Linguist Spotlight Round-Up

Over the past month, we’ve been shining the linguist spotlight on some of the incredible freelance linguists who make our work possible!

From Mandarin to Friulian, software to fine art, and funny phrases to heartfelt career stories, our linguist spotlights have given us a behind-the-scenes look at the people, languages and lived experiences that shape high-quality translation.

A truly global community

One of the most inspiring things about our freelance network is its diversity. Over the course of one month alone, we heard from linguists based in France, Italy, China, Spain and beyond – each bringing their own cultural insight and linguistic nuance to the table.

Their specialisms ranged from luxury marketing to technical translation, indie games to academic research. And yet, they all shared a deep passion for language, communication and connection.

The paths that brought them here

Every linguist has a story. Echo started out tutoring English before going full-time as a freelance translator (while pregnant with her second child!). Mercedes got her start subtitling films in London. Basel was inspired by his mother’s English teaching, and Laura returned to translation after exploring several other roles.

Whether they stumbled into the profession or pursued it with purpose, one thing’s clear: being a linguist often means carving your own path.

Thoughts on the future

It’s no surprise that AI and machine translation came up more than once. While opinions vary, our contributors agreed on one thing – the future of translation lies in balance. Technology is here to stay, but human creativity, empathy and cultural know-how will always matter, especially in fields where nuance is key.

Favourite phrases and language quirks

We couldn’t wrap up without sharing a few more of our favourite linguistic gems…

• From Arabic: تقبرني (taqburni) – “May you bury me.” A dramatic but affectionate way of saying “I love you so much I can’t bear to live without you.”
• From Spanish: Estar en la edad del pavo – “To be in the turkey age.” A very visual way to describe the awkwardness of adolescence.
• From Chinese: 啊，真香！(ā, zhēn xiāng!) – “Ah, this smells/tastes so good!” A viral expression used when someone ends up loving something they initially refused.
• From Friulian: No varìn migo di lassâsi come cjans? – “Are we really going to part like dogs?” Perfect for persuading your friends to stay for one more drink.

Thank you!

We’re so grateful to all the linguists who took the time to share their stories with us this month. Whether you’re a client, a fellow translator or just curious about languages, we hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know the people behind the words.

Don’t worry if you missed our linguist spotlight posts – you can head over to our LinkedIn to check them out!

We love working with amazing linguists from all over the world. Got a translation project coming up? Contact us – we’d love to work with you!

Linguist Spotlight – 25th April 2025

For our final linguist spotlight post of the month, we’re shining a light on four more of our fantastic freelance linguists: Basel, Laura, Echo, and Mercedes. Working across Arabic, Italian, Chinese, Spanish, and more, their stories remind us of the passion and precision behind great translation. Read on to hear about their career journeys, language tips, and some of their favourite cultural quirks.

Basel

Basel is a talented Arabic linguist who translates both from and into English. His areas of expertise range from fine art and history to social media and marketing. A lifelong language enthusiast, Basel traces the roots of his career back to his mother, an English teacher. “From a young age, I saw her speaking English and thought – I want to do that too. It felt like opening a door to the world.”

When he first moved to France, Basel tackled a new linguistic challenge: French. “When I first arrived, I started listening to podcasts and TV in French, even if I didn’t understand much. With help from my teacher and some personal effort, I now understand almost everything!”

Asked about the future of the industry, Basel sees a hybrid path ahead. “The industry is moving towards more collaboration between human linguists and technology. Machine translation is widely used, but those who want quality content increasingly understand the value of human input.”

Fun facts from Arabic:

• Hard to translate? Popular sayings and socially constructed mottos are very difficult to render well in English.
• Interesting language fact: Arabic uses so many prefixes and suffixes that a single word can form a complete sentence. For example, كتبتها  means “I wrote it”.
• Funny phrase: تقبرني (ta’burni), common in the Levant, literally means “may you bury me”, but is actually an affectionate phrase expressing deep love – often from mothers to children.

Laura

Laura is a multilingual translator based in the UK, working mainly between English and Italian, with a soft spot for websites. She also translates from Russian and has a background in German. Her real mother tongue? Friulano – a Romance language spoken in the northeast of Italy. “It’s still my favourite language of all.”

Laura has had an inspiringly flexible career. “I’ve been a translator, interpreter, admin assistant, PA, business analyst… and translator again! I’m proud of being able to adapt to change, try new things, and reinvent myself.”

When it comes to the difference between translation and interpreting, Laura says: “Interpreting is fast-paced and demands quick thinking. You need to be good at letting go – you can’t beat yourself up for not thinking of a better phrasing on the spot. With translation, you have time to research and refine.”

Her advice for language learners? “Expose yourself to the language as much as possible, especially through things you enjoy like films and TV. And once you’re in the country, don’t worry about making a fool of yourself!”

As for the future, Laura offers a thoughtful perspective: “I probably wouldn’t pursue a translation degree in today’s climate. I’d recommend specialising in another field, and adding languages as a valuable extra.”

Fun facts from Italian (and Friulano!):

• Hard to translate? The word simpatico doesn’t quite translate – it means someone who is pleasant, funny, and nice all in one. Russian has a similar word, симпатичный (simpatichnyi), which can mean cute or nice.
• Funny phrase: In Friulian, at the end of a night out, you might say No varìn migo di lassâsi come cjans? – “Are we really going to part like dogs?” It means: one more drink before we go!

Echo

Echo has been a freelance Mandarin and Cantonese translator since 2009, working on everything from luxury branding to government initiatives. Based in China, she’s a native speaker of both Mandarin and Cantonese and specialises in creative, culturally sensitive content.

Her language career began with online tutoring in 2006. “Eventually, I offered editing and translation services too. One client, Dallas, became a regular and kindly introduced me to a whole network of freelance translators. (He’s now known as the brilliant mind behind GT4T!)” With regular work and a growing family, Echo made the leap to full-time freelancing in 2009 – and hasn’t looked back since.

Echo has interpreted once – “at a trade fair in Germany, back in 2017” – but prefers translation, which lets her work at her own pace. “Both require preparation and creativity. But interpreting, especially live, is definitely more challenging for me!”

