What is in-context website translation and what are its benefits?
If you’ve found yourself asking these questions and ended up here, then you’re in the right place.
Context is highly beneficial in most aspects of life, and the translation is no different. When it comes to website translation, you entrust your source content to translators with no connection to your brand. Here, providing context becomes crucial, especially for a company hoping to break into an international market for the first time.
Let’s begin by defining the problems you can encounter with non-contextual translation. This will help to showcase the benefits when it comes to utilizing in-context translation.
The Challenges of Non-Contextual Translation
The biggest issue with translation is that it often occurs in seclusion from the webpage it will eventually inhabit. Whether in a spreadsheet, a cloud-based repository, or a Translation Management System lacking the CAT Tools that offer in-context solutions.
With no insight into the format and how your translation will engage with other website elements, you’re flying blind. Content that has been: extracted, translated, and then returned in situ can become disconnected from details related to it. Product descriptions, infographics, even just the consistency of the uniform design elements you’ve spent time curating can be detrimentally affected.
When stepping into a new market, can you afford to run the risk of losing brand voice and continuity? Even worse, term-specific accuracy could suffer, and all of a sudden, you have undermined your product.
Will In-Context Translation Solve the Problems?
From the above, you can see the risk of translating content in a sterile environment entirely removed from its source. So what’s the alternative? Well, that’s where in-context translation comes in. The best way to achieve this is with what we call an Overlay Editor.
As the name suggests, this powerful tool allows for your content to be translated in situ. Right on top of your existing source material and original language, taking into account all other page elements.
This way of translating has substantial benefits:
- Enables you to see the whole process of website translation in-context, happening within the borders of your browser window.
- Will automatically add the new edition of the content to the translated version of your website.
- Allows you to edit and change the translation of every component.
Putting it to the test?
If after all of that, you still need convincing, watch the short video below to see it in action.
