How to Create a Multilingual Website! 13 points to avoid mistakes

Creating a multilingual website is now an essential action for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) seeking international expansion!

There are many companies that would like to create a corporate website from the perspective of international users, or a cross-border e-commerce site for international customers, but first of all, “I want to create a cool multilingual website! We are sure that there are many companies that would like to start with a cool multilingual website.

On the other hand, there are English pages, but there are almost no specific inquiries, It is hard to manage WordPress separately for each language, new plug-ins are difficult to understand, what is SEO for international sites, how do other companies manage their global sites, etc.

What if you had an excellent international sales tool working 24 hours a day = a multi-lingual global website that could help you find, develop, and close international accounts and orders on your behalf? How reassuring would 、、、、 be?

If you can create a foreign language website that covers all the necessary information for international customers and brings your company and your customers closer together, your international expansion is half a success.

We have compiled a list of “13 points to avoid failure in creating a multilingual website,” which is a must-read for all small and medium-sized companies. We hope you will find it useful.

１　Don’t contact a multilingual website production company out of the blue.

A multilingual website is one of the tools for international expansion. Without an understanding of what kind of international expansion you wish to pursue, an understanding of your international business plan, and an investigation of your international competitors, it is impossible to create a multilingual website that will attract customers. Although the production of a multilingual website requires know-how in supporting international expansion, there are still only a few multilingual website production companies in Japan that are “knowledgeable in supporting international expansion. In some cases, they may have less “direct” experience and practical knowledge of dealing with international companies than you do, and they may have little or no experience in creating successful global websites.

Before you reflexively inquire about a multilingual site because you don’t know what you are talking about, let’s first sort out what you can do.

２　Suppress the urge to throw the whole thing to someone else.

I have had difficulties with website development in the past,,

I actually don’t know much about SEO,..,

The production of the recruitment website comes before the global website! I have been told internally, “…,

Do I have to come up with the content for the international market by myself and check all the English translations? I can’t do that! 、、、、 understands your feelings well.

If the budget is ample (about 5 million yen), we may be able to throw the whole project together.

A website design company with expertise in international SEO should be able to provide you with a site map and design proposals adapted to different cultures, including research on international competitors.

However, if your budget is 1/4 or 1/5 of that (typical web production cost), and you still have little idea of how to attract international users and how to successfully present your website internationally,

If you don’t have the guts to put together at least an RFP (Request for Proposal) on your own, you may end up with a disappointing website that is not particularly bad, but not as good as an excellent international sales tool.

Then, a few years later, you will have the same problem again, “I wonder what other companies are doing about this unacceptable multilingual site…”. And then, a few years later, you will have the same problem again, “What are other companies doing about this unacceptable multilingual site?

It is important to suppress the urge to throw everything you have into the project, and once you have decided to take the initiative in creating a multilingual site, it is important to make the decision to do so with your own understanding.

３　View at least 100 international websites and learn on your own.

However, if you are able to prepare your own RFP (Request for Proposal) to submit to a multilingual website production company, then you have some idea of the global website you want to create. 、、、、 What is it that you are struggling with because you don’t know what you are doing…?

It may take a little time, but there is a way to get an idea of what a multilingual website looks like. Take the high road, but look at international websites, look around, look at international websites, look around, look at international websites, look at international websites, look at international websites, look at international websites, look at international websites, and gain experience! It is the best way to get an idea of what a multilingual website will look like.

How was your company’s website viewed in the international market, and what should it look like in the future to attract international customers? It will be easier to understand and visualize how your website has been viewed in the overseas market and how it should be in the future in order to acquire overseas customers. Please try the following in between your daily work.

1. View 100-300 “new” websites, both domestic and international (remove restrictions on country and industry).
2. List 30-50 websites that interest you in an Excel table.
3. Evaluate the good and bad points from the user’s point of view (1-2 lines each about appearance and operation is OK)
4. Ask your foreign neighbors, international friends, acquaintances, business partners, or the multilingual website design company you are planning to hire, even if it is only a simple “evaluation” of the “evaluation,” and try to answer the question in your own way.

What you consider “good” may be “? or vice versa. Or you may find that what you think is good is also “acceptable” from an international user’s point of view. You may also find out that the point you thought was good is also “valid” from the perspective of overseas users.

You will be able to get an idea of what is the same and what is different. （You can find “new” company websites, both international and domestic, at the following sites.

Three of the latest international and domestic website compilation sites

(1) A summary site by Onextrapixel (OXP), an online magazine site in Singapore. It is in English, but you can learn just by watching the videos and photos, please check it out.

(2) A compilation site by PHOTOSHOPVIP, a blog media that provides free materials such as excellent free fonts collected from all over the world, how to use Photoshop, and the latest design news.

