Should you seek website translation services ─ whether you’re a provider of digital products, a travel and tourism agency, an e-commerce portal, or even a small business? And why should you do it?
These are some of the questions that really matter on the present-day global business scene. But they naturally lead us to another thought-provoking question, which every business owner should ask: Should we speak the languages of our different target audiences or just adopt a one-size-fits-all approach?
To answer the questions on a global scale, let’s admit at first that if your website is written in the world’s first language, namely English, it won’t reach out to 74% of internet users in the world. Your business will miss out on speakers of such widely spoken languages like French, Arabic and Chinese. Are we speaking about 6-digit and 9-digit numbers? Huge opportunities lost; aren’t they?
To cut a long story short, since the web is bringing our world together, there’s no denying that business owners, across all industries, who want to do business on the internet should seriously consider translating their websites into more than one language.
Multilingual South Africa
To do good business in such a multilingual nation as South Africa, a successful company should by no means restrict itself to addressing English-speaking South Africans only. But why?
South Africa is a country which has 11 official languages: Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sotho, Swazi, Tswana, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu. Most South Africans (over 99%) speak one of these languages as a first language. Significantly, IsiZulu and isiXhosa are the largest languages, while English is spoken at home by only one in 10 people.
Depending on the figures provided by the National Statistical Service of South Africa (StatSA) , let’s take a glance at the widely spoken languages in South Africa:
- Nationwide, around one quarter (25,3%) of people speak isiZulu at home, while 14.8% of individuals speak isiXhosa, and 12.2% speak Afrikaans.
- 8.1% of people speak English at home, making it the sixth most common home language in the country.
- English ranks second as the most commonly spoken language outside the household (16.6%), with isiZulu (25.1%) leading, and IsiXhosa (12.8%) ranking third.
- Except for isiZulu and Setswana, the use of most languages outside the household is falling off.
What Businesses Need Professional Website Translation Services?
Even though this generally applies to almost all companies who desire to extend their global footprint, some types of businesses are more in need of, and will considerably profit from, having their websites translated, and hence they need website translation services from a professional website translation company. They include:
1- Travel & Tourism companies
A globally successful travel and tourism website normally secures a place on the all-time top list for sites that use professional website translation services, as it aims to make all information about it accessible to travelers in various territories ─ speaking to them in their own mother tongues. That is especially true for a wide range of travel and tourism service suppliers ─ from hotels, transportation services providers, to tour and event organizers, along with the businesses that indirectly cater to tourists such as hospitals and government agencies.
2- E-commerce
Conventional wisdom has it that price is always the king. Yet, recent surveys have shown that 60% of online buyers regard getting information about the product or service in their own mother tongue as more important than the king!
What’s more, though it’s great to have an e-commerce site in English, which is one of the global languages, millions (or billions in China!) of prospects will not click the “buy” button, simply because they don’t understand English as clearly as Brad Pitt. Should they?!
3- Small Businesses
Yes, they do! No doubt that small business owners, who usually focus on cost, will not be happy about the extra expenses of website translation services. Yet, when it comes to small businesses who need to cater to a multi-ethnic consumer base, the size of the company doesn’t matter, simply because customers are speaking different languages. So, thanks to professional website translation services, it might be possible for small businesses to compete with the sharks ─ the businesses that are bigger in size and capital.
4- Companies That Offer Digital Products
Things are relatively easier for this type of business. Unlike businesses that deal in tangible products ─ who should always put into consideration such costs as shipping, branch openings and storage facilities ─ companies who sell digital products only need to partner with the suitable providers of website translation services, who will professionally localize their offerings and thus help them to sell to anyone, anywhere across the world.
5- The Legal Industry
When it comes to law firms, the situation assumes a new shape, because all the people involved in the legal industry (who is not?!) need to fully understand the language in which laws and regulations are written. So, partnering with the right provider of professional website translation services will help these firms to safeguard the legal rights of the people who speak different languages.
Why AfroLingo Is Your Choice?
In a nutshell, the power of translation services is so great that it is now considered not only an essential marketing strategy, but also a vital element of customer service, as it contributes to building trust for both the corporate brand and the company’s various products.
So, why do major clients, both in Africa and worldwide, choose AfroLingo?
In reply to the question, AfroLingo’s previous customers are listing the following reasons among many others:
- AfroLingo has hand-selected a team comprised mainly of the most experienced and qualified translators on the African continent, who are dedicated to providing you with reliable and consistent website translation services from and into almost every major language all across Africa.
- From a simple landing page to thousands of pages of copy, we provide detailed and flawless website localization services that make your website local for every and each region across the African continent and also help you get closer to customers’ languages and cultures.
To gain an inimitable advantage over all competitors by using AfroLingo’s website translation and localization services, which result in increased site traffic and hence increased sales, don’t hesitate to contact us today.