Adding A Language Translator To A Website
Host | 16 June 2005 | Comments Off
Q. How do I add a language translator to my web site?
A. Babel Fish is the most popular web site translator, and is available for free from Alta Vista. It is as easy to install on a web site as “copying & pasting” the code provided into the site’s code. While machine translators will not produce a perfect translation, they will, in most cases, adequately convey the intent of the original. Whether your web site caters to an international audience or a local one, a general rule is to keep sentences as short and simple as possible in order to make them easy to read.
Q. Many of my guests are French. Do you recommend that I create another version of my website in French?
A. There’s no hard-and-fast answer to this question; a number of factors need to be considered. While the Internet is a global medium, many websites are designed for an audience within a specific region. Translating a web site into one or more additional languages is an excellent way to reach new audiences. Another strategy to consider is to localize content. Under this scenario, the website’s underlying content would remain essentially the same, but the localized pages would have information of specific interest to different geographic regions and/or populations. When making the decision about whether or not to have your web site translated, be mindful of the fact that translating web sites means more than just having the web site’s existing content reworded. Translating is an ongoing process and will need to be undertaken each time new content is added, existing content is updated, and time you communicate with and reply to website visitors by e-mail.
Craig Davis – Blizzard Internet Marketing, Inc.
