When is the Best Moment to Start Translating?

December 19, 2014 |

The time has come. You are now thinking of hiring translation services and you wonder whether it is too late or too early to do so. It is a known fact that most people tend to make buying decisions when they can communicate in their mother tongue, so more languages means more potential customers. But when is the best time to take a step forward?

Only a small portion of the text that is out there is already translated to another language. With technology assisting translators as it does today and the size of the translation industry having grown as it has, there are not many barriers holding companies back from having their content translated into more languages. Whether it is a website, an app or a press release, the best time to translate is today.

In the past, translation was not a priority. It was very expensive and time consuming, so it was left for the last moment and there was often a small budget for the task. But the rules of the game have changed and keep changing at a fast pace. Companies have the opportunity and need to reach new markets and communicate efficiently with different audiences.

In the particular case of websites, it is much easier to localize them when designed and update every language when needed. The same happens with apps. One of the main differences is that apps many times have a short lifespan, so it is convenient to translate when they are programmed and launch them in several languages at the same time to make a global impact. If the app has already been launched or the website uploaded, the best thing to do is to translate it before it grows as it will be more complicated and expensive in the future.

Even though it is true that translations can be done faster than before, leaving this task for the last moment can be counterproductive, not only because companies have to pay rush fees to get the job done in less time, but also because many people will not know about a website, app or product just because they are browsing it in a different language. If it is the text of a users manual or information for a conference it is always better and cheaper to make small corrections if the original text changes instead of paying extra for faster work.

Taking into account that new customers will most likely cover the cost of translation and that receiving a quote for translating to one or many languages is free, it is a good idea to request one as soon as possible.

For an overview of our translation expertise, visit our website translation and localization page.

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Category: Business Translation

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