For language learners, her advice is simple: “Immerse yourself daily – listen, speak, and watch things slightly above your level. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. I’ll take this advice myself when I finally try to learn French again!”

Looking ahead, Echo sees technology playing a bigger role. “AI tools will grow in use, but human translators will remain essential for capturing nuance and cultural depth.”

Fun facts from Chinese:

• Hard to translate? 缘分 (yuán fèn) – a concept of fated connection. There’s no exact English equivalent.
• Interesting language fact: Written Chinese is logographic, so it remains consistent across dialects even if spoken Mandarin and Cantonese are very different.
• Funny phrase: 啊，真香！ (ā, zhēn xiāng!) means “Ah, this smells so good!” It’s used humorously when someone changes their mind and ends up loving something they originally rejected – a bit like “Okay, fine, I actually love this!”

Mercedes

Mercedes is a freelance translator and editor working between German, English and Spanish (Spain). She specialises in software localisation and technical translation – and she loves diving into all things tech.

She got her start in subtitling, translating film and TV in London, before joining a language services provider as a project manager. “The most rewarding part of my job has always been meeting people from all over the world and learning about such a wide range of topics.”

If she could instantly master another language? “Chinese – without a doubt. It’s so commercially relevant, and I’d love to be able to connect with that part of the world.”

Her advice for language learners is refreshingly simple: “Don’t feel silly. Own your mistakes and have fun. Enjoying yourself is half the battle.”

Mercedes sees a future where machine translation and AI are the norm, but not the whole story. “There will still be a real need for human insight – especially in areas like medtech, marketing and indie games. Clients who value cultural nuance will keep turning to real people.”

Fun facts from Spanish:
• Hard to translate? Estar en la edad del pavo – literally “to be in the turkey age”! It’s used to describe that awkward, emotional teenage phase when you’re figuring everything out.
• Funny phrase: Estar como una cabra – “to be like a goat”. It means someone’s acting totally wild or silly… in the most entertaining way!

We’re incredibly proud to work with such talented, passionate linguists from around the world. Need help with your next translation project? Get in touch – we’d love to hear from you.

Linguist Spotlight: 18th April 2025

This week, we’re shining the linguist spotlight on three more brilliant linguists who bring curiosity, cultural sensitivity, and a love of language to every brief. Whether they’re translating complex IT materials or marketing content with a twist, these professionals are passionate about delivering work that truly resonates.

Eduan

Meet Eduan, a Brazilian Portuguese freelance translator and reviewer with a specialisation in technical content, IT, gaming, and general texts. With a background in computing and a flair for language, Eduan helps businesses communicate with clarity and natural fluency across borders.

His journey into translation started at the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Rio Grande do Sul (IFSUL), where he studied computing. Over time, his interest in English grew – and as his language skills deepened, he discovered that translation was the perfect blend of his tech background and creative side. He now balances technical expertise with linguistic finesse, and is currently adding Japanese to his repertoire after spending two years living in Tokyo.

When asked what a typical day looks like, Eduan says experience has made the work flow smoothly – “as long as the client provides the correct instructions, it’s just fun!”

Looking ahead, Eduan sees AI as a helpful ally in streamlining workflows and boosting productivity. But for him, the heart of good translation still lies with the human touch: “AI can assist, but it can’t replicate cultural sensitivity or context. It’ll keep evolving, but humans are still essential for tone and quality.”

Eduan also shared some fun language facts and experiences:

• A phrase that doesn’t translate well: Ficar com a pulga atrás da orelha – literally “to have a flea behind your ear,” meaning to be suspicious.
• An idiom that makes no sense in English: Chutar o balde – literally “kick the bucket,” but it actually means to give up or go wild.
• Ever mixed up languages? Not really – Eduan keeps things pretty clear, though gaming lingo sometimes sneaks into his everyday speech!

Ingrid

Say hello to Ingrid, a French linguist who translates and reviews from English into French, with a special focus on IT, marketing, and medical content.

Ingrid’s linguistic journey spans continents – from studying in Australia to completing her PhD in the US. After returning to France, she taught English for three years before deciding that the classroom wasn’t quite her calling. Wanting more flexibility and independence, she made the leap into freelancing – and quickly found her feet as a professional translator.

While Ingrid primarily focuses on technical and marketing texts, she occasionally receives more unexpected assignments. One particularly memorable project involved translating a website for adult products – “quite… interesting and fun!” she recalls.

Her tool of choice? SDL Trados Studio. “It’s not as popular as it once was,” she says, “but to me, it’s still the best.”

Like many in the field, Ingrid has noticed changes brought on by AI. “It’s actually rather scary. Workloads have decreased, and tools like DeepL are very strong. But I still believe machines will never fully replace human translators – there’s a touch of nuance and emotion they just can’t reach.”

Ingrid’s favourite language quirks include:

• A word she loves: Her children’s names – Loé (Hawaiian) and Miyo (Japanese). “They’re not French at all – the names, not my kids!”
• A beautiful untranslatable: Komorebi – the Japanese word for sunlight filtering through trees.
• Ever mixed up languages? “No, I don’t think so!”

Yinli

Meet Yinli, a Simplified Chinese linguist who works across technology, science, and the humanities. With a uniquely reflective perspective, Yinli brings insight and precision to every project she takes on.

Her path to linguistics is rooted in a broad academic background – one that she sees as more connected to her work than it might appear on paper. “I don’t see myself limited to a single discipline,” she says. For her, translation is less about rigid definitions and more about exploring the layers of meaning within and between languages.

Every project, she explains, offers a chance to gain new distinctions – both technical and philosophical. Her most trusted resources? “My old friends: paper dictionaries.”

On the future of translation, Yinli offers a poetic take: “AI can help gather symbols and their outer layers, if that’s what we’re looking for. But language is more than form – it’s about resonance.”

Here are a few of her favourite thoughts on language and culture:

• A word she loves: “Brett” – “A beautiful name for a beautiful one.”
• A unique insight: “It feels as though we grow into the language that precedes us, into every word and expression, finding our place within.”
• Ever mixed up languages? “Yes, especially while typing. Different pronunciations from various languages can trip me up sometimes.”

