Should you use auto-translation tools for your articles and website content?
The short answer is no.
Website translation is a very important step for all international marketing strategies, including Asian marketing strategies. When tapping into a new market, it is crucial to meet the customer’s needs and their very first need is for information in their native tongue, whether it be Japanese, Chinese, Thai, etc. And there are a variety of pros that come along with website translation that includes SEO gains, user experience, and trust, but you can read more about that here. However, you should not use Google Translate to auto-translate website content.
Why are auto-translation tools a bad idea?
Have you ever read something translated from another language into your mother tongue? I’m willing to bet that it wasn’t exactly clear, precise, and easy to read.
Google Translate is a great tool, yes, but not for website translation.
Automatic translation tools lack the ability to create a clear and correct translation. Having a poorly written website hurts your site and brand reputation, customer trust, and customer experience. Think about it, for your original website, did you accept a poorly written website with subpar copywriting? No, right?
Then why would you accept it when using another language?
If you have ever stumbled upon an automatically translated website, did you actually purchase anything from them? How did it make you feel? More likely than not, you didn’t purchase anything or have a great impression of the brand. Personally, I have never purchased from a site with a bad translation. Rather, it turns me off to the site completely and I don’t return to the site or the brand. Keep your engagement up and bounce rate down with high-quality website translations and don’t fall into the auto-translation trap.
On the other hand…
That isn’t to say that you can’t use auto-translation tools as a starting point, but it’s not enough. Auto-translations don’t fulfill product explanations. They may say that a product is “good”, but they don’t use the correct translations and phrases that consumers relate and respond to.
Starting there and having someone fluent in the goal language clean it up is sometimes a viable option. But at the end of the day, what quality of website do you want to create? When there are so many options nowadays online, you have to make sure you have an attractive high-quality page because shoppers have so many other options. Put in the work and effort with a superior translation to establish trust with your customers! This is super important in every market, including the Asia market, the fastest-growing market in the world.
Drive results by avoid auto-translation!
Trust and quality are essential when entering the Japanese market, Chinese market, and other APAC markets. If you are creating a digital marketing strategy for Japan or the other Asian markets, create an appealing website that will give your brand a strong entrance. Consider working with Asian marketing specialists. At Mondo Marketing, we have the experience, in-depth knowledge of the Asian Pacific and e-commerce in this region, and a team of native content writers on hand ready to assist your brand.