Why eCommerce Localization Matters

Now comes the tricky part – storytelling. At Pangea Global, we believe that a story told in the right way is the best story. Here are a few eCommerce content localization tips any e-shopping platform owner should know:

●Localized SEO. Global audiences naturally search for content available in their language. Most importantly, search engines rank content that matches the search language higher than content in foreign languages. Saying that, before making any attempt to go local, make sure your website is translated in the language spoken by your target market/audience. Also, localized keywords should observe local buying behaviours in mind. Verbatim translation doesn’t help.

●Transcreation. Translating any branded material word-for-word doesn’t work. Always think of your audience. If your brand identity allows you to be more playful and fun, then go for it. Use idioms and catchy phrases that are specific to and make sense in the language spoken by your target market to avoid sounding hilarious. Working closely with a translation agency like Pangea Global always helps you avoid this pitfall and conquer new markets with flying colours. Our linguists are all native speakers of the languages they translate into and eCommerce experts with a deep understanding of local buying habits. Additionally, we also use the latest-generation translation tools that give us the ability and agility to turn your content around fast without compromising on quality or cultural identity.

● Unicode. Make sure your eCommerce site supports Unicode – the standard providing a unique code for each character, irrespective of the type of platform, device, or language. Unicode will allow your content to be displayed correctly in any language, regardless of the alphabet used (i.e., Japanese, Chinese, Hindi, Hebrew, Arabic, etc.)

● Be generous with your call-to-action space. Translating your calls to action is perhaps one of the most challenging tasks in eCommerce localization. For example, “Buy now” is the most commonly used call to action in eCommerce. When translated into French, for example, “Acheter maintenant”, its length almost doubles. The same applies to English to Spanish CTA translation. The frequently used “Buy now, pay later” becomes “Compra ahora y paga después” in Spanish. Therefore, it’s always best to allocate more space for your calls to action in other languages than English.

● Language script. Not all languages use left-to-right script. Arabic and Hebrew are read from right to left. Paying attention to any particular script and text orientation on your web page when localizing your eCommerce content to these languages is vital.

Employing over 540 linguists across the world, Pangea Global can help you make your mark across these markets as well.

● Colour awareness. When localizing your platform, it is worth paying attention to colours. Not all countries across the globe perceive colours the same way we do. For example, green is a forbidden colour in Indonesia, just like red is considered offensive in some African countries. If you would like to find out more about colours and how they are perceived by different peoples worldwide, we invite you to read one of our previous blogs, all about colours and their cross-cultural symbolism.

Stay tuned for more localization do’s, don’ts and other stories. If you liked this article, feel free to share it with your network, we won’t mind.