More than 1/3 of all internet users are non-native English speakers, and according to Forrester Research, visitors stay for twice as long (site stickiness) if the website is in their own language.
As per statistics of 2021, There are around 536 Million Indian Language Internet Users as compared to 199 Million English Language Internet users in India.
So in order to connect to the vast audience that prefers to use the Internet in Indian Languages it is necessary for the businesses, NGOs, health-care sector, educational institutions and Government Institutions to make their websites accessible in the native languages of India. As maintaining websites for each language is a cumbersome task so it is necessary to deploy website localisation technology to reduce the effort and make the process more efficient and make the websites also discoverable in the local languages.
What is Website Localisation?
Website localisation aims to customize a website so that it seems “natural”, to its viewers despite cultural differences between the creators and the audience.
Two factors are involved—programming expertise and linguistic/cultural knowledge.
Process of Website Localisation
Website Localisation is more than translation. The process involves 3 Levels:
- Translation: Adapting any text being used into the local language.It is important that translation of information be “clear and understandable” to avoid cultural misunderstanding or offense.It is recommended that while translating the texts the “target culture” must be known and hence the translated text should be relevant to the target audience culture.
- Localisation: all other efforts and activities to ensure that the adaptation of textual materials, visual displays, illustrations and graphics are linguistically and culturally appropriate for the target locale.
- Internationalization: Software level changes to make the website compatible for the languages of the target audience.
Aspects of Websites that are subjected to Localisation:
Many elements of a website that are different according to the locale of the client need only minor manual changes by a localizer, or none at all. For example, the system on which the website is created should automatically produce the correct currency symbol based on the country in which the client is located.
- Website Analytics Software: This software can be created once generally, and then applied to each of the localized domains.
- Site Search: Results can be reviewed using an algorithm that sifts through possible results using metadata. For example, a consumer who makes a query in the state of Haryana, India should not be shown a good that can only be purchased in the state of Goa, India.
- Testimonials: Comments and feedback are often a vital part of a website. Localisation efforts usually only include censorship. This can be done largely by software, however human review is sometimes necessary.
- Information Storage: Databases are often used to store large amounts of information. They can be used to store generic data, like product information, as well as more specific information pertaining to certain locales.
Tools Needed for Website Localisation
The main types of software that can streamline your website localisation process include:
- Translation management systems (TMS): These softwares allow you to build a centralized database of all your translations, which can then be accessed and worked on by any member of the team. By integrating with other platforms within your business such as your content management system (CMS) or your customer relationship management (CRM) system, a TMS can automate various localisation tasks.
- Computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools: CAT tools help translators work more efficiently by allowing them to store and reuse previously translated content (which is called a “translation memory”). This not only saves time but also helps ensure that your brand messaging remains consistent across all your content. Most modern TMS include built-in CAT tools, or you can use standalone options.
- Neural Machine translation (NMT): This technology uses an artificial neural network to predict the likelihood of a sequence of words, typically modeling entire sentences in a single integrated model to automatically translate content, which can then be edited by a human translator depending on the quality required. NMT is constantly improving, with the latest versions able to understand grammar, context, and natural language better than ever before.
- Linguistic Quality Assurance (QA) tools: These tools help you check your translated content for errors before it goes live on your site. QA tools can be used to automatically identify issues such as missing translations, incorrect numbers, and unbalanced text flow, among other things. These tools are often built within TMS solutions, but just like CAT tools, you can also use them as standalone products.
- Terminology Management Tools: These are software tools specifically designed to collect, maintain, and access terminological data.
Also Read: 7 Key Steps to Get Your Website Localization Started
Website Localisation solution by Reverie
Anuvadak is an all-in-one end-to-end website localisation platform. It allows you to localise your website quickly and manage content, including multilingual SEO optimisation that helps you reach native language customers online. With Anuvadhak’s ultimate SEO optimisation, your localised website gets discovered on popular search engines.
Anuvadak, Reverie’s website localisation, and publishing platform helps give you a quicker turn-around-time, cutting localisation costs by 60% and TAT by 40%; now, head to the market faster and confident with a website that speaks the local language.
The tool leverages the technological output enhanced by a great team of translators. Integrating your website with our platform is seamless and requires no coding expertise. Set it up once, and the platform does the work of continuous localisation with minimal human intervention. Such that any updates to your website get localised and published in real-time.
The tool has already helped a leading automobile firm, online gaming platforms, insurance companies, and several other leading B2C organizations in India in gaining multilingual prominence along with winning brand loyalty online.
Want to know more about Anuvadak: Click Here
