How should the arrangement of multi-language for cross-border e-commerce websites, and the steps of full page translation and language switching be arranged?
How to arrange the sequence of doing multilingual, full-page translation, and language switching on an e-commerce website? The correct sequence is three steps: first determine the site structure, then do the full-page HTML translation and terminology proofreading, and finally open the language switching entry. Conversely, the common result is that the switch button has already been placed, and there are still untranslated template copy in the page. When visitors click for the first time, they see half Chinese and half target language.
Determine the structure: multilingual on the same site or separate sites
This step determines all the work to follow, judge based on four points:
| Judgment item | Multilingual on the same site | Market-segmented sites |
|---|---|---|
| Domain and address | Share the main domain, path with language identifier | Independent addresses, can hang local domain |
| Content maintenance | One content model, multilingual fields in parallel | Each site can independently adjust the structure |
| Pricing and currency | Display according to language version | Independent configuration of each station is clearer |
| Operation team | Centralized editing, low cost of collaboration | Operate in districts, permissions need to be separated |
| Applicable scenarios | Brand stations, mainly explanatory content | Foreign trade stations for independent marketing in different countries |
Multi-site management is suitable for the latter: one background manages multiple independent stations, and the columns, templates, and release rhythm of each station do not affect each other. The combination of brand official website and independent overseas market station is very common, using a set of programs to manage both sides, which is more convenient than maintaining two sets of programs.
What and what is covered by the full-page translation
The value of full-page HTML translation lies in the fact that it processes the entire page, preserving the structural relationships: the title hierarchy, lists, tables, and paragraph order will not fall apart due to segment-by-segment translation. AnQiCMS (AnQi CMS) supports multi-language site configurations and switching, and with the full-page HTML translation, the workload at the text level can be reduced.
Three types of content must be translated separately, and one cannot rely on the automatic translation of the entire page. The first is template layer copy: buttons, form prompts, filter option labels, and empty state prompts, which are in the template and not in the text. The second is terminology and product attributes: the corresponding translations of materials, specifications, and certification names, which should be translated after a terminology list is created, saving more time than page-by-page work after the fact. The third is compliance and contact information: address formats, return and exchange instructions, and after-sales terms, which cannot be directly copied across different markets.
The sequence is recommended to be divided into two batches: first, do the language packages for the template and field layers, confirm the completeness of the interface; then do the full-page translation of the main text and product descriptions, checking the terminology in batches.
Switch entry and check list
The switch entry should be placed in a standardized manner: the entry position should be stable, use the language itself instead of flag patterns, and stay on the same content page after switching instead of returning to the homepage. Failing to do the third, visitors will have to find the content again each time they switch, and the conversion rate will be significantly affected.
Check according to this list before going live:
- Randomly select several articles from the core pages of each language version, check whether there are any leftover source language fragments;
- Is the title and description readable in the target language, not just copying the source language title directly?
- Is the language identification in the address standardized, and can the same article be referred to between different language versions?
- Is the sitemap outputting addresses for each language version separately, and is the link push covering the newly added languages?
- Is the prompt after form submission already in the target language, to avoid visitors thinking the submission failed?
- Is the switch entry still clickable under the narrow screen of mobile phones, not obscured by navigation?
After the spot check, leave a record, register the columns that have not been proofread yet, and advance in batches instead of waiting until all are translated before going online.
Common questions
Can we open just one language version first?It can be. First release the main market version, get the glossary and template language package ready, then copy it to the second language, which is more stable than starting three languages at the same time.
Can the machine translation results be directly launched?Not recommended. Machine translation can be used as a draft source, but product descriptions and compliance texts should be proofread manually, as incorrect terminology translation directly affects the quality of inquiry orders.
What about the old content for sites that added languages later?The old draft goes through full-page translation to generate the target language version, proofread in batches, and new content is synchronized with two languages since the release, to avoid accumulating more and more debts.