If your company is expanding into new markets, it’s mission-critical to translate your website so it is available for potential new customers in their preferred languages. 传统的网站翻译无疑能够激发这些客户的兴趣，然而为了建立能够实现转化率的真实联系，您需要同时进行翻译和本地化。

What is the Difference Between Translation and Localization?

“翻译”与“本地化”是经常被互换使用的两个术语。这两项概念的功能旨在利用您的网站内容，以及最终您的产品、业务或服务来与潜在的客户进行联系和交流。Think of website localization as the umbrella term under which translation is part of a greater whole. 准确的翻译固然至关重要，但我们还需要考虑其他的要素。如果无论是实际上还是象征意义上，您都“说”不出您的受众的语言，那么您如何能够成功地与他们沟通？

While translation and localization offer similar functionalities , there are essential differences between them. 了解这些术语、过程和服务的不同之处将能让您以更高效、更具盈利能力的方式拓展您的网站影响力。需要对这两项概念进行定义，才能了解如何区分网站翻译和本地化服务。

The concept of 网站翻译 is very straightforward. 网站翻译是一个将网站内容从源语言（通常逐字）改编为其他语言，以便海外客户访问和使用的过程。对网站而言，这意味着翻译项目仅仅是以其他语言的字句准确替换网站上的现有内容。翻译内容将体现源内容的风格和语调，但不会考虑其语境。

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Website localization services go beyond a word-for-word translation experience. 这涉及通过文化、语言和思绪来精炼网站内容，从而为用户提供最有价值和最相关的体验。本地化将目标地区或国家使用的语种方言考虑在内，以便让所有的网站内容元素适应当地或区域的消费需求。本地化方法对语言和网站元素进行修改，以迎合目标客户的语言和文化偏好。

在决定如何开发多语言网站时，必须考虑以下几项网站本地化要素：

Language and regionalism allow content to speak closely to the target audience. 譬如，假设某些惯用语或理念是您希望开展业务的国家或地区所特有的。在此情况下，重点在于让客户知道您了解他们是谁，以及他们为什么应该积极参与您的业务。

Ease of navigation means users can immediately find the website content in their language and begin interacting with the website seamlessly.

文化要素 enhance the user experience and create a feeling of closeness with the target audience. 文化内容的一些示例包括：

颜色、形状、尺寸和风格

图像、图标和图形

社会规范，如幽默、礼仪和符号

社会价值观、人际关系和信仰

交易要素 include functional content that customers rely on to navigate a website, understand products and services, and ultimately, do business on a website, including:

日期和时间格式、电话号码以及联系信息

重量、测量和地理参考

语言和语言内容、产品描述及评论

Communication elements that build trust and help the customer understand that they are valued:

本地客户服务信息

由此可见，虽然翻译是本地化的一方面，但本地化也可以被视为翻译的一个基础方面。Therefore, the two concepts are important for multilingual website development, both as standalone concepts 或 working together. Similarly, transcreation combines the two concepts to function as a strategy that is slightly more involved.

What is Transcreation?

Transcreation is a type of creative translation that involves adapting a message from one language to another while maintaining its tone, style, and context, and ensuring that the meaning of the original message is not lost in translation. The goal of transcreation is to recreate the message in the target language in a way that resonates with the target audience and culture and is relevant and effective in the target market. It is commonly used in advertising, marketing, and branding to adapt campaigns and slogans to different cultures and languages. Unlike traditional translation, transcreation often involves more freedom in the creative process and may involve cultural research and adaptation of the original message to ensure that it is culturally appropriate and relevant.

Transcreation is particularly important in advertising, marketing, and branding, where a catchy slogan or campaign can make or break a product's success in a particular market. In these fields, a poorly translated message can not only be ineffective but can also damage a company's brand reputation. Transcreation, on the other hand, can help to create a campaign that resonates with the target audience, strengthens the brand's image, and increases sales.

Why is Website Translation Important?

