Interview about localization strategy that can reach new customers

Author
Andrea Stanko
Reading in
12 minute

Andrea Stanko, our Head of Translation and Localization, talks to Michal Kráľ who works under the Eshop King (Eshopový kráľ) project.

From your point of view, what is the difference between regular translation and localization?

First of all, it’s important to realize that translation does not equal localization. Translation itself is a transfer of text from one language to another that preserves the meaning of the original text. Translation should not be a purely “mechanical process”. To produce a truly high-quality translation, the translator must have a perfect command of both source and target languages. The translator also has to be familiar with the subject matter of the text. Only then can the translation fulfill its purpose – to communicate the text in another language in such a way that its content is understood naturally and correctly.

Localization is a more complex process and translation is only one of its parts.

Localization takes into account local customs of the target country. The translator therefore must understand the text thoroughly and have an understanding of the culture, legal system, and other specific requirements of the market in question. Localization may even involve changing the brand name or the slogan. The goal of localization is to evoke a “domestic” impression in customers from another country, so that they feel like the text was written by someone from their country.

Localization in general adds a new layer to the translation and takes it to the next level.

Localization leads to a better user experience. The website will look more natural and trustworthy to users. This increases the likelihood that visitors will turn into paying customers and the content will be well-understood.

What is the difference between translations for an e-shop in a “standard” agency and your approach?

The advantage of using our services is definitely the complexity and extensive experience of our translators in the e-commerce segment. Let me break it down:

Each translator focuses on and gains knowledge in certain segments or fields. Some translators are experts in medical translations, some focus on the automotive segment, and as for our translators – they are really skilled experts in the e-commerce segment. They have many years of experience in translations from this area and therefore often have no problem working with complicated file types, as well as marketing texts that tend to require a more creative approach.

The other advantage is complexity.

By guiding the client through the entire expansion and providing services from setting up bank accounts in target countries, through call centers, to reverse logistics, Expandeco is able to beautifully connect all of these aspects in translations and subsequent localization and deliver a complex service to the customer. I’ll give you an example. We were doing a localization check service for a client – let’s call it an audit. This client has already expanded into another country. The translation was done, and the client needed to check that it’s correct and the shopping cart is localized accurately. As part of our service, we produce a report of all the deficiencies from the local customer’s perspective. We check the accuracy of the purchase process, confirmation emails, payment methods, and shipping. We basically create an authentic customer experience and report all of the problematic parts so that the client can immediately fix them and implement changes on their website. A huge advantage of this service is that for the test orders, we can use our own collection points in 18 countries so far. Subsequently, thanks to reverse logistics, we resolve the returns of the goods. This data is extremely valuable to clients, and we have several real-life cases where we have instantly solved the problem of low orders in a specific country, or at least improved the conversion rate on the online entrepreneurs’ websites.

The third huge advantage is our internal system.

All our clients have access to Expandeco Platform. There they have the ability to manage all our services in one place. They can, for instance, assign translations and have an overview of delivery dates, files, costs. E-tailers save a lot of time and energy this way. Our clients especially appreciate the ease of use and clarity compared to the lengthy and messy e-mail communication.

To sum it up in one sentence – Expandeco sincerely listens, perceives the needs of e-shops, and tries to make it practical and easier to do business abroad.

What are the biggest mistakes you have encountered in translations from a UX perspective?

The biggest issue in terms of translation quality at the moment is, of course, machine translation. It naturally affects the customer’s trust in the e-shop. Although, at the same time, it’s a huge trend right now and in a way, I get it. There are big expenses during e-shop expansion and most retailers strive to diversify their budget wisely. To achieve this, e-shop owners try to keep translation costs down, as the prices for machine translations are tempting. On the other hand, it is reflected in the success of the e-shop itself abroad. Up to 76% of customers prefer shopping in their native language. Simply put, the more authentically country-specific your site is, the more credible you will appear.

Can you mention some specific cases?

We had a client who contacted us saying they were expecting a much nigher number of orders in the Netherlands and they need to figure out where the error lies. Our native speaker checked the website translation, processed a test order, and it turned out that the translation itself was of very poor quality. There were expressions in German, which is a straight-up insult to the Dutch and they will simply not buy things from such an e-shop. We put together a report for the client, correcting the deficiencies which the client then eliminated and immediately saw the result.

A great example is the localization check for 6 countries that we carried out for a different client. The differences between individual countries were quite clearly observed in the reports. For instance, the Hungarian translator emphasized the fact that Hungarian customers are very demanding. They read the whole product description in detail and like to have the product photographed from every angle. Whereas customers in England prefer concise descriptions and don’t need many accompanying pictures.

Lastly, what we encounter regularly, are machine translations using the second-person singular to address an individual, even though Czechs customarily use the third-person plural forms. Unless, of course, their corporate culture is set up differently.

