Everyone knows that customers prefer to have content presented to them in their own language, and if all things are equal, they will choose a company that provides localized content over one that does not.

With increasing world wide internet use, providing local content for global customers can provide your company with a powerful competitive edge. There are several things to consider before you invest time and money converting your online store into other languages. First, you must decide if the benefit of offering multilingual content makes good business sense. For example, are you planning to or already selling overseas, or to foreign language speaking customers within your target customer range? Has your business tested which foreign markets perform best in your type of business and e-commerce sales?

You should consider the following when evaluating your needs:

Decide which foreign language(s) to support. It may be easier to start off supporting a few languages from countries where online shopping and e-commerce are well supported such as German, Spanish and Japanese — – and progress to other markets as your business grows. (Remember that if you support a foreign language, you should also consider supporting the local currency.)

Make sure to keep the translation of the content as close as possible. Don’t make the mistake of oversimplifying your content — it may be easier to downgrade your content to plain language, but if it comes across as condescending or amateurish, you will accomplish exactly the opposite and drive away many customers.

You should also keep in mind that as long as your site is being displayed to your international customers in their own language, they will probably want to communicate with you through e-mail or phone in that language as well. In order to meet these service needs of foreign-speaking customers, consider contracting with a customer service center that employs native speakers, or hire someone to translate the written communications between English and that specific foreign language.
There are companies out there that will handle language localization for small businesses, including dialects and customs. When considering a translating service, be sure to work with a native of the language you’re translating into, and visit other sites translated by the company to evaluate their portfolio.