Come back next week for more linguist spotlight content from our incredible linguists! Curious about working with our team? We’d love to hear about your project – get in touch for a quote today!

Linguist Spotlight: 10th April 2025

For this week’s Linguist Spotlight, we’re shining the spotlight on three more brilliant linguists who bring curiosity, cultural sensitivity, and a love of language to every brief. Whether they’re translating complex IT materials or marketing content with a twist, these professionals are passionate about delivering work that truly resonates.

Eduan

For our first linguist spotlight for this week, meet Eduan, a Brazilian Portuguese freelance translator and reviewer with a specialisation in technical content, IT, gaming, and general texts. With a background in computing and a flair for language, Eduan helps businesses communicate with clarity and natural fluency across borders.

His journey into translation started at the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Rio Grande do Sul (IFSUL), where he studied computing. Over time, his interest in English grew – and as his language skills deepened, he discovered that translation was the perfect blend of his tech background and creative side. He now balances technical expertise with linguistic finesse, and is currently adding Japanese to his repertoire after spending two years living in Tokyo.

When asked what a typical day looks like, Eduan says experience has made the work flow smoothly – “as long as the client provides the correct instructions, it’s just fun!”

Looking ahead, Eduan sees AI as a helpful ally in streamlining workflows and boosting productivity. But for him, the heart of good translation still lies with the human touch: “AI can assist, but it can’t replicate cultural sensitivity or context. It’ll keep evolving, but humans are still essential for tone and quality.”

Eduan also shared some fun language facts and experiences:

• A phrase that doesn’t translate well: Ficar com a pulga atrás da orelha – literally “to have a flea behind your ear,” meaning to be suspicious.
• An idiom that makes no sense in English: Chutar o balde – literally “kick the bucket,” but it actually means to give up or go wild.
• Ever mixed up languages? Not really – Eduan keeps things pretty clear, though gaming lingo sometimes sneaks into his everyday speech!

Ingrid

Say hello to Ingrid, a French linguist who translates and reviews from English into French, with a special focus on IT, marketing, and medical content.

Ingrid’s linguistic journey spans continents – from studying in Australia to completing her PhD in the US. After returning to France, she taught English for three years before deciding that the classroom wasn’t quite her calling. Wanting more flexibility and independence, she made the leap into freelancing – and quickly found her feet as a professional translator.

While Ingrid primarily focuses on technical and marketing texts, she occasionally receives more unexpected assignments. One particularly memorable project involved translating a website for adult products – “quite… interesting and fun!” she recalls.

Her tool of choice? SDL Trados Studio. “It’s not as popular as it once was,” she says, “but to me, it’s still the best.”

Like many in the field, Ingrid has noticed changes brought on by AI. “It’s actually rather scary. Workloads have decreased, and tools like DeepL are very strong. But I still believe machines will never fully replace human translators – there’s a touch of nuance and emotion they just can’t reach.”

Ingrid’s favourite language quirks include:

• A word she loves: Her children’s names – Loé (Hawaiian) and Miyo (Japanese). “They’re not French at all – the names, not my kids!”
• A beautiful untranslatable: Komorebi – the Japanese word for sunlight filtering through trees.
• Ever mixed up languages? “No, I don’t think so!”

Yinli

Meet Yinli, a Simplified Chinese linguist who works across technology, science, and the humanities. With a uniquely reflective perspective, Yinli brings insight and precision to every project she takes on.

Her path to linguistics is rooted in a broad academic background – one that she sees as more connected to her work than it might appear on paper. “I don’t see myself limited to a single discipline,” she says. For her, translation is less about rigid definitions and more about exploring the layers of meaning within and between languages.

Every project, she explains, offers a chance to gain new distinctions – both technical and philosophical. Her most trusted resources? “My old friends: paper dictionaries.”

On the future of translation, Yinli offers a poetic take: “AI can help gather symbols and their outer layers, if that’s what we’re looking for. But language is more than form – it’s about resonance.”

Here are a few of her favourite thoughts on language and culture:

• A word she loves: “Brett” – “A beautiful name for a beautiful one.”
• A unique insight: “It feels as though we grow into the language that precedes us, into every word and expression, finding our place within.”
• Ever mixed up languages? “Yes, especially while typing. Different pronunciations from various languages can trip me up sometimes.”

Come back next week for more linguist spotlight content! Curious about working with our team? We’d love to hear about your project – get in touch for a quote today!

AI Translation and Website Localisation: How Open-Source Models are Transforming the Industry

Recently, Tradutor, an AI translation model, was developed to enhance European Portuguese localisation. In the rapidly evolving world of AI translation, advancements like this are continually improving accuracy and usability for businesses. Open-source models like Tradutor are expanding language access, particularly for niche or underrepresented languages, creating exciting new opportunities for website localisation. But what does this mean for businesses looking to localise their websites effectively?

Tradutor AI: A Game-Changer for European Portuguese

Tradutor is a ground-breaking AI translation model, specifically developed for European Portuguese. Historically, businesses have faced challenges in finding high-quality machine translation (MT) options for this language variant, which differs significantly from Brazilian Portuguese in vocabulary, grammar, and cultural nuances. This is where Tradutor steps in.

Developed to address these very challenges, Tradutor offers a more culturally and linguistically accurate translation than generic AI models. This advancement signals a significant shift in the AI translation landscape, expanding and improving language coverage, and delving into regional language variants with a level of precision that was previously difficult to achieve.

As AI continues to evolve, tools like Tradutor are making it possible for businesses to create more engaging, accurate, and cost-effective multilingual websites. However, it’s important to remember that while AI can improve speed and scalability, human input remains essential for ensuring cultural and linguistic accuracy.

AI & Website Localisation: A Perfect Match?

