Website Localization

Make your digital experience multilingual with our website localization services.

Take Your Website Global

Open up new markets and grow internationally with our website localization services.

Lionbridge makes the process of website localization simple, with affordable rates, expert native-speaking translators, and a cutting-edge translation platform. We enable thousands of companies, big and small, to fuel their global growth with cost-effective professional localization services.

Our Website Localization Customers

What is Website Localization?

Localization, sometimes written as L10n, is the process of adapting the language, appearance, and functionality of a website for foreign language markets. The end goal of localization is a website that:

Takes linguistic, cultural, and technical differences into consideration
Doesn’t change the original intent of the source text
Reads and feels like it was originally written in the target language

When performed correctly, website localization results in a website that’s open to millions of potential new customers. As a result, it’s key to the long-term growth of any business.

What’s the Difference between Translation and Localization?

Despite often being used interchangeably, there is a clear difference between website translation and the process of website localization.

Website translation involves converting content into a different language through the simple substitution of words.

Website localization is a more holistic process in which web content is adapted for consumption by a specific audience. This typically involves translation, formatting and usability alterations, and a consideration of particular cultural likes and dislikes. When executed properly, website localization can establish a unique voice for your company that integrates with all of your other content, creating a single, seamless digital experience from sales pitch to support message.

What is a Digital Experience?

A digital experience is an online interaction between you and your client. This includes everything from browsing your website to opening your app or making a purchase through a smart device.

Digital experiences are essential to the modern business. As the world moves online, your customers expect to have unique and compelling interactions with your business wherever they encounter you. If you’re not speaking their language at any point, both literally and figuratively, you’re missing a vital opportunity to connect — and in the worst case, damaging your business in the process.

Localization can help you to build a seamless, engaging digital experience for all of your customers, no matter their location or language. Whether you’re building a website, upgrading your product or expanding your support capabilities, localization can help you to create a coherent, global voice that makes everything you do feel like you.

Why Localize your Website?

Increase Reach and Improve Digital Experiences

Making a good first impression is critical, especially when dealing with international customers. Everyone prefers to read their native language. Localization will help you to catch and keep the attention of new customers in markets across the globe.

Reduce Risk and Establish Credibility

A fully localized website helps establish your brand's credibility in your target markets. Quality multilingual content effectively reduces any customer misunderstandings and misrepresentation of your brand overseas.

Grow your Global Sales

The ultimate goal of website localization is to increase sales. According to "Can't Read, Won't Buy – B2B" from CSA Research (September 2020), 70% of users will not buy software that does not have a local version. As a result, the return on investment for website localization is huge. A solid international strategy with high quality translations can make all the difference to your profit margin.

Global Trends in Internet Usage

To fully understand why website localization is so important for any business, it helps to take a look at exactly how the world uses the internet. Of the 4.6 billion daily users of the internet, for example, only 25 percent are English speakers and over half of all Google searches are in a language other than English. Adding to this diversity, over 500 million people accessed the Internet for the first time in 2021 — with the vast majority of that growth coming in developing countries.

What's more, according to market research studies, 85 percent of Internet users will not purchase a product if they cannot first read about it in their native tongue. 56 percent of people say that localized product information is a more important factor in their decision-making process than price. What's clear is that an exclusive focus on English-speaking customers is limiting for a business.

The Website Localization Process

Phase 1: Project Preparation

Website localization requires meticulous planning. After defining your business needs and target languages, your language service provider (LSP) will work with you to create a detailed plan and workflow that takes your specifications and expectations into account. Typical steps in the project preparation phase involve:

Identification of goals and KPIs, including SEO analysis
Setting up connectors or APIs that bring localization capabilities directly into your CMS
Estimation of word counts, costs, and turnaround times
Term glossary and style guide development
Creation of a company-specific translation memory (TM) to store all translated content

Phase 2: Project Execution

The actual translation stage of a website localization project begins once proper guidelines have been established. In the execution phase, the content is distributed to a group of native speaker translators who are briefed on the particularities of the project. These fully-qualified professional linguists will translate your content according to your instructions and guidelines. Language service providers can help you simplify this process, using connectors that bring translation capabilities directly into your CMS and APIs that allow you to send content for translation with a single click.

