By Payal Sharma

Content writing gives an online campaign its message. Translation helps that message reach readers in another language. The two jobs work best when the writer and translator know who the readers are, what they need to do, and which terms the business uses.

Write for a clear purpose

A product page, email and blog post ask different things of a reader. Before writing, I would establish the audience, the main point and the action the page should invite. A clear source text makes translation easier, but it does not mean that every phrase should be carried across word for word.

Make room for translation

When a business offers a website in several languages, it needs more than a language switcher. Navigation, calls to action, product details and customer support information should also make sense to the intended readers. A translator may need to ask the writer what a short slogan means, choose a term consistently or flag a reference that will not travel well. A reviewer can then check the translated page in its final layout before it goes live.

What I have learned

At school I translated short texts and tried turning English poems into French. Later, I worked on French content for an education website. Those experiences showed me that good multilingual content requires both attention to language and an understanding of the reader. Writing and translating are distinct skills, and the best results come when the people doing them can talk to each other.

For a related look at how language businesses can listen to their audience online, see Modlingua's article on social media for language businesses.