WHY IS TRANSLATION IMPORTANT IN USER EXPERIENCE?
Localization a key element for the successful interaction between people and apps/software in global markets.
When choosing a particular channel, platform or app to promote your products and services to people who speak another language, user experience (UX) is vital, for it encompasses the effects of the end-user's interaction with a specific product, software or app.
Imperceptible as it might seem, translation has a big impact on UX. Hence the importance of professional translators working interdisciplinary, joining efforts with programmers and designers, complementing their linguistic skills with several developer tools.
Getting it right
Localization involves adapting content, such as text, images, audio and/or videos, to the target market and audience. It is one step beyond translation. All text starts with translation, but this translation needs to be adapted to the culture of the target audience.
Of course, the more languages a certain product or service is available in, the greater global reach it will have. Similarly, the more customers understand the message, the more satisfaction they will derive from interacting with your product. In fact, all of us seek a user-friendly, easy to use app/software. Given this, it becomes clear that language is a key element of human interaction.
It’s a proven fact that people build stronger bonds with companies, products and brands when they convey proximity. For this reason, when expanding the scope of a product or service, translation should be as close as possible to the target users’ country or region.
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UX design and translation
When a website or app is localized, it might impact design. Therefore, it is ideal for translation professionals to join efforts with developers and designers as early as possible in the process.
For example, a slight difference in the number of words and characters required to render the same message in another language is likely to have a substantial impact on the product interface. Other variables that could affect the design of a translated text are: units of measurement, date formats, numbers, and prices and currency.
Many translation professionals have complemented their professional training with developer tools to perform on-site testing of the texts/words to be translated. Some of the challenges posed are one-word strings – these might work well in source language but there is no equivalent one-word translation for the target language.
Moreover, to ensure better user experience of translated versions, the testing process becomes an integral part of the localization process.
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International SEO
International search engine optimization is a set of strategies used to optimize the position of a website / blog so that search engines can easily identify which countries a business or which languages are being targeted in a market.
In the last decade, website classification algorithms have evolved, and user experience has become fundamental when evaluating a webpage. With this in mind, good UX development can only boost search results, optimizing its positioning.
