Reach Other Markets With Translated Content: An Interview With Zeph Snapp

Making your content available to international markets and other demographics can help widen your reach. At Pubcon 2016 in Las Vegas, SEJ Chief Social Media Strategist Brent Csutoras sat down with Zeph Snapp of Altura Interactive to talk about using translated content to reach other target markets.

Here Are Some Key Takeaways from the Interview:

• Most of the time, a literal translation of content may work, but not quite as well as you want it to. There are phrases in other languages that don’t translate to the exact meaning, and you’ll have to make some changes along the way. These changes may not capture what you really want to convey.
• This is where transcreation comes in. Transcreation focuses on taking the essence of what you want to say and turning it into something relevant and interesting, but still as close to the original as possible in another language.
• You should think about the personas you’re going after in other languages. This will affect the way you write your copy, the tone, and more. This not only applies to international markets but also to other target demographics within the same location.
• Relying only on Google Translate won’t be enough. The user experience may not be good. Google has said that any automatically translated content they find will be de-indexed. This means you won’t be ranking at all for terms you’re going after if Google detects that your content is automatically translated.
• Here are some steps you can take before translating your content:
  • Do market research. Make sure you have a market for your product in other locations or demographics.
  • Create a style guide.
  • Find a reputable translation company or marketing company that can do the work for you. Make sure they have clean and clear editing processes.

Please visit SEJ’s YouTube page for more video interviews.

For more information about international SEO, explore the following resources:

• Tackling International SEO Challenges: An Interview with Aleyda Solis
• International Search Engines Gaining in the US: SEO For Domestic Audiences
• SEO Without Borders: A Guide to International SEO

Image Credits

Featured Image: Screenshot by Rina Caballar. Taken November 2016.