Karolina Sarul
By
December 14, 2022

3 Translation Budgeting Tips to Grow Your Revenue Faster

businessmen discussing budgeting i.e translation budgetThis is the time when those in charge of annual budgets start thinking about the next year. Growing bigger revenue and doing it faster are probably the main goals every financial year. Whether in marketing, product management, content creation/management, product documentation, or communication budgeting meetings, do you ever talk about the translation and localization budgets for your teams? Well, you should. Translation means growth. And with an ROI that hardly any of the items in your toolbox are able to offer you.

There are some serious factors that should attract your genuine attention to translation and localization (or even transcreation, perhaps) when budgeting 2023.

 

 

 

 

Why Translate (At All)

I could give you a bunch of reasons why translation and localization are not just services anyone can provide but in fact, are (or should be if they still aren’t) simply one of the fundamental elements of your marketing and product strategy if you are serious about international growth. But you can read that in my other posts. There’s one, however, absolutely worth mentioning here: revenue growth. But enough of this theoretical talk - let the practice, professional executives and their cases speak.

Audinate’s Digital Marketing Manager, Mike Wills, noticed a substantial increase in website traffic resulting in quality leads and ROI growth:

“Audinate’s business is growing rapidly, so increases in website traffic are expected. But traffic from people browsing in Japanese, Chinese and Spanish increased over 25% ABOVE the rate of other traffic. This is after completion of only the first phase of the project.”

That was an effective localization. You can read more about how Audinate managed to not only expand to different countries but also succeed there. You can also find out whether they are still planning to use language translation services. After all, they succeeded already. So why translate more? Find out for yourself.

                            CHECK AUDINATE'S EXPERIENCE

 

What to Translate (And for Whom)

Check your data.

What does traffic to your website tell you about the locations and the languages that are worth investing in?

You don’t have to translate into all of the top 20 languages used by Internet users. That’s for sure. Decide which content suits your customers best. The more familiar a customer feels on a company’s website, using their documentation and reading their communication and marketing content, the more likely they are to purchase whatever the company has to offer. Don’t just take my word for it.

Steven Higa, an E-Commerce Manager at Pioneer DJ, made it pretty clear:

Today’s digital communication requires translation of a lot more content than before and it became clear that we needed more efficient communication to streamline our workflow. Our international growth was depending on how much we localized our product and marketing content. We are certain that our products reach a wider range of customers, who prefer to have product information in their native languages. Our message is consistent and clear on a global scale, meaning that Pioneer DJ’s policy is inclusive and our products are meant for customers worldwide.

                                 READ THE FULL STORY

 

Which Translation Provider (to Choose)

This question can be tricky, but it doesn’t have to be. All you need to do is make sure you know what to look for in your translation partner. What can they help you with? Is it the price that determines your choice? Or, maybe, it’s the quality offered due to a deep understanding of your company’s needs together with the full knowledge of each individual market’s requirements? Or, is it both? You can get great quality and save money at the same time. When you plan your budget for 2020, remember that when using a professional translation company, there are certain benefits to it, from professional staff like project managers to technology and tools that help you save up on your budget and on your time.

Does your translation and localization partner offer you the know-how, the advice and the guidance in the areas where you need them? And where you need to state your point, will they be ready to listen, understand and make sure you are heard? After all, you know your product, your team, your company vision and mission. Your voice should matter the most. And when it’s heard, when your product gets the best multilingual content to promote it internationally, your voice is not only a guide but the reason why people buy from you and not from your competition.

Tools, processes, people. These are the aspects you need to also look at when choosing your translation partner to ensure your global growth. Thanks to the right processes and tools, the right people who use them are able to deliver your translated and localized content in time for you to be ahead of your competitors when launching your products in the new markets. This usually needs to happen fast, so you need a localization partner that can deliver on time, on spec and on budget.

Translation and localization services are often underestimated due to their intangible character. But when you remember that they offer you very tangible results that you can measure, count and then invest further (yes, I mean money), suddenly they stop looking so intangible. Translating 2-4% of your marketing budget into a 25-50% increase in leads with ROI of approximately 151% sounds very encouraging, doesn’t it? Well, that’s what the guys mentioned above witnessed themselves, among others.

Again, don’t take my word for it. There are more interesting people to hear this from.

 

READ MORE STORIES

 

It doesn’t matter whether you run a startup company or a well-established and recognized brand. If you don’t grow, you are the past and others are becoming the future.

Are you here to stay?