantly keep this open mindset.

Practice brings you enriching experiences. The more practice you have in becoming familiar with communicating with other cultures, the better you become at establishing and maintaining effective communication cross-culturally.

As you can see, this is the process for improving your oral communication. But it can also be used to help you even further.  The first two steps of this process can be applied directly to your written communication. Don’t forget to be even more patient and to communicate clearly when you do get feedback from your readers, and listen attentively to what your readers have to say.

By paying close attention and adjusting your written communication to your readers’ responses you will get your message across better. Your communication with your international clients and prospects will evolve and you will become more familiar with how your business is perceived abroad. You will be in a better position to take advantage of global business opportunities.

Step 2 – Create Localized Websites In English

Developing an international company can be made in steps. Once you get to know your different international markets, you can develop localized websites for individual countries. Cultural differences in non-native English speaking countries are strong enough to merit adapting your English language website to each country.

This would also give you the time to get to know your particular marketing strengths in each country before investing in full blown multilingual sales and marketing efforts and making mistakes.

An English language website targeted for the specific needs of each different culture will bring you better results than one main website in your home territory serving the world. What is considered polite in one country can be offensive in another. What is considered normal sales practices in one culture can come across as a very aggressive intrusion by another culture.

The best way to quickly grasp what makes your international clients tick, is to be interested in them. Have a look at some of their local websites. Don’t worry about not understanding them. Just notice how different they look in general. How do the graphics affect you? If there is any audio online, what is the general sound? Try to identify different tastes.

Be interested in reading about anything from that particular culture. Ask questions. Keep an open mind. Show your interest. And then listen to any feedback you have from your clients.

Before long you will see recurring questions. You may even be able to identify misunderstandings as they arise. Return to your website and try to answer these questions simply and clearly.

Adapt each localized English language website for your message to be understood as best as possible by your native readers. This will limit the risk of cultural misinterpretation as much as possible.

Your sales message may not be as strong as if it were in the reader’s native language. But it is often easier and quicker to adapt your English language website to the cultural specificities of your local target market. Your adapted, localized English language website will also convey a stronger message than a bad translation.

This process will also give you credibility within each different cultural group. People often do web search first in their own country search engines. People are not stupid. It will be hard to hide the fact you are a foreign company. But they will recognize your willingness to make an effort in understanding them and appreciate you for it.

Step 3 – Multilingual Websites

Of course, with a little bit of effort you will develop your market in each individual country. You will begin to understand any differences in buying habits, tastes, difficulties. At this stage you will ask yourself if you could get more business with a website in your readers’ native language.

Going through the first two processes of making your website Non-native English Speaker friendly and localized will save you a lot of time when it comes to the writing of your website into different materials. You will probably understand how the differences in your markets will require material specifically written for each market. You will be able to evaluate whether you can get away with simple translations of your current website and sales materials or not.

Part English Part Multilingual

Depending on your particular market you may decide to translate parts of your website, all of it, or only translate parts of specific local marketing campaigns.

There are various tactics companies use and the choice really depends on your market. Two of the options are:

• Keep your main localized website in English and have a direct sales page online in the local language, with email campaigns in local languages
• A specific area of your localized website in local languages to provide key information to your international clients in their own language.

Thought should be given to strengthen you cross-cultural communication at its weakest points.

Fully Multilingual Presence

Localized websites in solely in native languages are ideal for international business. They are the longest program to implement, and carry the highest risk of making your company look bad. The reason is because translations do not do the job. Full cultural customization comes with an intimate understanding of the local market for your products and services.

The writing of a website for a different culture and in a different language needs to be written by someone with all three of the following criteria:

• Intimate local market knowledge, to be able to write to the target audience
• Understanding for both cultures, to understand the differences in messages to be delivered and change them when appropriate.
• Native speaker

Having your website written by someone who meets all three of these qualifications will give you a good website. The trouble is it will take you time to find the right person for the job. And you need to find a different person to write your website for each different language.

To give all of your readers a great multilingual experience and ensure your company’s superior international presence, you also need someone to coordinate the writing of all websites. This person will cover branding issues, and consistency. Simple things such as specific industry vocabulary need to be coordinated throughout all languages.

A fully integrated multicultural strategy is a great benefit to international business. It will also keep you from cultural blunders.

Global Market Communication Takes Time And Practice

Don’t let your own lack of language skills stop you, instead focus more on building relationships.

Show your willingness to do business internationally. Listen attentively to any feedback you get. Your product or service may have a brand new market in a different cultural environment. You may need to adapt your services or your product.

With increased multicultural marketing experience you will develop new opportunities in unthought-of places.

Don’t Miss…

• How To Internationalize Your Website
• Website Internationalization
• Website Localization

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

3 Easy Steps To Attract International Business Through Your Website