We are all familiar with the cliche that UK business just speaks English a little louder when doing business overseas, and this is the problem with business translations. For many businesses in the UK, the correlation between translation and the net benefit to their sales and margins is difficult to quantify, so when feedback comes in about business won as a direct result of translations, we love to hear about it.
Recently we had a client who had always considered business translations unnecessary since as he put it “All our clients speak English” so he was surprised by how quickly the translated pages of his business website started to generate enquiries from new prospective clients both in existing markets and also some entirely new markets. The effect was noticeable almost immediately in his Google Analytics when tracking the actions of people who had landed on the site having initially searched in English, but were then visiting the pages which were in their preferred language, and an increasing number of them were going on to complete enquiry forms.
It became apparent that simply by providing translations of key website content, the business was experiencing a significant improvement in conversion. When asked why, respondents said things like “we could tell that you were interested in selling to our country” and “I knew that if I had a problem you could understand my language and resolve my issues”.
As a result of this initial website activity the client undertook a more comprehensive program of business translations, including more of the Website content and moving into hard copy product datasheets, brochures and other literature.
If you are considering embracing business translations for the first time, don’t be put off by the prospect of translating huge volumes of business literature, take things a step at a time, but remember that making an effort to speak to your prospective clients in their own language, however small, can bring immediate rewards.