Phase 3: Post-Localization Quality Assurance

A second group of reviewers will edit all translated text to ensure that it is contextually and culturally appropriate for its intended audience. Once all translated content has been approved, files should be reviewed and tested. It's essential to conduct linguistic and functional quality assurance prior to launch.

Lionbridge's Website Localization Services

Lionbridge’s localization services make it easy for your business to enter international markets quickly and at scale. Whether you run an e-commerce storefront, travel booking site, or multimedia publishing company, Lionbridge has custom-tailored translation solutions that can quickly and easily localize your content for global markets.

Professional Human Translation

19,000+ qualified translators in over 150 countries working on our sophisticated crowd platform
Fastest turnaround times in the industry: you'll get translations back in hours, not days
High-quality translations across 750 language pairs at competitive market rates

Translation Management System (TMS)

Automate large sections of your translation process
Get a clear overview of all of your content via customizable dashboards and reports
Bundle and manage orders while keeping track of all projects
Partners include: Transifex, Phrase, Memsource and many more

Localization Project Management

End-to-end translation project management which guarantees that every aspect of your project is completed efficiently and accurately
Work with experienced project managers who will ensure your project is delivered on time and according to your expectations
Use custom timelines, translator teams and website localization tools

Integrations

Connect your app directly to Lionbridge via the translation API and order translations without needing to use our order form
Use our suite of connectors to automate translation orders of any size
Build out a supported integration with your CMS or use our Universal File Connector to quickly send content for translation

Website Localization Pricing

Lionbridge can provide localization services into all major world languages. Whether you're looking to enter the ever-expanding Chinese market, the emerging markets of South America, or the established markets of Europe, our network of expert translators are here to help, every step of the way.

Choose your quality level to match your website's localization needs. All our translators at every level have been pre-tested to ensure high-quality translations.

Case Studies

Amara

"We placed that first test API order and it came back in seconds. It's such a great feeling to see how easy the process of getting the site translated has become with Lionbridge."

Head of International Expansion, Amara

Eventbrite

"I've always been able to rely on getting human quality translations back within the hour, without the hassle of lengthy contracts or paperwork. It's easy, quick, and reliable. That's the magic of Lionbridge."

Patrick McLoughlin, Eventbrite

Vestiaire Collective

"Lionbridge's world-beating prices and flexibility through their API seemed to be the only solution for us. Without Lionbridge we could not have launched the UK website this way."

Co-founder, Vestiaire Collective

Which parts of my website can I localize?

Localizing a website can extend far beyond just translating the text on your pages. It can encompass changes to the code that supports your site, as well as the design, layout, and choice of images on each page. Even the structure of your website and your choice of CMS or widgets can play a critical role in ensuring that every element on the page is in your target language. You should consider all the above if you want to build a site that is both resilient in multiple languages and better suited to user preferences in each market you serve.

Which multilingual URL structure should I use?

There are three common approaches to multilingual URL structure: Country-code Top-level Domain (www.yoursite.es), subdomain (es.yoursite.com), and subdirectory (www.yoursite.com/es/). The most common is the subdirectory approach, but each has pros and cons for your website. For a more detailed look at URL structure, read our blog post on choosing a multlingual URL.

Does the quality of localized content matter?

When you're localizing a website, it's tempting to neglect quality in favor of the quick and easy option. However, this approach can have a massive impact on your website's performance. Low-quality content will result in higher bounce rates, lower click-through rates, and even SEO penalties. Take the time to set up a localization workflow that focuses on quality. It will pay dividends. If you don't know where to begin, set up a consultation with one of our account managers to explore how we can make localization work for you.

How can I start localizing my website?

In the early stages of a localization project, it's important to figure out the scope of your localization efforts. Translating a few important blog articles is a very different undertaking to releasing an ecommerce website in a new language. Once you know which elements of the site you want to localize and what internal resources you have, talk to a localization service provider (LSP) to see how they can assist you. Localization providers can help you to maintain a high level of quality, stay on track with deadlines, and make the most out of your budget.

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