AI-driven translations are undoubtedly transforming website localisation by speeding up workflows, making it easier and faster to cater to a global audience. However, AI alone cannot guarantee the success of localisation efforts. Human expertise is still crucial when it comes to ensuring that the translations resonate with local audiences, capturing cultural context, and providing an authentic user experience. This is particularly significant, as studies show that consumers are far more likely to purchase a product or service when the website is presented in their native language.

Custom AI models, like Tradutor for European Portuguese, can enhance regional accuracy, ensuring that website content is tailored to the specific dialect and cultural preferences of the target audience. This is particularly important when dealing with markets that have distinct linguistic differences, such as the various Portuguese-speaking regions, like Portugal, Brazil, Angola and Mozambique.

For businesses targeting these diverse markets, the key to success lies in recognising the linguistic and cultural nuances between different Portuguese-speaking regions. Customised AI models for specific variations make website content more relevant and engaging, enhancing customer experience and brand perception.

The Future of AI in Localisation

Looking ahead, AI will continue to improve, and its role in localisation will only grow. However, AI models must be context-aware and tailored to specific industries and languages to truly meet the needs of businesses. This is where open-source initiatives like Tradutor can play a pivotal role. They allow companies to customise translation models to suit their requirements, ensuring that the translation process is more aligned with business goals and localised needs.

AI is undeniably a powerful tool for localisation, offering significant benefits in terms of speed, efficiency, and scalability. However, to achieve success in website localisation, businesses must combine the power of AI with the expertise of professional translators. By embracing AI advancements while ensuring cultural relevance in their localised content, companies can create more engaging, accurate, and cost-effective multilingual websites.

As AI models continue to specialise and improve, businesses will have more opportunities to leverage these technologies to enhance their website localisation efforts. With the right balance of AI and human input, the future of localisation looks brighter than ever.

At Web-Translations, we specialise in website localisation. Contact us today to find out how we can enhance your multilingual website!

December Discount 2024

To celebrate the holiday season, we are offering a 15% December Discount on all translation projects! So, if you have some content that you’d like to translate, get in touch with us today for a free, no-obligation quote!

We can offer you:

• A Dedicated Project Manager
• Competitive Translation Rates
• Flexible Payment Terms

What’s more, we have a great track record working for clients in a wide range of industries. You can read all about our experience on our portfolio page! If you’d like to get to know us more, why not get in touch with our team to find out what we could do for you?

Terms:

• 15% discount will be applied to our standard rates of translation and proofreading
• Discounts will only be applied to projects exceeding our minimum charge of £60
• This discount cannot be applied to Pay-As-You-Go accounts
• This offer is restricted to the first order in December per client
• This offer cannot be combined with any other discount
• This offer will expire at 17:00 GMT, 31st December 2024

However, if your content isn’t ready for translation just yet, keep an eye out on our social media for future offers. Also, while you’re there, you can also check out our Christmas countdown – we have lots of fun content in store with our very own advent calendar!

Translation as a Journey: The Path From One Language to Another

Translation is more than just swapping words between languages; it’s a journey where each stage represents a different part of moving from the source language to the target language. After all, the Oxford English Dictionary states that the word translation can also be used to describe moving an object from one place to another.

Understanding the Terrain

The journey starts with deeply understanding the source text, much like studying a map before setting off. This involves grasping not just the words, but the cultural and contextual nuances that will guide the translation.

Charting the Course

Next comes planning the translation strategy, deciding whether to stick closely to the original or adapt it more freely. This stage is like choosing the best route on a trip, ensuring the message travels well to the new language.

Embarking on the Journey

The translation process itself is where the text moves from one language to another. The translator carefully navigates linguistic and cultural differences to ensure the final product is fluent and accurate.

Overcoming Obstacles

Challenges like untranslatable words or cultural references are the rough patches on the journey. Translators must creatively solve these issues, ensuring the translation remains true to the original while making sense in the target language.

Reaching the Destination

The journey ends with reviewing and refining the translation, much like a traveller reflecting on their trip. This final step ensures the translation is polished and ready for its audience.

Reflecting on the Journey

Just as experienced travellers make for better journeys, professional translators bring the expertise needed to navigate the complexities of translation, ensuring the final text is accurate and culturally appropriate.

In essence, translation is a complex journey requiring skill, planning, and adaptability to successfully convey a message across languages and cultures.

If you think translation might be the best next step in developing your website or business, contact us for a quote today!

The Need for Translation in an International Market

In this post we will be discussing the need for translation in an international market. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, it is becoming more and more necessary to have your business accessible in a variety of languages. Imagine going to browse a website only to find that you can’t find the information you need because it’s not in your language – it would be pretty frustrating!

If you want to send your business into the international sphere, you need to be able to appeal to an international audience, but there is no such thing as an international language. You can’t assume that your clients will understand English. Nor can you expect your customers to put all of the information they need into online translation software. Often it won’t be accurate and will create a barrier between you and your clientele.

In the sales process, you want to avoid creating obstacles between your customers and their products.

So where do I start?

Once you’ve established your target market country, your best bet is to contact a translation or localisation agency to ask them to work with you to produce the most accurate and appropriate webpage in the target language.

This of course, costs money, so it is important to weigh up the risk vs. benefits of this investment. There are ways to mitigate the cost too: for example, common website features, like a page to check out a purchase, use similar, if not the same language. In some cases, this is a potential candidate for machine translation, which is often cheaper. Machine translation, however, won’t quite cover all situations.

So when can’t I use MT?

Machine translation can’t take into account the context of the translations – see our post on this here. In addition, most machine translation software doesn’t account for regional language variants. For languages like Spanish where there are such a wide range of dialects across the globe, the language will need to be translated differently for each as different terminology is used.

To summarise, having your website and products translated into the target language can improve international connections and give your customers a better impression – after all, if the customers can see the effort you put into making the website easy for them to use, they are much more likely to have a better impression of your business.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn for more translation updates and news!

How Translation Audits Can Benefit your Business

At Web-Translations we offer a comprehensive translation audit service, but what exactly does that entail? Let’s take a look at how our audits work and why they’re a valuable investment for you and your business.

What is a translation audit?

