Translating Product Descriptions

What are the challenges of product description translation?

Translating product descriptions presents several challenges, including

Managing large translation projects 

Product translation is a task that needs careful management, expertise, and time for accuracy. However, managing the process can be challenging for big e-commerce or enterprise businesses with thousands of products. Firstly, you must translate the product, proofread, revise, and ensure it aligns culturally. Missing any of these steps can create significant market issues and losses. 

At Translayte, we use a combination of technology and human translators to manage large projects without compromising quality. Our hybrid approach ensures that you can focus on other activities, enjoy competitive translation rates, and on-time delivery.

Maintaining SEO keywords 

If you use your product description translation for e-commerce platforms, ranking for relevant keywords is a major consideration. However, most keywords in English might not translate literally in other languages. That means similar products might have different keywords in English and German. You must also research and ensure the right keywords are used for the German version. Doing this ensures your product maintains its ranking and follows SEO best practices across different markets. 

Persuasive impact 

A tagline, heading, or call to action that evokes strong emotions in one language may lose its power in another. This is often because most languages don't have a direct or literal equivalent for certain words or phrases. So, you must use the right language alternative to deliver the same persuasion and conversion.

Formatting differences

Some languages (e.g., German) tend to be longer than English, while others (e.g., Chinese) are shorter. This affects packaging, website layouts, and product listings. It will also make sticking with a specific format and design across different languages a challenge. You have to use a template or format that allows you to translate product descriptions across multiple languages without messing up the user experience. 

Maintaining brand voice

Translating while keeping the brand's tone consistent across languages is difficult.

This is because of language nuances, cultural differences, and local consumer expectations, which can alter how a message is perceived. For example, a playful or luxury-focused brand voice may not have direct equivalents in another language. Additionally, translating product descriptions into other languages might have a more formal tone than the playful one in the original English version. 

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How to overcome these challenges of product description translation

Translating product descriptions effectively can be challenging, especially for large projects. Here are some ways to overcome those challenges:

Use transcreation instead of literal translation

Transcreation creatively adapts content to fit the cultural and emotional context of the target market. This approach ensures that brand voice, humour, and persuasive elements remain intact. It also makes descriptions more engaging for local audiences.

Use style guides to maintain brand consistency

Creating a style guide for translators helps maintain a uniform brand tone and voice across languages. This should include:

• Preferred terminology and key phrases
• Tone (e.g., casual, luxury, professional)
• Formatting guidelines (e.g., units of measurement, date formats)

You can also adopt Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) tools to ensure consistency in terminology across different product pages.

Optimise for SEO in different languages

Product descriptions should be optimised for local search engines. You can achieve this by researching the product keywords in different languages. This allows you to use the local keywords in the product description instead of the direct translation. Translayte e-commerce translation services ensure that product descriptions are translated accurately and optimised for search engines in different languages.

Adapt to cultural preferences and expectations

Certain words or expressions may not have the same impact in different cultures. Adjust tone, messaging, and product benefits to align with local consumer behaviour. For example, a beauty product that highlights "bold and daring" colours in the UK may emphasise "elegance and sophistication" in Japan, where beauty standards differ. Always research alternative and equivalent words to ensure you capture cultural meaning effectively. 

Additionally, currency, symbols, and other measurement elements should be translated to meet customer expectations. For example, translation from English to Spanish should have € instead of $ for pricing. This eliminates the challenge of currency conversion and improves customer experience. 

Work with a professional translation company 

Using professional translation services allows you to access native speakers of the target language. This step ensures that product translation is accurate and culturally relevant. They can also refine phrasing to avoid awkward or misleading translations that could confuse customers.

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How to get a product description translation

You can use AI tools, human translators, or a combination to get your product descriptions translated:  

Automated translation tools

You can use AI tools like Google Translate, DeepL, Weglot, and others to get product translations. These tools offer fast and easy automatic translation for product descriptions. However, it has limitations like maintaining cultural relevance and brand style across multiple languages 

Hire a professional translation company

If you want higher accuracy and cultural relevance, you should hire professional translators or a translation company. Unlike machine translation, human translators can integrate tone, cultural nuances, and other elements for accuracy. They also have experience translating product descriptions for multiple markets, which helps them deliver quality translations. Whether you need a basic translation description or a fully localised version, You can use Translayte's professional and certified translation services for accurate, reliable, and on-time product translation. Here's how 

• Navigate to 'Check Prices & Place Order' on this page.
• Select the source and target languages, respectively.
• Upload the product description you need to be translated.
• If you want expedited services, select that option. Provide any extra instructions after this.
• Click "PROCEED TO ORDER"
• Make the payment securely online. 

Once your payment is processed, we will assign your product description translation to a team, and you will receive a translated version within the stipulated time. 

Hybrid method

Combining AI-powered translation with manual review can balance speed and quality. When using this option, machine translation is the first step, allowing you to translate bulk product descriptions quickly. You can then distribute this translated product description to translators for proofreading and updating to align with tone, style, and culture. This method ensures that translations maintain accuracy while being cost-effective. 

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The benefits of translating product descriptions

1. More people can understand and buy your products.  
2. Customers are more likely to purchase when they understand the product.  
3. Accurate translations make your brand look professional and increase trust.
4. Translated descriptions help your website rank in global and local searches.  
5. Clear descriptions prevent misunderstandings about the product.  
6. Customers appreciate brands that speak their language, which builds brand loyalty.
7. You can sell in more markets than competitors who don't translate.  
8. Fewer language barriers mean fewer customer questions. This allows customer support to focus on delivering quality experience on more critical queries. 

Conclusion

Translating product descriptions helps businesses reach more customers, increase sales, and build trust. However, it can also have challenges, like maintaining brand voice and cultural differences. Investing in hiring a professional translation company or using a combination of human translators and AI tools can help you overcome these challenges. At Translayte, we deliver high-quality product translation that gives businesses a strong advantage in global markets.

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