Would you like to translate a website using a translation agency or a professional translator? Does your site have a high content density yet you’re not wanting to invest too much money in your translation project? Learn effective ways to reduce your website translation costs.
Just because your site has 2 million words doesn’t mean the translation is going to cost you 200,000 euros!
Here are 3 ways to reduce your website translation costs!
Method 1: select relevant text content
First of all, it’s important to isolate content that does not need to be translated.
So, you can start by setting aside text that is not valid for the target market. For example, some documents should be created for the local market and not translated, such as your Terms & Conditions. Considering that T&Cs are a significant part of a site’s text content, you’re already saving a lot of money!
You can also update your product catalogue. There’s no point translating old products that you no longer have in stock!
The translation agency will not be able to decide for you or choose what needs translating! Think hard before choosing the relevant documents to be translated.
In summary:
- Identify key content to be translated.
- Don’t include your T&Cs or other content that is not relevant to your market.
- Update your product catalogue to exclude unnecessary products.
Method 2: export the product catalogue content
Is your product catalogue exceptionally large with many identical products?
In this case, your translation agency can use translation memory tools and CAT (Computer Aided Translation) tools.
CAT tools can lower translation costs by 30% to 40%!
What are CAT tools?
They are a set of tools used by translation professionals. Most agencies and professional translators have them.
Text consistency and quality: CAT tools allow for automatic glossary insertion and the creation of custom filters. Consequently, your translated content will include the semantic field of your specific sector.
Translation savings: CAT tools detect “new words” and “repetitions” (segments and parts that are repeated several times). In e-commerce and e-tourism projects, we commonly find that 40 to 50% of words are repeated. When a translation agency uses CAT tools, these repetitions are not invoiced.
CAT tools are particularly suitable for large volumes and descriptive content that requires rapid and qualitative processing.
They are essential for translating e-commerce and e-tourism content! Indeed, they make it possible to produce a reliable and consistent translation in a very short space of time.
It is the simple, fast, and affordable solution for sites with a lot of text.
In summary:
- Using CAT tools, e-commerce and e-tourism sites with a lot of content can be better translated in a shorter space of time.
- CAT tools can lower translation costs by 30% to 40%.
- With CAT tools, you obtain a reliable and consistent translation quickly.
Method 3: test the different national markets before translating a site into all languages!
Do you want to translate a site with a lot of text, but unsure about the maturity of the market you are targeting? Are you wary of investing in an e-commerce translation that might not be profitable?
Fortunately, there is a solution to test a foreign market, without having to fully translate a site! All you have to do is translate the structure of the site, the static content, and the titles of the product sheets. As a result, visitors will be able to go to the product pages that interest them.
For this technique to be effective, you must first sell using Google Shopping. This allows you to test the market at minimal cost!
Then, once the countries and the most promising products have been identified, you can start translating the descriptions. Depending on the return on investment (ROI), you may decide to have other products translated. This will improve the site’s SEO, while controlling your translation budget, which will level out over several months!
A succinct professional translation + listings on Google Shopping gives you the opportunity to test several markets or countries.
In summary:
- It’s not necessary to translate an entire e-commerce or e-tourism site to test a foreign market.
- Simply translate the structure of the site, the static content, and the titles of the product sheets.
- Once the most promising countries & products have been identified, you can choose to have the entire site translated.
Translation costs : which translation agency should you choose for an inexpensive e-commerce website translation?
There are many translation agencies, but not all are created equal!
Firstly, make sure the agency you choose uses CAT tools. This way, you are guaranteed to obtain a cheaper translation, more quickly. Here at e-translation-agency.com, we use CAT tools when required.
Secondly, find out more about the translators. Are they native to the country you want your website translated into? A native translator will offer you an optimal translation.
Above all, don’t make the mistake of relying on machine translation tools ! You’ll end up with a bad translation and risk putting your e-reputation at stake !
Also beware of translators who offer cheap translations! Your documents could fall into the hands of amateurs, translators whose target language is not the native language, and even people who are not professional translators at all.
The consequence: you’ll have to turn to a real professional to carry out a review of the sloppy work that has been returned to you. By looking for a cheap translation, you will have wasted both time and money.
So, use a professional service from the very beginning. Hire the services of a translation agency!