A translation audit involves selecting various sections of a document or website and asking a native linguist to review them. This is done in order to ensure that your translations have both high quality and fluency. During this process, the translator provides detailed feedback on multiple aspects of your text, including fluency, word choice, grammatical accuracy, and overall coherence, ensuring your content meets the highest standards.

Why invest in one?

Ensuring that your customers feel acknowledged and catered for is absolutely essential. Errors in your website text can negatively affect customer perception. This in turn can make them feel that you’re not putting in the necessary effort. By accommodating foreign language customers, you can expand your business and make your existing customers feel truly appreciated.

The statistics back this up too. According to the CSA, 76% of customers prefer purchasing products with information in their own language. Furthermore, their research shows that 75% of respondents are more likely to buy from the same brand again if customer care is provided in their language. Clearly, catering to your customers’ language preferences can significantly enhance their experience and boost your business.

Who is it right for?

If your company has relied on Machine Translation in the past, investing in a translation audit can be incredibly beneficial. It’s a smart move to ensure your website meets the highest standards of accuracy and quality. With a thorough review by native linguists, you can identify and fix any issues, making sure your content truly resonates with your audience and reflects your brand’s professionalism.

Our audits can also help you check if your previous translations are up to scratch. Even if they were completed by a professional linguist! This can ensure that your translations are accurate and up to date – after all, translators are only human!

How does a translation audit work?

There are 3 main steps to a Translation Audit

1. Initial Review: Once you choose your audit plan, you’ll provide us with the specific pages you want reviewed—whether it’s top-level web pages or more detailed content. We then distribute these to our team of native linguists who assess the quality and accuracy of your texts.  

2. Checks by Native Linguists: Our skilled native linguists thoroughly check your content, proving detailed analysis and insight into improvements they suggest. This ensures that every nuance and detail is spot on.

3. Feedback and Refinement:
If No Errors are Found: If everything is perfect and no changes are needed, great! Your text stays as it is, and you can be confident that it’s performing well.
If Changes are Required: If there are any issues, we’ll work with you to refine and correct your texts, making sure your publications are polished and effective.

Investing in a translation audit guarantees that your content is of the highest quality, significantly enhancing your credibility and strengthening your connection with your audience. By ensuring your texts are accurate, fluent, and culturally appropriate, you demonstrate a commitment to excellence that resonates with customers and sets your brand apart.

If you think a Translation Audit might be the best next step in developing your website, contact us for a quote today!

Why Are Native Linguists So Important for Translation?

To celebrate International Mother Language Day, we’re looking at why native linguists are so important to use in translations, and why they’re absolutely vital to us.

Here at Web-Translations, we pride ourselves on using qualified professional linguists for every piece of translation that we do. Our linguists are important for not only producing high-quality translations, but also for reviewing them.

Having The Extra Edge

When learning a language, it’s not just the grammar and vocabulary that you need to learn. It’s also the various other nuances that you need to adapt to. These include cultural differences. These aspects also apply when translating content too!

This means that if a non-native linguist was used to translate, they would need to carry out extensive research to ensure all of the nuances were translated into the target language effectively. However, to a native linguist these factors will come to them naturally. For example, if someone approaches you on a train, and makes you feel uncomfortable, you may ask ‘can I help you?‘. If you used the more formal form of ‘you’, Sie in German for example, this would indicate to others that this person is a stranger. This would be instinctive for native speakers, but for learners, it might be less obvious.

Essential Knowledge

Going the extra mile to show your target audience that you care is key to increasing sales for your business. For example, if a company is looking to translate content for an area with more than one main language, a linguist would be able to identify any issues or benefits that come with each language. A firm hoping to establish a presence in Barcelona, for instance, must consider not only their Spanish-speaking audience, but also their potential Catalan-speaking audience. Working with a native Catalan speaker would provide essential insights into this target audience. This would also ensure that the company’s products or services are available to even more people than if it were just available in Castilian Spanish. This would help you to form a stronger relationship with your target audience in Barcelona, as it proves that you care about them and have taken the time to research and would consequently convert more sales.

At Web-Translations, we go the extra mile for our clients. As standard, we have all of our translations reviewed by a second native linguist. This is to ensure the highest quality translation is provided. Our native proofreaders check every element of a translation and identify any elements that need adjusting or if there is an alternative translation. After all, we’re all human, so mistakes can happen from time to time. But with our two professional native linguists, these mistakes can be avoided.

Localisation is Key 

Native linguists are also incredibly important when it comes to localisation. Knowledge of the target country’s culture allows you to maintain an excellent reputation for the business. This is where native linguists are experts.

Their knowledge is priceless when localising content, especially for marketing or advertising purposes. It can help advertisers reach a wider audience and avoid any potentially offensive mistakes that could easily derail a whole campaign. When car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz launched in China, they translated their name as Bensi. This name actually means “rush to die”, and once Mercedes realised this, they had to rush to restore their reputation after this blunder. The brand soon changed to “Ben Chi”, meaning “dashing speed”.

Native linguists are the best way to guarantee accuracy, quality and performance in translation. That is something that machine translation can’t quite master. Our linguists are invaluable to creating high-quality professional translation. We quite simply couldn’t do our job without them. The extra level of expertise that they bring is not only invaluable to us, but will be invaluable to you too. Their natural knowledge will help elevate your translated content beyond your competitors, as is their ability to ensure your content is free from potentially damaging translation errors and is carefully crafted with important cultural nuances in mind.

Are you interested in learning more about the importance of professional native linguists in website localisation? Check out our Localisation Advice page here! Don’t forget to check out our Twitter and LinkedIn pages for more industry insight as well!

New Year Goals for 2024

Happy New Year! We can’t quite believe we’re in 2024 already! Here’s to a month or so of catching ourselves writing the wrong year in our diaries. It’s been 100 years since the first ever foreign language broadcast on US radio, and it’s already been 20 years since the launch of Facebook! Where on earth has that time gone?

With a new year ahead of us, let’s look at some language-related challenges we can set ourselves! We love a challenge, so we’re excited to see what we can achieve this year.

