| Most web publishers, content creators, online | | | | much more traffic when they have their website |
| marketers will continuously tell you that content is | | | | content translated into Japanese, Chinese or |
| king-it is invariably one of the most critical | | | | Korean.It is likely that while a website may not |
| ingredients for online marketing success. I couldn't | | | | rank very high for a particular keyword phrase in |
| agree more.However, a fact that often goes | | | | English, it may rank much higher for its translated |
| unnoticed is the huge amount of money that | | | | version in another language.In a case study in a |
| many of these publishers leave on the table by | | | | Global By Design report, published by Byte Level, |
| not "pushing" out their prized content to a much | | | | a German software company adopted this |
| bigger market. By no means am I advocating | | | | strategy to multiply its traffic from search |
| stepping out of the niche that the publisher has | | | | engines and attract the right kind of traffic to its |
| created; rather, I'd like to highlight the opportunity | | | | website, despite the fact that it translated only a |
| that opens up when the website publisher is able | | | | fraction of its content on the parent site into |
| to reach a bigger audience within that niche.There | | | | other languages.Even though this particular |
| is a very simple solution: translate your websites | | | | example pertains to the advantages of web |
| into multiple languages.Now, we've heard many | | | | localization and globalization undertaken by a |
| people say that the benefits of translation of | | | | software company, the same rationale applies to |
| websites are for the big multinational companies | | | | online retailers or information publishers monetizing |
| that have large plans for specific markets, | | | | websites with contextual advertising such as |
| including having a local presence. However, this is | | | | Google AdSense or affiliate marketing links.Many |
| not true. Granted that the opportunities for these | | | | website publishers who do take cognizance of the |
| larger organizations and the scale of investment | | | | opportunities presented by translation, take a |
| for their website translation and localization would | | | | short cut and try to get their websites translated |
| be significantly different, but the opportunities for | | | | using some free online translation tools.While these |
| smaller websites to boost their revenues are | | | | tools are certainly useful for some purposes, they |
| certainly not insignificant.Why translate websites?It | | | | can hardly be a substitute for professional |
| is easy to gauge the considerable potential by | | | | translation by a native translator who knows the |
| translating websites (or even some pages of a | | | | intricacies of the language as well as its cultural |
| website) into more languages, when we look at | | | | nuances.The consequences of not taking into |
| the numbers. Vast numbers of Internet users (in | | | | account the cultural sensitivities of the Japanese |
| fact, well over 50% worldwide) do not use the | | | | or Chinese, for example, when translating a |
| English language. Let's consider for example some | | | | website into these languages can be |
| of the biggest markets in Asia- China, India, Japan | | | | disastrous.Professional marketers - be they of |
| and Korea. Barring India, English is not spoken or | | | | products, services or content-- can ill-afford to let |
| understood by the vast majority of the | | | | their message get lost in translation.Idea Wong is |
| Internet-using population in the other countries. At | | | | a Project Manager with Nihongo Bashi ( a leading |
| the same, users in Japan and Korea are amongst | | | | translation services provider in all major Asian |
| the most net-savvy users in the world, with the | | | | languages, including Japanese, Chinese and Korean. |
| Internet playing an integral part in their lives, from | | | | The company offers cost-effective website |
| seeking information to shopping online.Web | | | | translation and localization through a global |
| publishers in the US or UK who are looking to | | | | offshore delivery model with native translators |
| monetize their websites with contextual | | | | based all over Asia. |
| advertising or affiliate marketing can drive so | | | | |