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Henry Heavisides is a home shopping consultant.
Getting the right tone of translation for a website is really important. It’s very much about setting the feel and style that you want the brand to have. A company selling products to, say, the student market would require very different use of language to one selling technical products in a business-to-business situation.
Lots of companies offer translation services; a quick search on the web will come up with hundreds of them. Have a look through and see which seem to have expertise in your particular niche, as generally if they have worked in your specific area of translation before, they will have a better idea of what you want. Alternatively you may want to work with a local freelance translator who can really get to know your company and the style you want to have. This approach will require a bit more time to find the right person but can be worthwhile if you see a big opportunity in Germany or whichever other market you may look at in the future.
One thing that is really important initially is to “back test” the translation. Find another native speaker of the language and get him to read your translated copy and let you know what kind of tone it has. This could be an additional cost, but it could help you avoid costly mistakes.
I was responsible for launching the Lands’ End catalogue in Germany. It was really important that we worked with a translator who would not just do a literal translation but would also translate the feel of the copy and in effect act more like a copywriter. One important lesson we learnt was that you need more space for copy in German than in English, as German tends to use longer words and more-complex grammar. This affects page design for catalogues if you are using the same page layouts in both countries.
James Johnson-Ferguson is managing director of consultancy Catalogue Services Ltd.
When we launched a British mail order shirt company into Germany, translation was critical. In fact, we know we got it wrong first time out, as the customers who did order told us we’d got it wrong.
You need to find a translation company to take the English into German. This isn’t difficult; there are a few good companies who can do this. Using an adviser who’s been through this process before is certainly worthwhile—and remember that once you’ve got all the contacts you need you can dispense with the adviser’s services forthwith! (We’re being somewhat flippant—but the fact is that the best suppliers and advisers often come via word of mouth, and that’s why the industry association Catalogue Exchange is well worth the annual membership fee.)
You also need to find a German copywriter who is already writing mail order copy, as you don’t simply want a word-for-word translation; you need to sell product off the page, and that’s what the picture combined with the copy and the price do for you. Again, your agency or consultant can help you find the copywriter. This copywriter should be experienced in similar copy to your requirements.
Your customers will tell you if it’s wrong—it probably won’t be perfect to start with. Then speak with your customers and the call handlers and ask them their opinions. You’ll learn a lot at no expense, and you can put this learning into place for your next round of translations.
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