If you are thinking of translating your e-commerce, in this article we give you the best tips for translating it into several languages at the most competitive price.
Translation service for e-commerce
Translating your e-commerce site is an investment that offers huge profits. If you have already decided to give it a go, bear in mind that translating a website is no easy task.
As you may already know, every e-commerce site is quite complex. You need to know your translation needs in order to make the right choice.
Are you clear about where to start? Do you need a translation plugin or do you prefer to export the text of your site? What is the estimate price for translating an e-commerce site? How can you translate and keep your product catalogue and descriptions up to date?
Let’s go step by step to get to all the answers. We will increase your sales following the key principles of e-commerce conversion and profitability.
Translating your e-commerce: a new market and a new strategy
Translating your e-commerce is not just a change of language; it is a launch into a new market. First and foremost, you should have your e-commerce site in Spanish ready and ensure you have a clear strategy for the new market.
You should consider how to ship your products to other countries, decide on their prices in other markets or figure out how to deliver customer service in other languages. Plan your strategy well and secure the necessary resources to set off on this new adventure.
Step-by-step translation process
There are three key axes around which you should build your new strategy. Texts and content, SEO optimisation and the logistics.
Your e-commerce site must be complete before starting the translation process. It is equally crucial that you use key words in your titles and descriptions. Good SEO in Spanish is the base of your success in other languages.
Finally, make sure you provide excellent service to your clients abroad, taking into consideration foreign suppliers, price changes, customer service in other languages, and suchlike.
The first step is to identify your translation needs, the content to be translated and the target languages. The next step is to request a translation quotation. In the quotation you should evaluate your needs against the best technical translation solution.
Types of e-commerce translations
Knowing your e-commerce inside out will help you find the best translation solution. An important factor is the type of platform you use for your e-commerce. Each platform has its own features and you must take into account their advantages as well as limitations in order to decide on one type of translation or another.
Human and machine translation
There are several ways to translate your online shop, depending on the content. One possibility is automatic translation and a post-editing service that guarantees the quality of the target text. This service is fast and cost-effective.
Another option is to assign this task to a mother-tongue, professional translator. This may be the key factor to a greater impact on the new customer profile. A mother-tongue translator doesn’t only know the target language; this professional also knows inside out the culture of the potential consumer, a unique asset for your e-commerce.
Let’s take a quick look at the different translation options, depending on the e-commerce platforms:
WordPress shop translation
E-commerce shops created with WordPress or WooCommerce are free software alternatives with widespread use. To translate these pages you must install specific plugins. An inexpensive and hassle-free option is “WPML Multilingual”, a plugin with a translation wizard that allows you to create translation tasks for each section.
You can choose to translate the texts yourself using the translation tool and hire our post-editing services or export the texts for us to carry out the translation, localisation and revision, which will guarantee an optimal result and which we always recommend.
In WordPress as well as in other platforms, users can create a limited access profile for the translator, so that the client selects the pages and content to be translated and generates a translation task for us. This way we can download files in .xliff, .po or other compatible extensions. Once the translation is done, we will upload it to your platform with a single click and check that it’s displayed correctly.
Translation of Prestashop shops
Another e-commerce platform that is rising in popularity is Prestashop. This multilingual platform offers a translation solution that can save you a lot of time in managing your internationalisation strategy.
It’s as simple as downloading the language pack you want to translate your business into. The same platform offers a translation editor. You can give us access to your platform so that we can correct the translation of the site or you may export a file with all the content and we will send it back to you in the languages of your choice.
But remember that if you decide to use machine translation using this tool, the texts will be scattered in several sections. Follow an order so as not to leave any text untranslated.
Translation of Magento shops
The Magento option offers the same features as Prestashop. However, its functionality is reduced. It’s a platform with a more complex design and configuration.
To start the translation process you need to generate a “Store View” to later configure it in the language of your choice. From here, you must choose between several alternatives.
