The Pitfalls of Translating Website Text

You’re almost there, writing website text holds no secrets for you anymore and you have a whole stack ready. But your organization operates in multiple countries and now the texts need to be translated, a simple final step. Or is it? In this article, we discuss the pitfalls and what to watch out for when translating website text.

The type of text – Actually very logical, but in practice clients often forget to consider this. What kind of text is it exactly? A legal text is quite different from a news article. And there are many in-between forms as well. Think of a page explaining a certain production process. Such a page can also be viewed from different angles; on one hand it’s marketing, on the other hand hard customer promises. That’s why it is both legal and marketing text.

The right translator – In our previous article we talked about the voice and tone of a copywriter, this naturally applies just as much to translators. Awards are given for the best translations of novels or classical works for a reason! So choose a translator with a certain style and affinity, because the texts you have probably struggled with in your native language may completely miss the mark if translated one-to-one. Choose a translator who fits your intention behind a text and who suits the type of text.

The right briefing – You have a clear idea of the type of text and have found the right translator for it, now it’s time for the briefing. You wrote the texts in a certain tone, with a focus on specific keywords, a certain structure and a clear call-to-action. Take the time to explain this well to the translator and the texts will retain the value you invested in them.

It may seem like a last concern, but if your company or organization is serious about commitment to a foreign or non-native language market, then also take communication with that market seriously. The fact that the texts are basically already there is no reason to neglect the translation. Don’t forget that nothing is worse than reading a poorly translated piece of text in your own native language. When was the last time you bought something on a website that was carelessly or unclearly translated?

This is the last article in the series: In practice: writing website text. The main article contains the other topics and questions we covered in the series. If after reading this last piece you want to continue talking with us, we would love to hear from you.