Richard Dealy
by Richard J. Dealy
Consumers have come to expect better and quicker information; so it’s no surprise that there has been an explosion of spending on content development. Statistics show that the total number of indexed pages grew from one trillion in 2008 to more than 30 trillion in 2013.
Although English remains the most commonly used language on the Internet, 70 percent of all Internet traffic originates in non-English-speaking countries.
Customers are increasingly expecting engagement in their native language:
- 72% of internet users spend all or most of their time on sites in their own language. nine out of ten people will always opt for a native language website when available.
- People are four times more likely to purchase online when in their own language. You can see the importance of making your content available in the language of your customers.
Here are a few things to think about as you consider localizing your content.
Four Keys to global ready content:
- Be Clear – Simplify your content. Less is more. Avoid analogies, buzz words, cultural references.
- Brand Clarity – Clearly define your “style” and “voice” by creating a style guide. Ensure your brand names and tag lines convey the same essence and impression in the target language.
- Localize – contact information, currency, measures, formats of numbers and dates, and images and multimedia – are they culturally relevant?
- Format/Layout – Spacing: prepare for the expansion or contraction of your content in the new language
Richard J Dealy is managing director at Keylingo Translations of Hingham, Mass.