(3) Summary site by ferret, a media company that makes web marketing more powerful

Three break websites

Browsing international websites can be quite tiring. When the “I’m full, I can’t take any more” light comes on in your head, it’s time to take a break. We have compiled a list of three international websites where you can jump into another world and take a break.

(1)Beautiful drone footage by AirPano (Russia), the world’s number one aerial photography group, is full of realism, from volcanic eruptions to the deep sea.

（2）You can discover the differences in cross-cultural sensibilities, thinking, “This is the way to capture a scene.

 (3) You can also muse to yourself about things like “I’ve been here before,” or “I can’t go there unless I’m in good health. (The following site is closed as of 2023, the link will take you to the official KLM Airlines site.)

Immerse yourself in another world, for those who love the sea and waves.

(break ends)

４　benchmark international competitor websites (not just domestic competitors)

This is just a reminder, as many small and medium-sized companies are surprisingly overlooked.

５　 include information necessary to be selected by international customers.

The look and feel of the website (web design) can be copied from international sites. The structure of the website (sitemap, headings) should be designed for international SEO. As for the content (contents), if you can create a completely original website, there is no need to say anything.

The design is based on what is easy to read, comfortable, and inviting to revisit for the international target audience, so it is created with an understanding of what is easy to read, comfortable, and inviting to revisit for international users. What is it? If you want to know quickly, we can give you some hints! If you want to know quickly, here is a list of some hints. Please refer to the “International Japanese Web Design Comparison Summary [51 Case Studies]” for more information.

For international SEO, we will search for keywords that will lead to CVs for your company on international google searches, and create your own pages with maximum reference to the sitemap and headlines of each of the websites of your competitors that appear at the top of the search results.

Do not translate a Japanese website directly into English, and do not copy and paste a site map optimized for the Japanese market. It is important to find out what information your international customers need. It is important to find out what information is needed by your overseas clients.

In addition to the basic contents, include everything that international clients will be looking for in order to make comparisons. Even if you advertise that you are No. 1 in the industry, that you have a wealth of experience, or that you are a one-stop service provider, the person in charge at the international company needs to find out if this is true when he or she actually places an order. (If they don’t know, it is too risky to order from a new company (in Japan) across the sea without checking with their existing customers.)

This task can be very troublesome for people outside the company, much less for international companies. To begin with, PR of the company and explanations of its strengths based on the assumptions of the norms of the Japanese industry are often out of sync with what international clients expect, so it is necessary to be conscious and objective in providing information.

Minimum information required to be selected by international clients (e.g.) 

• Map of players in the industry, including our own company, and objective evaluation of each
• Reasons why your company is chosen among them (reasons why you are the best at helping this type of customer with this type of problem).
• Total cost until the next replacement including maintenance
• The future direction of the industry and the company’s position and direction in the industry

In addition, 

• Being surprised when you think you are talking about something that is obvious, but when you talk about it in a sales visit, you are surprised that you are.
• On the contrary, things that they thought were different due to our lack of explanation during sales visits.
• Also, themes that customers often ask for advice on, but which cannot be answered in general terms, or for which it is difficult to summarize the methodology.

Don’t forget to make a corporate blog of the content including the above, SEO and keyword selection.

６　first create the foreign language pages of the multilingual site and translate them into Japanese (ideal)

If you simply translate your existing Japanese website into English and publish it as a multilingual site, leaving behind concepts that do not exist in English, the text will cause indigestion, making it difficult to be understood by your international target audience.

If that is the case, why not explain and translate concepts that are not in English so that they can be understood? However, it is necessary to check first whether the assumptions are not correct.

Is this information “also” necessary for international clients?

Is the approach “natural” for international customers?

The question is, “If we just translate the Japanese into English, will it really convey the message (even though the business practices, lifestyles, etc., on which the translation is based are very different)? 

If these are not verified, even if you go to the trouble of translating the text, it will certainly be in English, but it will not be understood by English-speaking people.

On the other hand, when translating English pages into Japanese, English is a less ambiguous language, so it is understood, although it may be lacking for Japanese. The following is an example of an item commonly found on Japanese websites, but almost never found on English websites.

• Items that may or may not be present (not smiling or text-only president’s greeting)
• Items that would be better not to have (capital, number of employees, sales, detailed customer list, list of equipment with even model numbers, technical information where know-how can be read, on-site photos that should not be disclosed, etc., corporate information useful for M&A or brand-damaging information)
• Messages that make it difficult to understand the exit or conclusion (long technical or product descriptions of the company’s boasting of technology, not the customer’s value.)

