As promised in our earlier article, we now continue our analysis of the importance and benefits of localisation and SEO translation.
A company that is growing around the world has an increasing number of international requirements to satisfy. How can it create a global website for this? Should it keep an existing one, or create localised versions?
Localisation and SEO translation: how to improve your global web presence
The success of every company’s website is determined by its SEO. Namely, where it appears in the list of search results. Regardless whether we are talking about a local or an international website. The higher you appear in the search engine listing, the better chance you stand of people reaching your website. The main challenge with international SEO is selecting the SEO strategies that suit the given regions, cultural norms and and languages.
Many surprisingly believe that localisation and SEO translation are one and the same thing. While they complement each other, the difference between localisation and SEO is not as nuanced as you may think.
Both are types of translation, but they have completely different objectives.
A good translator should of course be capable of blending both approaches, but most just focus on localisation
Localisation and SEO translation: what’s the difference?
Localisation translates web pages for a different culture, aligning them to the linguistic and cultural norms of the target audience in the other society.
The mistranslation of a slogan can even be quite damaging…
Many of you will certainly have heard of HSBC, the global financial institution. In 2009, HSBC had to launch a rebranding campaign worth an estimated USD 10 million to repair the damage from a previous campaign. This was due to its catchphrase “Assume Nothing” being mistakenly translated as “Do Nothing” in some countries where the bank operated.
And of course there are cases when a brand is a huge success in one language, but a catastrophe in the other…
One awkward example was when Colgate launched one of its popular brands in France under the name Cue. Regrettably, they disregarded a small but important detail. In France, Cue was the name of a widely known and extremely popular porn magazine.
A good translator avoids these pitfalls because they not only know the target language well, but also the target culture, and they can immediately identify expressions and situations that are entertaining in the target language, or simply awkward. So localisation means translating a text in a way that also makes it appealing and enjoyable for readers in the foreign language.
Localisation vs SEO translation: different genre, different goal
SEO translation is a completely different genre. This is because the main objective here is not to find readers, but to catch the attention of the search engines. All of the key words, expressions, titles, labels, anchors, script messages and attributes have to be translated in a way that makes the page appealing for the search engines in the target language too. This means if someone is searching in a foreign language for a product or service that your website offers, then it will appear at the top of all the search engines. If it does well on a market in a given language, then a good SEO translation means it will do well on another market too.
Of course, a SEO translation alone is not enough. If the localisation is poor, visitors will quickly find the page, but will be just as quick in leaving it again. It’s possible readers will get a good laugh if they see a funny translation, but it’s unlikely you will get a lot of customers this way.
So an excellent website translator has to be good at both localisation and SEO translation, since they have to be able to blend effective sales with human customers, and thus sell your product or service to potential customers by means of the search engine optimisation. Few translators are able to strike this delicate balance. This is why web designers very often ask for translations from those who are localisation professionals, before finding SEO specialists in the target language who optimise the translated pages. Of course this can be considerably more expensive than an average translation, but it opens up new markets that previously were inaccessible, and you avoid customers coming across mistakes on your website like inactive banks or pornographic toothpaste.
Are you looking for this kind of business model?
A good translation agency spares you these problems, as it is capable of combining all these aspects during a website translation.
CONTACT
EDMF Translates High-quality Cookbook on European Gastronomy
in Multilingual LifestyleEver wondered how the Austrians make their renowned Tafelspitz? Perhaps you’re a fish addict and are interested in what makes a good sea fish soup in Croatia, or how the Finns prepare their gravlax? Or maybe, just maybe, you’d love to know how the French make their éclairs or the Belgians make such delicious chocolate cake.
The translators at EDMF were faced with all these recipes and many more during the recent translation of “How to Cook in Europe”, the latest in a series of high-quality cookbooks published at the end of 2017.
Following on from the success of “How to Cook in Hungary”, also translated by EDMF, this time the focus switched to Europe, and the book covers recipes from 15 different countries, including Italy, Spain, the UK and of course Hungary.
Alongside the recipes showcasing some gems of local cuisine in each country, paired with recommended beverages for each course, the book also contains a run-down of the national cuisines in general, so it really is the first place to go for an introduction into European cooking.