1. Learn a New Language

We couldn’t leave this one off our list! In 2020, 30 million people attempted to learn a new language, according to Duolingo. We think we can beat that easily! Learning a new language is always such a fun and rewarding adventure, and the new year is always a great time to start. The best part is that there’s no wrong way to learn – find however you work best and keep at it.

2. Find People to Share Goals With

Sharing a New Year’s Resolution with others is a great way to make sure you stick to it. If you have a person or group of people there to help you keep on track, you’ll find it much easier to hold yourself accountable. You can even make a little competition between yourselves to really push one another.

3. Travel

Easily the most exciting entry on this list, and one of our favourites! A new year means new opportunities and new adventures. Whether it’s a weekend away, or a wonderful two-week getaway, take the leap and see the world this year. There’s nothing quite like exploring a new city or country with plenty of new experiences waiting for you.

4. Watch International Films & Shows

This is a great way to immerse yourself in a different culture, and get a feel for how a language sounds. Not only do these movies and shows offer great opportunities to learn, but a lot of them are simply just a fantastic watch. If you’re suck on where to start, take a look at our previous blog posts on our team’s favourite international TV shows. For those of you with a taste for something spooky, we’ve even shared a list of our favourite international horror films for you to enjoy.

5. Get Your Content Translated.

Granted, this is more business-oriented for us, but if you’re looking for a way to open doors to new ventures and a world of new business in 2024, then translate your content! Customers are much more likely to buy a product or service if it is offered to them in their native language. This will allow your immediate and long-term sales to benefit hugely!

A new year bringing in new customers sounds amazing, don’t you think?

Do you have any language-related goals for 2024? We’d love to hear all about them! Let us know what your aims are for the new year on our Twitter or LinkedIn pages.

From the team at Web-Translations, we hope you all have a fantastic 2024!

Social Media Translation: Challenges and Solutions

We all know how important social media is in today’s society. Your social media platform and website is your online shop window – a way to attract customers to find out more. However, many businesses only write their content in their native language. Translating social media content does however have its challenges. After all, adapting and launching your product or service in another country is a huge task. In this blog, we’ve highlighted some of the challenges that you may face but also some suggestions that may help you overcome them too.

The Challenges

Culturally Appropriate

It’s important to ensure your content is suitable for the target audience. This is particularly important for brand names and slogans, but also for images. We have seen some translation mishaps when dealing with brand names. For example, Mercedes-Benz attempted to enter the Chinese market using the brand name ‘Bensi’. This was a shortened brand name to suit the Chinese market, but unfortunately it translates to ‘rush to die’. This is certainly not something that you want to associate with your brand and was damaging for their reputation. On the other hand, a good example of translating a brand name is Carrefour’s for the Chinese market (家乐福 ). This translation relates to the pronunciation of Carrefour, but it also means ‘a family being very happy when shopping in the supermarket’.

Platform

There are various platforms that are used globally, so it’s certainly worth looking into these before making this decision. The different platforms have their own rules and ways of communicating. Facebook is predominantly text, but Instagram is full of images and videos. This means that the images would need to be culturally appropriate and tailored to the country’s audience. In this survey, ‘72% of consumers now say they only engage with marketing messages tailored to their interests’.

It’s also a good idea to subtitle your videos if there is dialogue, so that they are accessible globally. It’s not just the format, that varies, it’s also the length of content. LinkedIn allows you to share long, in-depth content, but Twitter has a very short character limit. This character limit makes it difficult to translate into language that expand during translation. English into French translation for example expands by 25%.

SEO

Translating your content helps you to reach your international audience, but if it’s not Search Engine Optimised, few people will actually see it. There is a huge amount of content shared on the internet every minute of every day. To put this into perspective: 95 million photos and videos are shared on Instagram each day, translating to 65,972 each minute! This is why it’s important to optimise your content. You may already optimise the content in your native language, but the same also needs to be done to your multilingual content. This is where we come in. Translating keywords isn’t as simple as finding the equivalent meaning in the target language. For example, in English you may use ‘houses to buy’, but when translating into German for example, ‘apartments to rent’, as this would be a cultural difference.

It’s a daunting task adapting a brand for another target audience, but it’ll make your audience feel valued. This, in turn, will increase your sales conversions since consumers feel more comfortable purchasing in their own language. We are experts in translation, so we can help protect your global reputation. If you’re interested in localising your social media content but are unsure if on the best way forward, feel free to get in touch and we’d be more than happy to offer our advice!

Social Media Translation: Things to Consider

We all know how important social media is in today’s society. After all, your social media platform and website is your online shop window – a way to attract customers to find out more. However, many businesses only write their content in their native language. But what about your international audience? They need to feel valued too. In fact, 57% of consumers will increase their spending with a company when they feel valued, and 76% actually choose to buy from them over a competitor. And this is where social media translation comes in!

Social media can be difficult to use at times with the various platforms and their immediacy. This makes translating your content into various languages more challenging. But we’re hoping that this blog will make it easier to navigate within the world of social media and reach out to your international audience.

Why is Social Media Important for Business?

Social media influences a lot of our purchasing decisions without us really realising – from paid ads to influencers. Your online presence allows customers to view your products and services 24/7 from the comfort of their own home, on the train and even during their coffee break. 57% of people say that social media influences their shopping decisions, so why not make the most of this as a business. Trading globally has never been easier!

Tips for Social Media Translation

It’s important to really consider who your audience are before translating your social media content. Below are some points to consider:

• Which languages to translate into? It’s important to consider where your product or service is performing/ would perform the best. From here, you can determine the language variant. For example, if you want to target Latin America, you can specify whether you want to use Mexican or Colombian or an alternative Spanish variant.
• What interests them? It may be necessary to adapt your product to be more appealing to your target audience’s interests and culture.
• Which platform is most suitable to your target countries? In North America and Europe, LinkedIn is used more, but in Latin America, it’s Facebook. So it’s certainly worth looking into this to reap the most rewards from the translations.
• What format would your audience react best to and what tone do they prefer content to use? Maybe an e-book or a video? Do they prefer a direct tone or maybe something with a little more emotion?

