Content Translation: The Complete Guide

Content drives traffic, traffic drives sales. So far so simple.

Unfortunately, it gets more complicated when you try to translate content for a new market. Worse yet, multiple markets.

But worry not, this comprehensive guide to content translation will help you avoid pitfalls and increase your global presence.

What is content translation?

Content translation is the process of adapting written, visual, or multimedia content—such as blogs, videos, ads, and social posts—into another language and cultural context. The goal is to preserve the content’s intent, resonate with the target audience, and drive engagement, trust, and conversions in new markets.

Why bother with content translation?

If your content is in English, it’s already accessible to many customers worldwide. Why bother with translation?

Global content translation moves your business goals by enticing your audience to read, share, and, eventually, convert.

The key benefits of content translation and localization are:

• Broader audience reach
• Higher engagement
• Higher conversion rates
• Improved brand visibility
• Improved brand trust
• Higher customer loyalty
• Enhanced user experience

Translation approaches

There are three translation approaches: human, machine, and hybrid.

Human translation

This involves skilled translators manually converting the text into the target language.

The advantage of human translation is the ability to accurately convey context, cultural nuances, and subtleties. The downsides are time and cost.

Machine translation

You can use tools like Google Translate and DeepL to automatically convert text from one language to another.

While faster and more cost-effective, machine translation can sometimes lack accuracy, particularly with idiomatic expressions and complex sentences.

Hybrid approach (Machine Translation Post-Editing)

This combines both methods. First, a machine translates the text, and then a human translator reviews and edits the machine's output. Machine translation post-editing balances speed with accuracy.

Most professional content translation is performed using the hybrid approach.

What translation approach to choose?

You don’t necessarily have to choose a single translation approach. They are complementary.

For instance, legal or technical documents often require the precision of human translation, while general informational content may be suitable for machine translation.

What if you need to translate both technical and general content? What if you need to translate your entire digital content?

In this case, opt for the best of both worlds—the hybrid translation approach.
The hybrid approach is the peanut butter and jelly of content translation. Both work well separately, but together, they deliver so much more oomph.

Centus is the perfect example.

Our content is localized using the hybrid approach. First, we bulk translate it using Google Translate, Microsoft Translator, or DeepL. Then, our language experts refine the content in the convenient Centus Editor.

The result?

Well, if our customer feedback is anything to go by, the result is the accurately translated website capturing not just the meaning but also the subtle nuances of each language.

Translation technologies

Translation technologies are software solutions meant to simplify and streamline the translation process.

Computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools

Computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools are specialized software that facilitate the translation process by incorporating various advanced features like:

• Translation memory (TM) stores previously translated segments. When similar or identical phrases appear in new projects, the TM suggests these stored translations. This helps improve consistency and speed.
• Term base is a specialized database that maintains approved translations of key terms, and ensures that specific terminology is used consistently across all translations. It is different from a translation memory because it not only provides the translation in the target language but also the context of the translation. It is more detailed.
• Quality assurance tools automatically review translations for potential errors, such as inconsistencies or missed translations. We’ll explore this further below.

Translation management systems (TMS)

TMS platforms allow you to coordinate large-scale translation projects while automating manual translation tasks. Unlike simple CAT tools, TMSs enable continuous localization workflows, where translations are automatically pushed to code repositories via APIs.

For example, using Centus TMS, you can manage your translation process within an intuitive collaborative environment.

Your team can start by automatically pre-translating your entire content and then editing it to ensure accuracy and consistency. When editing, the team can leverage glossary suggestions and translation memories while sharing screenshots and feedback.

TMSs also come with a host of project management and automation features to eliminate manual effort and keep your project moving.

Content translation process

Here’s how to get started with content translation:

1. Define translation goals and priorities

This step means figuring out what your prospects are looking for. And it also means figuring out what you expect them to do once they find your content.

For instance, your prospect stumbles upon a blog post detailing how to solve their problem. Hopefully, you’re a good host who set up treats around the said post: CTAs, ebooks, and free trial buttons.