Translating a book of this size and complexity does have its challenges. Making sure all the translators are singing from the same song sheet is crucial. What does this mean? Well, it’s important that everyone uses the same terms for the different cuts of meat for example, and for the utensils used during cooking. The measurements listed with the ingredients also have to be standardised. This is all part of the preparatory work before the translation even starts, and fortunately we have a wealth of experience here. The sophisticated translation memory tool in use at EDMF is a huge help when several translators are working on the same project at the same time.
The recipes themselves can be tricky as well, and the translators need to be on top of their cooking terminology. Does the meat need braised, roasted or grilled? Do the vegetables need boiled, steamed, sautéed or stir-fried?
And accuracy is king, as with all translations of course. Get the measurements wrong or miss out a step, and people will be wondering why their panna cotta didn’t set or their cake didn’t rise. This is where EDMF’s tried and tested QA procedures kick in, making sure that the translations are faithful to the original with nothing missed out.
Sometimes translations can be a few pages long, they are delivered in a day, and you never see them again. This is why a book project like this, lasting months, is quite special, as at the end you see the fruits of all your endeavours.
And since you can build up quite an appetite translating over long hours, this means you get to mix business with pleasure. Now where’s my apron….?
Localisation and SEO translation Why do you need a bilingual website? Part 2
in The Language of BusinessAs promised in our earlier article, we now continue our analysis of the importance and benefits of localisation and SEO translation.
A company that is growing around the world has an increasing number of international requirements to satisfy. How can it create a global website for this? Should it keep an existing one, or create localised versions?
Localisation and SEO translation: how to improve your global web presence
The success of every company’s website is determined by its SEO. Namely, where it appears in the list of search results. Regardless whether we are talking about a local or an international website. The higher you appear in the search engine listing, the better chance you stand of people reaching your website. The main challenge with international SEO is selecting the SEO strategies that suit the given regions, cultural norms and and languages.
Many surprisingly believe that localisation and SEO translation are one and the same thing. While they complement each other, the difference between localisation and SEO is not as nuanced as you may think.
Both are types of translation, but they have completely different objectives.
A good translator should of course be capable of blending both approaches, but most just focus on localisation
Localisation and SEO translation: what’s the difference?
Localisation translates web pages for a different culture, aligning them to the linguistic and cultural norms of the target audience in the other society.
The mistranslation of a slogan can even be quite damaging…
And of course there are cases when a brand is a huge success in one language, but a catastrophe in the other…
One awkward example was when Colgate launched one of its popular brands in France under the name Cue. Regrettably, they disregarded a small but important detail. In France, Cue was the name of a widely known and extremely popular porn magazine.
A good translator avoids these pitfalls because they not only know the target language well, but also the target culture, and they can immediately identify expressions and situations that are entertaining in the target language, or simply awkward. So localisation means translating a text in a way that also makes it appealing and enjoyable for readers in the foreign language.
Localisation vs SEO translation: different genre, different goal
SEO translation is a completely different genre. This is because the main objective here is not to find readers, but to catch the attention of the search engines. All of the key words, expressions, titles, labels, anchors, script messages and attributes have to be translated in a way that makes the page appealing for the search engines in the target language too. This means if someone is searching in a foreign language for a product or service that your website offers, then it will appear at the top of all the search engines. If it does well on a market in a given language, then a good SEO translation means it will do well on another market too.
Of course, a SEO translation alone is not enough. If the localisation is poor, visitors will quickly find the page, but will be just as quick in leaving it again. It’s possible readers will get a good laugh if they see a funny translation, but it’s unlikely you will get a lot of customers this way.
So an excellent website translator has to be good at both localisation and SEO translation, since they have to be able to blend effective sales with human customers, and thus sell your product or service to potential customers by means of the search engine optimisation. Few translators are able to strike this delicate balance. This is why web designers very often ask for translations from those who are localisation professionals, before finding SEO specialists in the target language who optimise the translated pages. Of course this can be considerably more expensive than an average translation, but it opens up new markets that previously were inaccessible, and you avoid customers coming across mistakes on your website like inactive banks or pornographic toothpaste.
Are you looking for this kind of business model?
A good translation agency spares you these problems, as it is capable of combining all these aspects during a website translation.
CONTACT
CHANGE IN LEGISLATION! – Court document translations no longer need certification
in The Language of BusinessThe new Act CXXX of 2016 on the Code of Civil Procedure entered into force on 1 January 2018. In accordance with the new legislation it is enough to provide “simple”, i.e. not “certified”, translations of documents pertaining to newly launched civil lawsuits.
