YNOT – Finding a good translator is critical to a successful localization project. If potential customers cannot read and understand the text in your website, then they will not buy from you. It is that simple. However, a good translator, even one who has detailed knowledge of the region to which the website is targeted, is not the only item that is important to the success of your localization project.

It is also important that the technical aspects of your website are localized as well as the text. The colors and symbols used on the various pages should be reviewed to make sure they do not convey a negative meaning and are appropriate for the target region. For example, the cow, squirrel, cat and monkey all are considered sacred animals in India. Websites that use pictures of these animals should consider whether the images are appropriate for the Indian market if they are expecting potential customers in India to react positively.

Other, subtler, things are also important for your localized website. For example, the length of the text may change slightly after it is translated. It is important to recheck all of your website’s pages to make sure the layout still appears as you want it to appear. Two areas that often are overlooked are the single-line comments below images and the hidden text associated with interactive items on a page.

Often when people proofread a website quickly, their eyes take in the main text of the page, but sometimes they forget to make sure the translated picture comments still line up appropriately with their associated images. Additionally, it is easy to overlook some of the interactive items on a website when someone is proofreading. You would not want your customers to find an interactive text link that does not look correct or, even worse, is not translated correctly for the area.

Likewise, it is important to make sure that payment and shipping details are appropriate for the target region. In fact, all forms should be checked to ensure the fields remain appropriate for new potential customers. For example, often a payment page will refer to a five-digit ZIP code if the site is U.S.-based and originally was targeted at U.S. customers. Not all countries use the phrase “ZIP code,” and more importantly, not all countries use a five-digit delivery code. When the site is localized for a region outside the U.S., it is important to rename the ZIP code field to something more universal. The field itself should be adjusted to accept the disparate values that may be entered by customers in other regions of the world.

The localization items that must looked at may not be obvious to everyone, so it is important that the localization provider does a thorough job in checking details. Even something like the font could cause a problem if the original does not support foreign characters.

Finally, what goes on behind the website to make it operable should be tested. If the localized site will be hosted on a server or by a provider different from the original, the script files will need to be checked to confirm they work in the new environment.

Website localization can expand your customer base significantly. However, it is important that you go beyond text translation and ensure all the technical aspects of your site are appropriate for the target market.

Getting people to read your site is the first step. Getting them to buy from it, though, is what ultimately makes the difference. Customers are more likely to buy from a site that caters to them and makes them feel comfortable. Getting the technical details right will go a long way toward fostering customer comfort.

This article was contributed to YNOT.com by TranslationsXXX, an adult website translation service employing certified translators in 30 languages.