任何曾经出国旅行的人都知道使用当地语言中“最热门”的惯用语进行交流的价值，例如“请”、“谢谢”、“多少”以及类似的常见短语。如果语言不流利，就无法在关键时刻与人进行交流，您也很快会因此而感到沮丧。

与您的公司在网站上开展互动时，您的客户也面临着类似的挑战。他们需要网站“使用他们的语言”，以便轻松理解您想要传达的内容。不能让客户感到沮丧或困惑。如果出现摩擦，他们往往会离开您的网站，从而无法实现转化。Websites presented in local languages yield better market responses than those that aren't. According to a recent Common Sense Advisory review study, nearly 73% of customers prefer to purchase a product or service from a site that provides information in their own language, and 56% of consumers said the ability to obtain information in their own language is more important than price.

So, why should you localize your website ? In a nutshell, while translation is vital, it will only get you so far.

您不能让您的全球客户在访问您的网站时遭遇任何障碍。如果遇到摩擦，他们就会离开您的网站。

​​​​​​​尽管使用Google Translate等机器翻译软件也能将您的网站内容转化为其他语言，但在可能的情况下采用人工翻译是公认的最佳做法。相比计算机辅助的翻译系统，人工在翻译和编辑方面的效率更高，可确保语言的准确性和差异性。

Machine translation software like Google Translate has its advantages - it's easy to utilize and maintain and can translate less critical website content at a less expensive cost. 需要牢记的是，机器翻译软件不具备有关语言的诠释或文化知识。它可以逐字翻译内容，但无法将语境考虑在内。An additional disadvantage of Google Translate is that while machine translation focuses on swapping out words and language on a website, it doesn’t create searchable, indexable versions of those translated pages, which is important from an SEO standpoint.

Localization Increases Engagement

Website localization goes beyond the word-for-word linguistic conversion of conventional translation and instead uses words and phrases that resonate within specific markets.

不具有地区性的翻译非常有效，但本地化对于许多多语言客户而言往往更具说服力。

​​​​​​​举例而言，思考一下“trousers”和“slacks”的区别。这两个词的意思相同，但一个是英语，另一个是美语。

像英语和美语之间的这些细微差别往往难于在译文中加以体现。Word-for-word translation cannot account for nuances in cultural differences and local preferences. 如果您以当地特有的语言与客户进行交流，那么您的品牌被充分理解和接受的可能性就更高。

But website localization can go beyond word choice. 精明的营销人员通常会对多语言网站进行定制，以凸显出特殊节日、庆祝活动或习俗。这展示了对当地市场文化的熟悉程度，从而快速赢得客户的信任。

本地化的其他实例包括在特定市场举办特别促销活动，或者通过有助于建立信赖关系的信息在新的市场树立起信誉。

In the early days of serving a multilingual market, it was not uncommon for a company to be greeted with local skepticism. 当地客户往往会怀疑企业对该市场及其需求的投入程度。如果品牌使用了本地化内容，看起来就不像是投机取巧，而是真实可信。

Localization Considers Format

If you translate your content without considering the nuances of your chosen language, your website, app, or marketing content may present differently. Website localization includes things like layout adjustment, reading technique, and word count. For instance, certain romance languages like French and Spanish need about 30% more words than English to get the same message across. Conversely, Finnish actually requires 30-40% fewer words. Website translation only deals with the language, but localization makes sure copy looks right.

Translation vs. Localization: What’s Best for Your Website?

At this point you're probably asking yourself: should I invest in translation or localization for my website? Both options differ on a strategic level, so the answer may not be black and white. 对于特定的市场，简单的翻译可能适用于某些类型的内容。对于高度情绪化的创造性营销内容则通常必须采用本地化方式，以便能够在整个地区产生清晰的共鸣。

网站通常包含多种内容类型，从营销文案到法律和技术信息，以及用户生成的论坛内容。出于效率和成本原因，请考虑哪些类型的内容需要本地化，还有哪些内容只需简单的翻译。您可能会发现，翻译和本地化的组合可以强调您想要传达给目标受众的内容，并添加您在更加个性化的层面上与他们沟通所需的品味。