Procedures have been simplified based on the new legislation and there is no longer any need to use the services of the OFFI (Hungarian Office for Translation and Attestation Ltd.) for certified translations of documents created in civil lawsuits. It is now enough if you use the services of reliable legal translators or translation agencies. Of course, only those that comply with the provisions of Decree 24/1986 (VI. 26) MT on translation and interpretation.
Wording of the new legislation:
Section 62 [Need for translation in lawsuits]
For lack of any law, binding European Union legal act or provisions of an international agreement to the contrary, if translation is needed then a simple translation may be used. If there are any doubts regarding the accuracy or completeness of the translated text, a certified translation shall be necessary.
The intention to establish a system that curtails OFFI’s monopoly and which is in harmony with the European translation market is thus reflected not only by a European Union regulation but also by this Hungarian law.
The rules for paying translation and interpreting fees in advance have also been amended.
Section 79 [Advance payment of costs]
(2) Unless otherwise provided for by law or in a binding European Union legal act or in an international agreement, the fee of an interpreter assigned for purposes other than evidentiary procedures shall be paid in advance by the party creating the need for the interpreter.
(3) The expenses of a translator assigned for purposes other than evidentiary procedures shall be paid in advance by the claimant.
Further provisions of the new law related to translation and interpretation:
Section 67 [Formal elements of authorisation]
(5) A Hungarian translation of authorisation issued in a foreign language shall only be presented if required by the court.
Section 171 [Appendices to petitions]
(2) At least a simple Hungarian translation shall be enclosed with any document compiled in a foreign language.
Section 320 [Provision of documents]
(1) If a party wishes to prove a factual statement with a document, the document shall be enclosed to the submission or presented at the court hearing. At least a simple Hungarian translation must be enclosed for any foreign-language document. If there are any doubts regarding the accuracy and completeness of the translated text, a certified translation shall be necessary; failure to do so means the court will disregard the document.
Section 600 [Launching legal action]
(5) The court may only oblige a party to present a certified translation of any enclosed document if facts cannot be clarified in any other way.
All the legal translations we do are carried out by professionals with experience in the given field.
Do you have any questions about legal translations? Get in touch with us.
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
in Languages Without Borders“Christmas! ‘Tis the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart.”
~Washington Irving
Where did the months get their name from?
in Multilingual LifestyleWhere did the months get their name from? And why is January two-faced? You can read more about this ancient story here. This is a real treat, especially if you are interested in Roman mythology.
Origin of the Names of the Months
January: Janus, Roman god of doors, beginnings, sunset and sunrise, had one face looking forward and one backward,
February: On 15 February the Romans celebrated the festival of forgiveness for sins; (februare, Latin to purify),
March: Mars, the Roman god of war,
April: Roman month Aprilis, perhaps derived from aperire, (Latin to open, as in opening buds and blossoms) or perhaps from Aphrodite, original Greek name of Venus,
May: Maia, Roman goddess, mother of Mercury by Jupiter and daughter of Atlas,
June: Juno, chief Roman goddess,
July: Renamed for Julius Caesar in 44 BC, who was born this month; Quintilis, Latin for fifth month, was the former name (the Roman year began in March rather than January),
August: Formerly Sextilis (sixth month in the Roman calendar); re-named in 8 BC for Augustus Caesar,
September: September, (septem, Latin for 7) the seventh month in the Julian or Roman calendar, established in the reign of Julius Caesar,
October: Eighth month (octo, Latin for 8) in the Julian (Roman) calendar. The Gregorian calendar instituted by Pope Gregory XIII established January as the first month of the year,
November: Ninth Roman month (novem, Latin for 9). Catholic countries adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1582, skipping 10 days that October, correcting for too many leap years,
December: Julian (Roman) year’s tenth month (decem, Latin for 10).
Why does your company need a multilingual website?
in The Language of BusinessSixty-three percent of global brands reach more clients after increasing the number of languages available on their website
Facts – Most of the world’s largest websites offer more than one language, generally two, but some even have a hundred languages. Sixty-three percent of global brands reach more clients after increasing the number of languages available on their website. Why? Because investing in languages helps enterprises to grow and enhances their competitiveness (as confirmed by CSA Research). Unfortunately, this is a message still to reach 37% of the world’s leading brands.
Has it reached you yet?