First, you can add the translations manually using the visual editor “PageBuilder”. Finally, you can choose to download all the content and entrust a team of professionals with this task.
This last option may be the most suitable for this type of platform, as a basic knowledge of CSS language is necessary to avoid damaging the code when modifying CSV files.
What’s the cost of translating an e-commerce platform?
Translation and proofreading with a translation agency
The total price of translating an e-commerce platform is difficult to determine. It tends to oscillate between 1,000 and 3,000 euros. Your final quotation will vary greatly depending on the type of translation solution you choose and obviously the volume to be translated. As with all other translations, we will analyse the word count and apply any appropriate discounts depending on volume, repetitions detected, languages to be translated and suchlike. If you prefer to make a one-off payment with an initial investment of between 2,000 and 3,000 euros, you have the option of contracting a translation agency. At Overseas Translations we will advise you on the best solution for your e-commerce. We will prepare a detailed quotation, with a breakdown of all the steps to follow. Our service includes the translation and localisation of the text, and a second professional to proofread the translation. We will also make sure that the translated text visually matches your e-commerce design. This whole process is left in the hands of mother-tongue translators specialised in e-commerce.Machine translation and post-editing
If you decide to get a machine translation plugin, you should budget an initial investment of 400 to 800 euros, in addition to the plugin’s annual subscription (also between 400 and 800 euros). If you choose this option, you will need to renew the subscription every year to secure the rights to these translations. Otherwise, the plugin may delete all your translated content. Bear in mind that whenever you use machine translation, it is highly recommended that you hire Overseas Translations’ post-editing services. Post-editing involves editing and modifying a machine translation to improve its quality. This task is essential, as today’s machine translators don’t have the capacity to maintain the register and essence of the original text. A key step in reaching your new market.The translation process step by step
To ensure profitability and a good return on investment in the translation of your e-commerce, you must understand the translation process inside out. While it may seem straightforward, there are different stages in this process that ensure the success of the target text.Guidance and budget
Speaking with professionals in the field is key to launching your new business venture abroad. At Overseas Translations we will carry out a thorough analysis of your translation needs and quote you in no time. This quotation will include a final price with a breakdown of costs. We will include the rate per translated word, as well as the possible additional costs derived from the layout or adjustment of your platform’s design.Pre-translation
This step is essential to ensure that we have everything set to begin the translation. Pre-translation can include the exact word count, installation of machine translation plugins, exportation of the files to be translated, and suchlike.Translation
The moment of truth. We get down to business so that you receive your translated texts as soon as possible. Computer-assisted translation software and our workflow guarantee that we reach the finish line while upholding quality, minimising the costs and completing the project on time. Our network of mother-tongue, specialist translators is the key to our clients’ satisfaction and the guarantee that your new market chooses your e-commerce.Revision
For this step of the process we add a second specialised professional to the equation, a proofreader who will supervise the work of the translator in charge of your project. He or she will also check that the translations fit perfectly the layout of your platform.Quality control
This is the last step in the translation of your e-commerce site. We run navigation tests to be absolutely certain that the functionality of your platform remains intact in its new version.
A new business venture with Overseas Translations
If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably about to make the leap that will boost your business. Whether you opt for human translation or machine translation, you can count on us.
We will help you free of charge to choose the best way to translate your e-commerce. You will receive a detailed quotation with several options and we will give you some time to sleep on it.
If you finally decide to embark with Overseas, you must know that our team will dedicate all its efforts to translating your e-commerce in record time, guaranteeing the highest quality at all times.
Our team of professionals is made up of mother-tongue, specialist translators supported by a technical team to layout and adjust the design of your site, as well as to make the necessary code adjustments.
We also have SEO consultancy services that will take care of the technical side of your business to help you make the most out of e-commerce marketing.
Put your new business challenge in the hands of a translation agency with a high-quality management service. Our workflow ensures the success of our projects. We are also backed by global certifications, such as the international standard ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 17100:2015 since 2017.
