Deciding to translate your site's content adds a whole new layer of time and complexity to your development project plan. It is very tempting to look for quick shortcuts as time lines shrink and launch day approaches. This is where having a clear, approved, well-defined process helps. Two important steps to add to your translated content development process are creating a master glossary and using internal people to review translated content,

The Master Glossary

Every business has certain words and phrases that are used over and over again in all kinds of copy. Product names, slogans, product categories, product attributes, etc. all need to be translated exactly the same way, every time, for every project - forever. The best way to make sure this happens is to identify these words and phrases ahead of time, have them translated by someone who knows your business, and document this translation. Now whenever you have a new translation job to be sent out, send this document along with instructions to always use the included translations. Consistency is the sign of a professional brand.

Translation Reviews

If you send your content out to external vendors for translation, this step is essential. Translation vendors hire contractors to do the work as it arises. There is no guaranty that the same person will be translating your content a month from now, or even all of the content in your current process. So the translators have no context of what your business is all about. They don't know what special industry terms and phrases mean and may not understand the meaning of the text they are translating. Through no fault of their own, I see translators making this kind of mistake all the time. It takes someone who understands both your business and the language to find these kinds of errors. Always have vendor translations reviewed by someone in your business, or at least close to your business, before posting them to the Web.