It may seem like a lot to consider when translating social media content, but it’ll make your audience feel valued. This, in turn, will increase your sales conversions since consumers feel more comfortable purchasing in their own language.

If you’re interested in social media translation but are unsure on the best way forward, feel free to get in touch and we’d be more than happy to offer our advice!

How to Make Translation Easy | Everything We’ve Learnt

It’s been over a year since Client Services Manager Lauren and Translation Project Manager Charlotte joined the Web-Translations team, and what a year it’s been!

From exciting new projects to flashy new web designs, there’s little they haven’t done in the last year and of course, they’ve learnt so much! That’s why in this blog post we’re handing the girls the reigns and letting them share their knowledge. So, if you fancy learning some top tips on how to ensure a smooth translation project! This is just the right blog for you!

1. Preparation is Key

Charlotte: The first thing that I think everyone needs to know in order to ensure a smooth translation process is that, no matter how tight a deadline may feel, there is always time to prepare a project properly. What is more it’s vital!

Lauren: Yes! I agree! When the client comes to us with readily finalised content, this saves time in the long run as it means that we can avoid any possible changes further down the line.

Charlotte: It helps everyone really. If your content is clear and concise from the get-go, it means that our linguists will have a better idea of what you want to say from the off! This saves time going back and forth asking questions and it also saves money.

Lauren: Exactly! After all, when you’re paying for translation on a per word rate, you want to make sure that those words are the right ones and aren’t unnecessary.

2. Know Your Audience

Lauren: Another key point to consider to allow for a smooth translation process is the language variant you’re translating into. For example, if you’re wanting to target Canada, then you’d need to use French for Canada instead of French for France.

Charlotte: That’s a really good point and I think it’s also important to know whether you would like your translation to have a formal or an informal tone. Likewise, it’s good to know if you want your translation to be more creative or be more loyal to the source text.

Lauren: In general, the better idea you have of who your audience are, the better tailored your translations will be to achieve your desired aims.

3. Communication – The Hidden Gem

Charlotte: The next point may sound obvious but it’s actually something that can really affect the translation process and that’s communication. Quite simply, if you don’t communicate something to us, then we’re not going to know it!

Lauren: That’s actually a really good point! For example, if you don’t tell us how you’d like us to deliver your translation, then we won’t know how to. On the other hand, if you’re unsure on what file to send us in the first place, just ask! We’re always happy to answer any questions.

4. Understand our Services

Lauren: Although our name suggests that our services end with translation, there’s actually lots more that we offer. For example, don’t forget that our standard translation package actually includes proofreading by a second native linguist.

Charlotte: Yes, and then on top of that we can offer typesetting, in-situ QA checks and so much more! It’s also a good idea to get in touch with us to see if there’s anything else we can help out with. You never know, we might be able to lighten your load ever so slightly.

Lauren: You’d be surprised what we can do!

5. Setbacks are Part of the Process

Charlotte: Our final piece of advice to help ensure a smooth translation process is quite simple: just breathe and everything will be okay!

Lauren: If you follow our advice and clearly outline your text and target audience at the beginning and clearly communicate with us along the way, everything will work out just fine.

Charlotte: And even if setbacks do arise, there is always a solution for everything. For example, if there is a delay at your end in acquiring a file, just let us know and we can easily adapt on our end to accommodate for the new timeframe.

Lauren: Definitely! That’s no problem at all! Likewise, if there are obstacles during the project at our end, we’ll always let you know as soon as possible to mitigate any delays and any unnecessary stress.

Charlotte: Sometimes projects can be quite stressful despite all best efforts! For these situations we highly recommend that you get yourself a furry friend to cuddle up to and take away the chaos for a bit!

Lauren: Pets really are the best work companions 😊

We hope these tips have been useful and they have helped you get a better idea of how to ensure a smooth translation process! Be sure to follow us on social media for all things translation!

Equally, if you fancy reading more of our translation advice, why not check out some of our other blog posts such as our recent article on Website Localisation.

Back-to-School Refresh: Website Localisation Tips

It’s September! Whilst many of us have long said goodbye to our years in education, it can be hard not to get that back-to-school feeling.

Yes, it is ingrained in us that September means fancy new diaries, pretty new stationery, and revolutionising new routines.

Perhaps in your business these changes are reflected with new coffee room snacks, new-fangled team meeting formats or fresh business strategies. Whilst these changes are of course fantastic, we all know that it doesn’t take long to fall back into old habits. That’s why it’s important to get your new strategies right from the off, maximising their impact and ensuring that they require minimal attention further down the line!

At Web-Translations, we wanted to help you start afresh the right way. That’s why over the next few weeks we’re going to share several blog posts full of top tips to implement your new strategies. This week, we’re looking at Website Localisation.

Website Localisation

If you’re a company looking to expand overseas, you’re going to want to speak to your new customers directly. To do this, it will help if you have resources in their language. The most important resource arguably being your website.

This may seem like a no-brainer, but to localise your website isn’t quite as simple as translate all content from A to B.

To reap the most rewards, there are certain things you need to consider and below we have collated a few of these points for you.

Website Localisation Preparation

It is important to consider how your website will be translated before starting the translation process. Translators will require all your content to be ready for processing and they will need any reference material readily available. Before sending your content to be translated therefore you should review it all and ensure that everything reads clearly.

Furthermore, you need to ensure that all content is respectful of the target culture. You should also identify if there are any culturally specific items that you wish to remain unchanged. For example, do you want product names to be translated or would you like these to remain in English?

The better you know your content, the better the translators will be able to do their job. And don’t forget, at the end of the day, well-written and concise content is not only easier to translate, but it’s also cheaper!

SEO and Website Localisation

Another factor to consider when translating your website is how the new localised text will affect your SEO.

If you want to rank well in search engines, then you’ll need to make sure that the translations are done properly.

To do this, you want to ensure that all translations are accurate and that they use the correct terminology. This doesn’t mean that literal, word-for-word translations are the way forward. In fact, it’s actually the opposite. To produce the best content for SEO, translators will need to not merely transfer content, but also research the best performing terms related to that topic in their language. It can be a bit of a fiddly process and it is certainly one that machine translation cannot emulate!