By localization we also mean the variety of local payment methods or shipping companies. How can this affect conversion rates?

Significantly. :) I have a specific fresh case in mind. My colleague Filip Minár (Country Manager) told me a few weeks ago about a client of ours who was operating on the Polish market and was not satisfied with the results. Through our analysis, we found that the client doesn’t offer the BLIK payment method, which is a must-have in Poland. The client took our advice and saw the results in no time. There are many such cases.

It's especially important for e-shops to recognize localization as a comprehensive package. It is therefore our goal to also continuously educate e-tailers that translation is far from being the same as localization.

You are also testing the purchase process, including delivery and returns. What are the most common problems?

It depends. The most common are definitely translation errors. Another frequent mistake is that the form with customer contact details is not localized. There are often problems with payments or cancellations in particular.

There are many details to keep in mind. If you have no experience with the specific market, it’s only natural to ask for advice. For example, Romanians don’t use postcodes or variable symbol. They’re also used to an “Open on delivery” service that Romanian shipping companies are happy to offer. Customers can open the package right in front of the delivery person and if they’re not satisfied with the contents, the package is resealed and returned immediately.

What kind of translations do you do for e-commerce projects? What methods and tools do you use?

Naturally, we translate absolutely everything. Most often it’s product feeds and texts for the website, marketing materials – different campaigns, social media posts, blog articles. We use a CAT tool, local partners, and our internal Expandeco Platform system. We don’t neglect system reports, automated e-mails, general terms and conditions, or any other specific elements on the website.

Methods vary on case-to-case basis. As a rule, we always try to adapt to the e-shop’s needs. If the client wants to implement the translation in their web interface, it’s possible. If they send us an xml feed to process, after a thorough analysis we send a quote with different translation options and our recommendations. Thanks to our partners, we can also extend the sales network of online sellers with some of the popular online marketplaces.

How do you approach translations of GTC, GDPR, and other legal requirements?

This issue comes up more frequently and it’s evident that e-shops make sure to have these materials covered in accordance with the legal requirements. We provide the translations of these documents for clients and thanks to our vetted and reliable partner, we can also ensure correct localization, meaning all laws are adapted to the local legislation, or we add to these documents all of the clauses that may not be necessary in Slovakia, for instance.

How do you maintain a unified tone-of-voice so that everything looks consistent in a particular market?

Our CAT tool helps us to do that by allowing us to create dictionaries and glossaries for individual clients. The process we use in creating translations helps as well. For each client’s project, we always try to allocate the same translators, who already know the client, the client’s needs, communication style, and products.

How do you calculate the prices? What if large parts of texts or many expressions are repeated in the translation?

Expandeco’s pricing policy for translations depends on how the translation is processed and carried out. To prepare a quote, there’s at least one prior meeting or call where we discuss the client’s needs and also suggest the most appropriate solutions. Only then will we prepare a personalized quote. In most cases, the price is set per source word. We analyze the text in our CAT tool and evaluate the repetitions. So, we already take the repeated words or phrases into account even before we prepare the quote.

What is the state of automation in the translation industry today? What steps are taken to guarantee top quality?

Nowadays, translation automation is a total trend and essentially a very common practice. It can make it easier and faster for most e-commerce entrepreneurs to enter other markets. It is, however, crucial that such translations pass a check, so-called post-editing by a native speaker. If we are approached by a client with thousands of products, usually we divide them into two groups:

a) Those suited for machine translation.

These are mostly “B- and C-list products” which are not bestsellers. Over time, the client will see how these products fare abroad and then, of course, it’s possible to make additional adjustments to the texts.

b) The second group includes bestsellers and all other types of texts on the website.

We always recommend these to be translated in the regular way with the help of verified professional translators.

We’ve been seeing an incredible boom around AI for almost 2 years now. How does it affect the way you work?

It’s a topic for us as well, naturally, and we try to remain level-headed. We definitely stay alert. With our IT department, we’ve already gone through some truly challenging content testing with several AI tools. We’ve been reviewing the quality of such translation and we’ve got our reports on it. I, however, find there’s much more added value in the text generation in another language and copywriting using AI. As such, I think translation is significantly more automated than some other business areas and fields. At the same time, I realize there lies a huge value in quality localization for e-shops, where human intervention remains a necessity, though. So the way I see it, AI and human translation will not be mutually exclusive in the future either.

What recommendations would you give to e-tailers? About what should they be more careful when it comes to localization?

I’d recommend taking advice from the more experienced. That can save a lot of time, energy, and money in the long run. Regarding localization itself, I recommend finding a quality vendor – a verified native speaker with e-commerce experience who will help with the whole localization process. And don’t forget to make the e-shop seem as authentic as possible for local customers in each market.

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