Multilingual online content: English and Russian the leading languages
Demand for online content in more than one language has risen dramatically nowadays. Currently, 53.6% of websites are in English. The next most popular language is Russian, at 6.4%.
This leaves millions of web users on the outside, unable to read a large part of online content because they don’t understand the language. This of course is exploited to the full by those who speak English.
And even if someone does speak English, there are many different levels of fluency. Most people prefer to handle their business activities in their native tongue. The demand for translated content is only going to grow in future with the rise in online users, especially in China and India.
Multilingual SEO – the Google example
And there’s more. Translating online content is a great thing to do, but what is it worth if people cannot find it? Does it matter if your website appears on Google’s first search page in English if you are targeting other languages? This is where multilingual SEO comes into play, which is more than just keywords. Multilingual SEO is vital nowadays for people to find your company.
Mobile optimisation
Alongside improving your website it is vital to optimise the content for mobile devices. Today it is often true that more people browse sites on their mobile phones. This goes beyond even multilingual websites. According to the International Data Corporation, 3.2 billion people will be able to access the internet this year, and more than 2 billion of these online users will be on mobile devices. This is why it is worthwhile ensuring your website can be accessed properly on mobile devices and tablets.
Native-speaker translation for business success – think globally, act locally
in The Language of Business“If I am selling to you, I speak your language. If I am buying, dann müssen Sie Deutsch sprechen.”
Willy Brandt, former West-German Chancellor
Why is it worthwhile working with native translators who are well-versed in the customs and traditions of the given people?
A recent survey showed that the price of linguistic shortcomings, in the EU alone, was huge*:
One of the reasons for the business failures is the lack of cultural belonging or similarities.
Is it really worth missing out on so many millions of euros by not sacrificing a fraction of this on professional translation? Especially when your company is expanding abroad or you are planning to establish a fruitful business relationship in another culture?
The solution to these important issues is “glocalism”.
Consciously realising this and understanding its crucial importance lead to international success.
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Glocal is a new expression coined from the words “global” and “local”.
The objective of the “think globally, act locally” approach is for the globalised world to be a stable and integrated place, but at the same time protect the cultural heritage of local areas as well.
So what does glocal mean?
Global events take on local significance by influencing the local economy, and local events also have a global impact.
This resembles the butterfly effect, where the wind created by a butterfly flapping its wings can cause hurricanes on the other side of the planet. Glocalism creates smaller events in the local economy which have an effect on the global economy. Parallel to this, every global event can potentially influence the local economy too. Everything is connected.
Adapting your product or service in another culture.
This means that when you position your own products and brands on a target market, you need to take cultural relevance into account.
Glocal helps products and services be global and local at the same time.
International organisations pursuing their business activities all across the world have to take cultural requirements into consideration much in the same way as the local grocer, who knows everything about his local customers. People are not interested in whether a given business can address the masses, what they want to know is whether the company can live up to local needs and demands.
Glocal influences society
The renowned business strategist Dion Hinchcliffe said the following in an article (FORRÁS?): “Glocalism is an emerging trend that will be amplified by social media – and many companies won’t be prepared.”**
With the help of glocalism, local consumers, economies and cultures have much more power in the international economy. They now want products or services not just to be translated into their language, but that they “speak” to them properly.
Glocal impacts on translation and localisation
Based on glocalism guidelines it will no longer be enough for companies just to translate their documents into the local language. Materials have to be culturally relevant at the target destination as well.
Alongside translation and localisation, organisations need to ensure that they not only address their target audience in the local language, but that they are also relevant to them in a cultural context as well. It is no longer enough just to ask a translation agency to translate product specifications into however many languages.
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*Source: 21 November 2011 Egy nyelvet beszélünk? Konferencia a nyelvoktatás és foglalkoztathatóság összefüggéseiről
**Source: https://www.enterpriseirregulars.com/58013/social-media-marketing-predictions-for-2013-part-1/
Why our new website is the most exciting move for our company in 2017
in The Language of BusinessMoving to a bigger office
EDMF is proud to announce the launch of our new website, which coincides with our move to bigger premises. Almost twice the size of our previous office, and with modernised equipment and infrastructure. We look forward to welcoming our partners and customers in our new central Buda location.
Our new website provides a clear message: who we are, what we stand for, and the values we focus on when delivering and completing translation and interpreting projects. The website also boasts a clean design and an intuitive and consistent site-wide navigation system with improved menu functionality. Which directs you to the information most relevant to you.