Intrigued, the prospect clicks the link—only to discover an untranslated page. They are frustrated; they leave.

Therefore, you should know exactly what you’re translating your content for.

Want more traffic? Translating your blog should suffice.
Want more conversions? Translate product, trial, and pricing pages as well. Marketing content translation also won’t hurt.

To define your translation priorities, start with these broad translation goals:

Identify the most impactful goals for your business. Then, narrow them down using the SMART framework:

2. Research your target market

This step builds on the previous one: after you identify your translation goals, learn your customers' needs.

Essentially, know thyself and know thy customer.

To this end, examine your competitors’ content to see how popular it is among customers. SEO tools, such as Moz or Ahrefs, are invaluable for getting a pulse of your target audience.

Use SEO tools to understand the content and language preferences of your prospects.

Thoroughly analyze the number of visitors in each location, organic keywords, paid keywords, and other SEO metrics. For more information, read our website localization guide.

3. Set and allocate a translation budget

This step is simple to describe—I already did it in the subheader above. If only it were so easy to perform. But, worry not, I’m here to help you guesstimate your content translation budget.

Here are the average translation rates for the world’s most popular language pairs:

Don’t forget to budget for content editing:

📘Relevant reading: Localization costs and rates

4. Assemble a team and organize translations

Now is the time to assemble the team and organize the translation process.

Your team should have:

• Localization manager to manage the translation process
• Freelance or in-house translators to perform translations
• Editors to review and polish translations

If the translated content needs to be published, also add a person responsible for that. It could be either a localization manager or a member of your development team.

With your A-team in place, organize the translation process.

To this end, create a Gantt chart to track who translates what and when it will be done. Then, go full Jackson Pollock with the color coding for clarity.

You’ll also need a project management system to assign tasks and communicate with translators. While good ol’ Jira might do the trick, it’s better to use tools specifically designed for translation management—TMSs. More on it below 👇

5. Use a TMS

I’ve mentioned TMSs several times throughout this article. It’s only because managing content translations without a professional translation tool is a chore. A nightmare. A money drain. Seriously, don’t do it.

A reliable TMS can substantially increase the translation speed while also improving translation accuracy. By simplifying machine translation post-editing, a TMS can also reduce your translation expenses by up to 90%.

Use a TMS that meets your budget and integrates well with your content production and management technology. Use a TMS that your entire team could master without a steep learning curve. Use a TMS like Centus.

With Centus, you have a bird’s-eye view of your entire content translation project:

You can also track the translation project milestones using the notification panel.

And, of course, you can communicate with your translators, editors, and managers without ever having to open your email client. Convenient? You bet!

As you can see, it’s much easier to manage the translation process, with the right tool at hand. Try Centus now!

Content translation mistakes to avoid

Even with the best strategy on paper, you are still bound to run into translation challenges. Here are some of the most common:

• Incomplete content briefing: Make sure to provide your translators with sufficient contest and background information about your brand’s voice, values, target audience, and project goals. It’s easier to avoid misunderstanding than to clean up the mess of inconsistent translation.
• Poor quality control: Never assume your experts provide flawless translations. Always review for accuracy, consistency, and cultural appropriateness before publishing your content translation for the whole world to see.
• Lack of consistency: Allowing different translators to interpret terminology independently leads to variations and inconsistency within the project or across multiple different projects. To avoid inconsistency, use CAT tools with terminology management and translation memory features.
• Lack of cultural nuance: Sometimes even experts might translate content too literally or overlook cultural sensitivities causing, at best, misunderstanding and, at worst, offense to your audience.
• Lack of SEO optimization: Without an SEO strategy, your customers might not find your perfectly translated multilingual website.

Parting thoughts

Properly translated content is accurate and culturally correct. It speaks to the audience in their own language, while leaving no gaps in the original meaning.

Properly translated content has traffic potential and conversion potential. It’s great not only for your audience but also for your business.

Hopefully, my guide has shown you how to set up a proper translation process, helping your content reach its full potential.

Happy translating!