Language barriers can be a serious hurdle to overcome. There’s more to a different language than the words used or phrases said; the very placement of things like verbs and nouns changes dramatically from dialect to dialect. Some who might not know a language will try elementary methods to attain a basic translation of something, usually along the lines of babelfish or Google translate. However, these translations are painfully rough and, when translated back to their original meaning, look and read a terrible mess.
When you get into more serious affairs, like communicating with international businesses, proper translation is critical. And it goes well beyond an interpreter’s understanding of another language. The spoken word changes and evolves from region to region. Dialects bloom everywhere you go. Even in the United States, various accents can place a strange new meaning on English, which could confuse basic translation. Single words can span several definitions. Depending on who is reading, this can all become quite confusing, fast.
Let us then focus on the importance of having proper, professional translations for your website. The problem should be apparent: improperly translated phrases, sentences, and words will create confusing barriers for potential visitors, who will find it exceedingly more difficult to navigate your site (if they choose to stick around at all). This is because, when relying on a basic program to translate to their language, they receive a mess of words which don’t have any proper sense or structure. Solving this then requires more than a program, it requires a hands on pro translator.
Now this goes beyond someone who can translate sentences so that they simply function. As mentioned, language is an evolving mechanism. Dialects, cultural meaning behind terms, regional differences, all of these can play a part in how something is translated. It’s the difference between a static sentence and one that will make sense to the person’s in question. The way something is said in one country or locale doesn’t always match for another. In fact, in many languages, some words don’t even have compatible translations.
So, this is why having a professional is so significant for your website. Consider the many factors for proper translation and overcoming word barriers. Also consider the complexity of your own website. If you are a vendor, for instance, selling products of various types to a global market, having properly translated website versions is important. Those looking to order your product may need to see the website in Mandarin or Cantonese, for example. If your website does not cater to these hypotheticals with proper translations, you miss potential sales and traffic.
Having mentioned complexity, what if your website has many options and tabs? Navigation can be hard when rough translations don’t seem to make sense of website destinations. Professional translators counter this by assuring all methods for navigation are clear for the different language speaking people who use it.
There are other things to consider too like broad mission statements, or sites focused on news or entertainment articles. If you want to broaden your audience outside, let’s say, an English speaking one, a pro translator needs to help you. Those entertaining pieces of literature won’t do you much good when it all sounds like incoherent mush coming from the other side. So, instead of gaining new readers or possible subscribers in the international market, you sadly miss it entirely.
You also have to consider technical costs and slowdowns due to translation problems. While it’s likely you might make use of an IT service or third party that speaks your native language for website support, in some instance you may outsource, or be left with fewer options than usual. That means, if you’re not dealing with someone of your native tongue, they will need to understand the problems encountered on your site, which will require professional translators. Delays in site repair or extended maintenance can cut into profit or accelerate billing for technical reasons, so it’s important to have a speedy recovery and no language barriers.
You could also consider the possibility of website building. Perhaps you aren’t constructing a website for yourself, but for those in an international market. It leads to more profit so taking on many clients is logical. When dealing with communication and prototypes of websites, you of course want that to all be a cohesive translation. A lack of such introduces problems in what the client wants, increases man hours, and overall makes the process that much more unpleasant.
Communication is massively important in this day and age. Internet technology makes this a universe unto its own, but as we’ve discussed, can herald a series of problems when dealing with language barriers. Countless dialects exist and every year, more evolve into their own, generating further demand for professional translation. At this point, it’s an almost mandatory aspect of proper website translation, because without, small problems become big ones. If you’re trying to reach a global audience, or just a new market, but lack knowledge of the local language, it’s highly recommended to seek sanctuary in the talents of pro translation. Doing so opens up a whole new world of insight, literally.