It is also fully responsive with mobile devices, making it easy to navigate through on a wide range of web browsers and portable devices.
Blog that improves your business
You can sign up for our new blog right on the homepage, and access the articles that matter to you most by using the smart topic filters. Going forward, we will continue to communicate regularly through our blog and provide new articles and information.
The blog articles will help you understand the translation industry more clearly. And see how we can benefit your business in ways you might not have imagined. We’re really proud of the new website, and feel it will create the experience you’re looking for when you pay us a visit. Check our blog HERE.
Please leave us any feedback on our website. That may be helpful to us in making it as user-friendly and functional as it can be. Website feedback can be submitted to contact (at) edmf.com, through the live chat, or through our Contact Us page.
The power of social media
Follow us on social media too to find out about all of our company news first-hand, or to get in touch – we’d love to hear from you, let us know what you think!
Origin of the word Easter: from pagan festivals to the celebration we know today
in Multilingual LifestyleThere are many traditions surrounding the celebration of Easter. There are many stories and legends from the old pagan mythology, through the goddess Eostre to the Dutch connection.
Easter and the old pagan mythology
One of the theories is that the word ‘Easter’ comes from two old pagan spring festivals. The old European pagan festival of ‘Ostara’ that celebrated new life, and the Arabian Sun festival of ‘Ishtar’. The early Christians took over the festivals and turned the pagan festivals of new life to mean the new life that Jesus gave the world when he rose from the dead.
The “modern” Easter and the Dutch connection
The modern English term Easter, a cognate with the modern Dutch word ooster; the German Ostern, developed from an Old English word that usually appears in the form Ēastrun, -on, or -an; but also as Ēastru, -o; and Ēastre or Ēostre.
Easter: an ancient goddess or a celebration?
The most exciting theory of the origin of the term is that it is derived from the name of a goddess. Around the 7th to 8th century, English monk Bede wrote that Ēosturmōnaþ was an English month, corresponding to April. According to the late monk, “it was once called after a goddess of theirs named Ēostre. In her honour feasts were celebrated in that month”. Although there is no firm evidence that such a goddess actually existed, the old word Ēostre sounds suspiciously like Easter.
The Aramaic origin and its Greek-Latin descendants
In Greek and Latin, the Christian celebration was, and still is, called Πάσχα, Pascha. A word derived from the Aramaic פסחא, a cognate with the Hebrew פֶּסַח (Pesach). The word originally denoted the Jewish festival known in English as Passover, commemorating the Jewish Exodus from slavery in Egypt. In the 1st century, Paul, writing from Ephesus to the Christians in Corinth. Applied the term to Christ, and it is unlikely that the Ephesian and Corinthian Christians were the first to hear Exodus 12 interpreted as speaking about the death of Jesus, not just about the Jewish Passover ritual.
National Poetry Day in Hungary
in Languages Without Borders11 April is National Poetry Day in Hungary. The excellent Hungarian poet Attila József was born on this day, which has been National Poetry Day since 1964. Let us commemorate the great poet.
(You can read more about him here: http://bit.ly/1TsHSfe) For those who love poems, we particularly recommend the following beautiful poem by Attila József, as translated into English:
Photo source: Wikipedia
Attila JÓZSEF: Lullaby
The sky’s blue eyes are falling shut,
shut, too, the house’s many eyes;
fields sleep beneath their coverlet –
so go to sleep now, little Blaise.
Ants rest their heads upon their knees,
the drowsy wasps are in a daze,
their business and buzzing cease –
so go to sleep now, little Blaise.
The streetcar snores, its rumbling
dozes, forgetful of the days,
but rings its dream-bell, ding-a-ling –
so go to sleep now, little Blaise.
Asleep the jacket on the chair,
its torn sleeve dozes where it lies,
this day no further will it tear –
so go to sleep now, little Blaise.
The whistle snoozes, and the ball,
the woods and picnic holidays,
the favourite choccie-bar, and all –
so go to sleep now, little Blaise.
Distance, glass marble of the skies,
you will achieve in all your ways,
you’ll be a giant; close your eyes –
and go to sleep now, little Blaise.
A soldier, fireman, you will be!
shepherd, you’ll lead wild game to graze!
Mummy herself drifts off, just see –
so go to sleep now, little Blaise.
Translated by: Zs. Osvath; F. Turner