Website Localisation

Expand your reach in a global market

In an increasingly globalised and borderless world, a multilingual website will help you to expand your market into new regions. The quality of your translated content is fundamental, and website localisation is crucial. This is true whether we are talking about your online presence, corporate materials or legal contracts.

What is website localisation?

Localisation is the process of adapting your content to a specific country or region; not just information, but also your message and style. Localisation does not always involve translation. It is also sometimes appropriate between two regions of the same country that speak different dialects, and have some cultural differences; or, between varieties of a global language, such as British and American English, or European and Latin American Spanish. 

Similarly, translation doesn’t always involve localisation. You can translate a text from one language to another without changing the units of measure and currencies, adapting the cultural references, changing the accompanying tables or images, and so on. However, the processes of translation and localisation always go hand in hand. As, it is often the case, that we need to do some localisation to avoid confusion. Quicksilver Translate will help you identify and respond to these challenges.

Key difficulties

The key difficulty of website localisation is that web design software is rarely designed with multiple languages in mind. So, although it may seem easy to copy and paste text into, and out of, the ‘back end’ of a site; this is painfully time-consuming and can lead to errors. Many basic interfaces are broadly incompatible with the leading edge Computer Assisted Software (CAT) software that most professional translation agencies use. However, we can offer solutions that combine CAT software, with industry-specific expertise, and work with your CMS and/or website platform.

We are therefore able to offer you a streamlined approach, adding value at every step of the translation process. Furthermore, we are very familiar with a variety of CMS packages, so we can also manage the whole process for you!

Our localisation services

How website localisation will benefit your business

In general, localisation makes content more understandable for consumers. For example, there are no confusing references or images, no need to convert anything into local units of measure.

Nowadays, if you want to expand your e-commerce or any other business to a new overseas market, localisation is not an option — it is a must. In the modern hi-tech world, your content is the face of your business, and localisation makes it a friendly one for the new market.

HERE ARE A FEW EXAMPLES OF HOW LOCALISATION CAN BENEFIT YOUR BUSINESS:

• It makes entering a new market easier. Language and cultural barriers are some of the hardest to overcome when entering a new market. Proper localisation of your website, advertising campaign, and other content will do most of the job of removing them.
• It increases customer satisfaction. Localisation helps avoid any confusion that can be caused by unfamiliar references or foreign units of measure. It also shows your commitment to your new customers. Localising all parts of the consumer journey, including payment methods and customer support, makes it easier for customers to make a decision. And, it also makes them more likely to choose your business over others. 
• It reduces risk. Culture is a tricky aspect, and certain things acceptable in one culture can be unacceptable or even insulting in another. Not knowing the local culture doesn’t excuse you when you make such a mistake and can cost you your reputation. Proper localisation helps avoid that. 
• It increases revenue. By making your product or service more accessible to local consumers, you make them more likely to buy it. This will, of course, result in sales growth. Good localisation is a worthwhile investment that will pay for itself in the long run. 

When you are taking your business to a new market, especially a new country, there will be challenges. This may involve some investment, but don’t make it an area where you cut costs! Adapting your product, service, or content to a particular market, will make entering the new market easier. This, in turn, results in greater customer satisfaction, and higher revenues.