Specific Language

Whilst you can translate your website into any language you wish, it is true that there are certain languages which are better to target than others. This obviously comes down to who your target market demographic is, but it’s important to do some research. Perhaps you could look at what your competitors are up to? Maybe you could study your website analytics and see what parts of the world are already engaging with your site?

Furthermore, it’s not simply sufficient to choose a generic language that you’d like to target. In the same way in which American English differs from British English, French for France is quite different to French for Canada. If you wish to target your desired audience directly then you need to do so in their language. Not only is it respectful, but it shows you care which is likely to build trust and reap greater rewards.

If you need some help deciding which languages to target, please feel free to get in touch. We’re more than happy to be of assistance!

We hope you have found these tips useful! We have of course only scratched the surface though! If you’d like to learn more about website localisation, please get in touch and we’d happily talk to you about your website needs.

To stay up to date with all things Web-Translations and are other Back-to-School Refresh blog posts, be sure to follow us on social media!

Olympic Gold Website Package – Fit for London 2012

Get Fit for London 2012 with the recently launched Olympic Gold Website Package by Web-Translations.

The 2012 London Olympics represents a great sales opportunity. As mentioned in the Getting Fit for the Olympics blog post published last week not everyone is capitalising on this sales opportunity. Do you want to go for Gold in the 2012 London Olympics?

Last year the largest ever campaign by a national tourist board was launched by VisitBritain; the £100 million GREAT Britain You’re Invited campaign. Primarily fronted by five major global celebrities who agreed to film TV ads and help promote Britain overseas.

As VisitBritain’s Mark Di-Toro says, “Now is the time to wave the British flag”. Thanks to the GREAT campaign a global audience of billions will have their eyes firmly set on Britain like never before. Will you be profiting from this interest?

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Getting Fit for the Olympics – Going for Gold

For hotel and tourism businesses, the 2012 Olympics represent a great sales opportunity. Visitors from all over the world will need places to stay, and things to do when they’re not busy at the sporting events.

In last place…

However, with 87% of hospitality businesses saying they have not taken any steps to prepare their business, and a further 63% claiming they do not intend to take any steps nearer the time, are we really ready for the onslaught? Why are businesses not seizing this opportunity to maximise their slice of the action? Why sit back and wait to see what happens, when this could be the opportunity of a lifetime?

As Visit London’s chief executive, Sally Chatterjee, says: “London is the world’s most visited destination by foreign travellers, and one of the most accessible cities in the world.”

It’s estimated that 350,000 foreign visitors will come to London each day during 2012, with around 5.5 million “day visitors” in total between the end of July and mid-August.

If these predicted visitor numbers prove to be accurate, then the UK’s tourism and hospitality sector is woefully unprepared for the influx of foreign tourists who will arrive this year.

Emerging markets such as China, India and Brazil have been identified as key targets, and have therefore been the focus of the international Olympic marketing campaign.

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Visit Web-Translations at Internet Retailing Expo next week

Web-Translations will once again be exhibiting at this year’s Internet Retailing Expo (IRX) at the Birmingham NEC next week, on 21st & 22nd March.

Now in its second year, IRX brings together leading marketing, software and service providers to help multichannel online retailers grow and succeed.

IRX is designed to show etailers the next steps in building their business now that the web has matured, and includes a jam-packed workshop and multiple-track conference programme. With around 5,000 visitors expected over the two-day event, it will no doubt be a great source of new opportunities for exhibitors and delegates alike.
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Localise your website and overtake the competition

It’s a statistic we often repeat on this blog, but the fact is that online customers are four times more likely to buy from a website in their own language, so companies who have multilingual websites soon reap the rewards of the time and resource investment they make in website localisation.

Here’s how localisation of even just a few pages can power your export sales to new heights.

While the internet is a boon to international trade, many companies in English-speaking countries are failing to be forward-thinking by communicating internationally.

Localising websites entails adapting products and materials for a particular market and includes – but is not limited to – translating text into the markets’ relevant languages.

A fully localised website shows shows appreciation and respect towards a foreign culture and conveys that you are interested in your potential customers and their respective cultures. It likewise takes into account conventions and preferences specific to each country such as currencies, measurements and cultural differences.

The benefits of localisation are enormous and include penetrating overseas markets you most want to succeed in, increasing market share – and muscling out the competition. It also ensures you can be found in the most popular search engines in each specified market, country or language.

With English accounting for less than 30% of website content, closely followed by Chinese with 22.6% with ‘other languages’ making up 17.8% – the opportunities for growing your business via localisation are unprecedented.

Reaching out to customers in multiple languages brings both short and long term ‘wins’.  In addition to the immediate boost to sales, a multilingual website is excellent for testing new markets and opening new doors to international trade.

Summary of key tactics to achieve success

Localise your website – just a few pages will demonstrate serious intentions and improve your search engine ranking in the country you are targeting.

Always use a professional translation service – avoid being tempted to use a free machine translation which is not geared for translating marketing copy which has been carefully crafted to stimulate interest and sell to readers.

Focus on core products and services – launching a selection of your bestselling products or services increases your chances of success in a new market.

Conduct multilingual keyword research – pinning down what customers are actually searching for and adapting your website and online advertising accordingly is critical to ensure your site is the one they browse and then buy from.

Measure results – As you would with your UK site. Visitor statistics are invaluable in evaluating your return on investment and deciding where to concentrate further resources.

Are you planning to take advantage of international opportunities by localising your website? Then let’s talk – email sales[at]web-translations[dot]co[dot]uk or call +44 (0) 113 8150460.

Which web content should be localised?

Once you make the important decision to localise your website for a foreign market, and select a provider to deliver the project, your work is not quite yet done. It’s equally important to identify which sections of the website should be included in the localisation project, not least from a budgetary perspective.

We usually advise clients who are embarking on their first localisation to omit the following sections:

– News

– Meet the team, or equivalent

– All blog posts

The reason being that this type of contact can quickly become out of date, unless a strategy is in place to manage multilingual updates.

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