Multilingual Website Development Considerations
You want to make a global impact with your business. You’ve heard that in order to do this, you need a website that can speak to international customers in their own language. But where do you start?
Don’t worry, we’re here to help. At our company, we specialize in building multilingual websites that can help you reach a much wider audience. In fact, we have worked with companies large and small launching international content, web sites, e-learning, print materials and more. Often we start in English which we then translate to global English and then we work on other languages. Most commonly we have worked Spanish, French and Québecois French, Dutch, Italian, German, Japanese, Korean, Chinese and more.
But don’t take our word for it. Check out our portfolio and see for yourself how we’ve helped businesses from all over the world expand their reach and make contact with new customers. Then, when you’re ready, contact us and let us help you get started on your very own multilingual website.
Why Is It Beneficial to Branch Out With a Multilingual Website?
You might be wondering: why go through all the trouble of building a multilingual website? Aren’t there enough people out there who speak my language?
The answer is yes, there are plenty of people who speak your language. But that’s not the point.
The point is to reach out to new markets, new customers and new opportunities. By tapping into new markets, you’re exposing your business to new ideas, new trends and new ways of thinking. You’re also widening your reach and making contact with a much wider audience.
And that’s where multilingual website developers come in. They can help you build a website that speaks the language of your customers, making it easy for them to find and navigate your site. They can also help you create translations that are accurate and culturally sensitive.
What to Look for When Selecting a Multilingual Website Developer
So how do you go about finding a multilingual website developer?
Well, it’s important to remember that not all website developers are created equal. You need to find one that has the experience and expertise to translate your website into multiple languages. They should also be able to create a user-friendly interface that is easy for your customers to navigate.
But most importantly, your developer should be able to understand your business and your target audience. They need to be able to capture your brand’s unique voice and translate it into multiple languages. Only then will you be able to reach a much wider audience and have your voice heard around the world.
Steps to Take in Preparing for Multilingual Website Development
Now that you are convinced of the importance of multilingual website development for your business, it is time to take some preparatory steps.
This begins with understanding your target audience. You need to research which languages your target market speaks and consider translating your website into those languages. It is important to remember that not all languages are created equal – some may have a much smaller audience than others. There are also subtleties of dialects – Quebecois French, Spanish from Mexico, Spain or Chinese dialects for example.
You will also need to decide on the right translation partner for your business. This partner will be responsible for accurately translating your website into the chosen languages, while also ensuring that the tone and voice of your business remain consistent across all versions.
Once you have made these decisions, it is time to get in touch with a multilingual website developer who can make your vision a reality.
How Can I Ensure That the Translations Are Accurate?
You’re probably wondering about accuracy: how can you be sure that your message is accurately conveyed in other languages? The answer is to use professional multilingual website developers.
These developers will take your content and have it translated by a native speaker of the language. They’ll also use the latest software to ensure that the translations are accurate, so that you can trust that your message won’t be lost in translation.
We often will work with the local office in country to make sure the translations are accurate.
What to Be Aware of With Language-Specific Formatting
When it comes to language-specific formatting, there are some things you need to keep in mind. Different languages don’t always take the same formatting, so you need to pay attention to these details to make sure that your content looks and reads correctly.
For example, some languages like Chinese, Japanese and Korean have text which is read from top to bottom, instead of left to right like English. This means that the website layout needs to be adjusted accordingly for these languages in order for the text to appear correctly.
Similarly, some languages use different character sets than English does—whether it is developing a site in Russian or Arabic or Japanese, it is important to make sure the proper character set is used so that the site is displayed correctly.
Tips for Boosting SEO in Multiple Languages
Having a website in multiple languages can help boost your SEO, but it’s important to do it right if you want to benefit from it. Here are a few tips to get you started:
- Optimize each page of your website for the specific language. This means making sure that your content is written in an appropriate manner, using the right phrases and keywords that people are using when searching for your content.
- Make sure all of your translations are accurate and up-to-date—or else this could have a negative impact on your reputation as well as your ranking!
- Register all versions of the site with Google Webmaster Tools and ensure that crawlers can access resources across different languages.
By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to having a multilingual website that makes an impact!
Ready to Work with Us?
So, if you’re looking for an edge and want to make sure that you’re reaching as many people as possible with your website, it’s time to think about hiring multilingual website developers. They’ll be able to help you make your website available in a variety of different languages, so that no one is left out. And, best of all, they’ll be able to do it all while keeping your website looking great.
Contact Media Genesis for multilingual website development questions.
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