翻译本身可以帮助应对许多人使用相同母语的情况，即使他们可能来自不同的国家。广义的翻译可以让读者掌握信息，无论他们来自何处。在美国，这种现象常见于使用同一种语言（如西班牙语）的人群。虽然美国有来自世界各地的西班牙语使用者，但他们受到不同的文化差异、惯用语和方言的影响。在此情况下，精心撰写的广义译文会有意识地避免使用来自任何特定国家的区域性惯用语或词汇，并在本地化的美国市场中对更为广阔的西班牙语市场予以认同。

仅进行翻译是成本较低的选项。某些网页或翻译任务的重要性未达到需要进行人工翻译的程度。MotionPoint可能对某一页面使用机器翻译，而对其他更加重要的页面使用人工翻译。本地化可以创造更大的凝聚力，但成本更高。Localization also requires content verbiage translation upkeep and considers web design as well. 这可能包括根据原始网站与目标语言及文化之间的差异来修改图像或开发全新的网页。

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When Do You Need Website Localization?

Localization would benefit you most if:

You offer a digital service or product that you want to expand into new markets

Your product often requires updates that need to be shared in different languages quickly and efficiently

Your target audience’s language requires diverse formatting

You want to cater equally to all your customers, domestic and international

You have a dedicated customer call center in multiple languages

Laws and regulations require you to translate content

You have a low barrier of entry to expand into international markets

网站翻译和本地化示例

MotionPoint对业务需求进行审视，并可以提供网站翻译或本地化定制服务（或者更常见的是两者的结合）。以下是几个个案研究，它们突出展示了需求如何促使企业决定将一个网站发展成为强大的多语言网站，以满足客户需求并助力业务增长。

MotionPoint Success Stories

Localizing for Manufacturers

玛斯特锁 , a leading U.S. manufacturer of retail and commercial security and safety products, needed both website translation and localization when they began expanding globally. 本地化网站为玛斯特锁提供了真正的战略价值。经销商和销售团队利用玛斯特锁的网站为区域客户收集产品信息，同时客户也可以访问玛斯特锁的完整在线产品和服务信息。 此外，玛斯特锁的网站会根据新产品或细分市场在推出时所做的频繁更新进行定期更改，因此准确的翻译对于其业务至关重要。 到目前为止，玛斯特锁已经拥有了采用简体中文、荷兰语、法语、德语、意大利语、日语、葡萄牙语和西班牙语支持的翻译和本地化网站。

Why Banks Need Website Translation

Rio Bank is a community bank with branches throughout the heart of Southern Texas, many of them near the Mexican border. 业务在持续增长，但Rio Bank发现，他们没有获得足够的客户反馈，而客户反馈对营销和客户服务来说十分重要。在使用西班牙语进行客户调查时，反馈急剧增加，Rio Bank很快意识到，他们需要更好地与其西班牙语客户沟通。为此，Rio Bank委托MotionPoint翻译其网站，并为所有客户创造沉浸式的双语体验。对其网站的翻译瞬即提升了客户满意度，其中90%以上的客户使用西班牙语。

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您所需的解决方案触手可得

如果您在考虑面向不同的市场对您的公司网站进行翻译和/或本地化的方式，您选择的解决方案必须能提供准确、地道的译文以及有助于提高参与度的本地化服务。您在全球市场的成功取决于您以客户的当地语言进行沟通的地道程度。如果您忽视这一差异，您就会错过为多语言客户优化网页内容的有效方法。

MotionPoint了解，在多语言网站上发布与市场相关的本地化内容实际上更具挑战性。这需要用于定制网站代码的强大技术，从而向适当的客户显示适当的本地化内容。这需要能够轻松发布、追踪和更新定制化内容的翻译管理技术。此外，熟悉当地语言、文化和习俗的一流译员也必不可少。MotionPoint可以与您的企业合作，共同寻求您希望在全球任何地区开展业务所需的解决方案。

最后更新日期：2023年4月19日