When you think you have designed a fantastic mobile app that will quickly go viral, when you have prepared a whole press kit and everything is ready for launch, but when the big day arrives nothing goes to plan, it is time to think about what might have gone wrong. When such tools and products are limited to one language and therefore to a small proportion of the global market, it makes sense that the ROI will also be quite small. Professional translation can really help to avoid situations like that. Do you know what two things should always be translated by a professional? Pay attention to this post!
Translating video games
The big names in the video game industry spent huge amounts of time and money on adapting, translating, localising and recording games and on audiovisual integration, along with testing video games in various language markets. The localisation of video games is essential if they are to be a success. Why? Because an authentic gaming experience is half of the appeal for the players. When a video game is poorly localised in another language, the gaming experience is much worse.
Translating websites
The main purpose of your website may be to inform, send out a call to action or sell products and services, but all of these are more effective when the audience is widened beyond a single language. These websites are an excellent example of professional translations:
Coca-Cola.com: the regional website for North America is also offered in Spanish and Canadian French, in addition to English, and for all other regions the website is available in almost all the major and minor languages around the world.
Nike.com: is offered in at least 14 languages on the homepage. The global branding on the website is also fantastic. For starters, the website is very attractive.
Volkswagen.com: the homepage is also in US English. You can switch between English and German. In addition, from there, there is a drop-down menu offering the localisation and translation of the website by country/language. They do not simply stop at content, but also include a translation and localisation of maps and listings, guides, etc.
Using a professional translation service is always recommended if you want to reach audiences that speak a foreign language and this also makes it more likely that a product or service will succeed.
