Translation 101: 7 Tips to Boost Content Quality with Perfect Translation

Communicating with people around the world is something that every business owner should really take advantage of. For instance, you may find localizing your marketing material in a way that it will be understood properly by your target audience. Thus if you want to be on top of the global markets, high-quality translations partnered with strong SEO strategy must be upheld at all times. Also, writing for translation is more likely different from regular writing as native speakers often use phrases that are understood differently from what is initially intended. If you want to avoid uncertainty in communication, here’s what you need to remember about the 7 translation tips to boost content quality for SEO.

1. Keep the sentences brief

• If you can cut down some words in your sentences without having to change its meaning, the better. Take note that breaking your sentences into several parts can enhance the overall readability level of your content.
• Moreover, taking unnecessary pudginess out of your wording can make wonders for your SEO efforts as well as to the quality of your translated content.

2. Observe proper word order

• Changing the order of the word means affecting the entire meaning of the sentence. Hence, be sure to stick with the proper word order to make sure that the translation of content will be done the right way.
• Furthermore, whenever you feel that the sentence will be better with a changed word order, make sure these changes will not affect the clarity and meaning of the content. That way, you’ll be able to come up with high-quality translations for SEO purposes.

3. Don’t be literal 

• Being literal in every translation is unacceptable except if you’re doing a translation of a technical material. But in many cases, translation for contents used in websites shouldn’t be done literally as it will more likely hinder the general meaning of the piece.
• Therefore, you should translate it in a way that you’ll not hinder its accurate meaning.

4. Use a single term to describe a concept

• Also, sticking with a single term throughout the piece will prevent misunderstandings.
• So before jumping into the topic, be sure to study the most frequently used vocabularies and combine them in a proper manner. In the end, unified vocabulary is important in terms of quality writing for translation.

5. Apply active voice

• When it comes to having a high-quality translation, don’t hesitate to choose active over the passive voice in your content. Also, make sure you’ll avoid the mistake of overloading your piece with passive voice.
• For a clearer understanding of the sentences, translate them in a way that the subject performs the action rather than having the action performed by it.

6. Avoid phrasal verbs

• All in all, beware of two-or-three verbs in terms of translations. If possible, try to use a single word instead of having too many phrasal verbs in your piece.
• For example, you can use “complete” instead of “take down notes”. Doing so can really ensure best end results once the content is translated. 

7. Use simple English

• Use words with precise meaning to help the translator understand your intentions clearly and easily. Although the humorous style of writing can be very interesting, using them in translations will never be a great idea.
• So if you’re looking for a well-written translation of your piece, being clear than funny is a much better option.

The Bottom Line