Your business’ success depends a lot on your online presence, as it allows you to reach your target audience by communicating with the right people and increasing your sales.
If you are an international company, it's likely that you have customers from all over the world. One method to reach all of them is to care about the knowledge of languages in your company (can your employees communicate properly with foreign customers/suppliers?) and check on the translation status of your website (how many languages does it cover? Is it professionally translated?).
In fact, depending on the country your customers come from, an English translation of your website and marketing materials might not be enough; despite the fact that 52% of all websites are translated only in English, only the 30% of the world population actually speaks it.
This is to say that a website translated into multiple languages has very positive effects on your business' growth.
New customers: here we come!
Consumers mostly buy in their native language. Having your website professionally translated will increase your sales, as you will be able to reach a bigger number of potential customers. Companies whose website is translated only in English are actually missing out on 70% of their potential audience.
Old customers: we care about you!
Communicating with customers in their native language will increase their loyalty and, consequently, your sales. Having the chance to read content in their own language will put your customers at ease, and they will buy again and again from you. Speaking different languages is also a way through which you can provide good customer service. As Nelson Mandela put it, "If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart."
Brand identity: this is us!
To build your brand identity, you have to take some steps that make your customers proud of you, and translations can help a lot. Speaking your customers' language means that you care about them and want to make them comfortable when they relate to you and your products. In doing so, they will identify with you, and they will go back to you instead of buying from your competitors.
However, your website must not look translated—the contents and prose must flow smoothly, as if you wrote them in your own language. As your website introduces and advertises your company and products, translation must be done by a professional translator who knows the cultural background of the language he/she is translating into. This is crucial when you need to translate marketing materials and advertisements, as a bad translation can compromise your business.
At Athena Parthenos, we translate and localize your website in different languages. Click here for further details on our services.
If you liked this article, check out:
Business: Multiculturalism and Language Skills Matters
Promoting "Made in Italy": Don't Forget Marketing Translations
A Translator's Most Important Skills
Written by Marcella Sartore, Marketing & Communication Assistant @ Athena Parthenos