The decisions we make when preparing a quote for a website translation are crucial to the final outcome in terms of quality and price of the project. So when a potential client consults us about translating their website, it’s important that we first define the kind of services that will be needed to achieve the desired end result. For example, some companies have web developers who, after all the material has been translated, will load it up to the new website version. Other clients might rely on the translation agency to carry out this important part of the project.
One of the first things that we need to define, then, is whether the translation project will be limited to the “text” content of each page or whether it will also include the site’s startup. If we consider the website in terms of static content, the process is actually simple, since the translation will simply consist in capturing the HTML content of the site and proceed as with any other translation, taking each file as a .pdf or any other publication format. However, this will entail an additional amount of work for the client when uploading it to his domain, and a lot more work whenever he’ll want to add new content or edit the existing one. In general, this would not be the best option.
Another, more complex option, but one that will surely provide better results, is to extend the language capabilities of the website’s management system and do the translation on that enhanced platform. This requires expanding the site’s CMS (content management system) and allow the people responsible for the translation to have access to the original material, i.e., the source. This way, the client does not have to worry about the development of the translated web pages or their functionality, and the translators can implement a final quality control on the live website.
The alternative solution of creating mirrors for the translation of the website in other URLs, whether the client’s or the supplier’s, are frowned upon by Google, which means that there’s little chance that the translated site will be well-positioned in the new language. At Trusted Translations, we offer all the available options so that the translation of any website will be successful. Remember that you can also request a quote that includes integration with WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Media Wiki and other CMS.
To read the original Spanish post go to: “La traducción de sitios web.”