As for items usually found on English websites, 

• Vision, Mission, Values
• Meet the Smiling Management Team and Team
• A company history that conveys the feelings of the past and looks forward to the future
• Customer Benefits
• Case studies by application, not by technology
• Product lineup not only by category but also by scene
• Intuitive, visually obvious, and clearly different from other companies
• List of deliveries with a simple logo only
• Minimum Company Profile

By stating  these in a straightforward manner from the conclusion, visitors from other countries with different languages and cultures will be able to understand what they see and read the website without having to think about it. The Japanese version of such an English website is easier to understand because there is no room for error.

７　separate the existing Japanese website (if it is to remain as it is) as it is only for Japanese customers.

If your existing Japanese website is working well and producing results for Japanese customers, you may choose to keep it.

For example, the Rakuten.co.jp site is designed for Japanese customers, and while it may seem somewhat busy and unusual from the perspective of international customers, it works for Japanese customers, and you should feel comfortable with it.

On the other hand, Rakuten’s U.S. site Rakuten.com has a different design. The reason why it is difficult to see the site in comparison is that the background is all white and the product photos are small.

８　The president of the company discusses his vision and mission for international expansion with a multilingual website production company and translator.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are compact, information is easily shared within the company, and the president’s ideas are well understood within the company, but this is not the case for all SMEs.

When we decided to create a multilingual website and helped the management to verbalize their thoughts, we often heard, “I never knew that the president of our company was thinking like that! I never knew my president was thinking like that!

The management themselves also said that the direction of our company’s international expansion is finally coming together as we speak (!). We are now ready to expand our business overseas. Multilingual and foreign-language websites are the “face of the company” to the entire world.

During the production period, please bring in the website creator and translator as part of the team, conveying the president’s thoughts in his/her own words and ensuring that the vision and mission permeate the entire team.

９　Select translators appropriately after a trial translation (trial).

We have worked with more than 100 translators and interpreters. It is not far from the truth that the brightness or darkness of an international business depends on the interpreter/translator.

The reason why the translation is not understood by the target audience is due to both the original document (your content is not organized or cross-culturally adapted) and the translator’s lack of creativity to convey it. However, if a professional translator who is willing to do his/her utmost to convey the meaning of the translation does his/her best, the translation will be completely different, and the meaning will be conveyed beautifully.

On the other hand, there is a limit to the number of such professionals, and not all of them are able to do so, so it is necessary to provide Japanese manuscripts that are as easy to translate as possible. However, knowing what is easy to translate means that the translator is somewhat knowledgeable about the language.

In other words, training your own language skills and speaking in your own language is ultimately the fastest and smoothest way.

But if that is still too difficult, then use your nerves and choose your interpreter/translator with caution.

 A slightly more time-consuming but less risky way to select a translation company or translator is to go through a trial translation (trial translation) and compare several (several companies) before making a decision.

There are a variety of companies that offer free trials, companies that offer free trials up to xx characters, and companies that charge for all trials. Since free of charge does not necessarily mean that the translation is not good, and paid translation does not necessarily mean that the translator is reliable (I have met good translators for both free and paid translations), you will have to make a steady decision based on a comparison of translations.

Manuscripts should be sentences without subjects, which is common in Japanese, or sentences that are easily mistranslated by Google Translate or DeepL translation, or sentences that are unintelligible. The translator’s ability is more easily grasped if the manuscript has a wide range of expression.

１０　 provide translators with an in-house glossary (Japanese and English)

The company is full of jargon.

If the translator makes a mistake the first time he or she presses the wrong button, the situation can get out of hand.

In order for the translator to perform to the best of his/her ability, the minimum necessary terminology explanation of the product or industry is required.

It is dangerous to assume that even translators will ask questions if they do not understand the meaning.

Translators who can ask questions about what they don’t know know what they do know and what they don’t know. This is more advanced than you might think.

１１　Understand that “copywriting” and “super free translation,” which go beyond translation, are a different level of work.

Have you ever read ” The magic of tidying up that brings ○○ to your life.” a bestseller that has been translated in more than 40 countries around the world?

The author, Marie Kondo, a.k.a. Kommari-san, has since established a U.S. office and is currently expanding the Kommari Method throughout the United States.

The English translation of the title ” The magic of tidying up that brings ○○ to your life ” is as follows.

-The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing(2014 USA) 

It looks easy, but it is difficult, and the word “○○＝Tokimeku（What this means “heart skips a beat”, “elated” etc） ” do not appear anywhere.

I am wondering if you know what the English word for “Tokimeku” is? I looked it up, 

exciting feelings 

heart skip a beat 

crush

get off on 

cheerful 

romantic 

throbbing 

・・・・ and others.

However, as you read through the book, you will see that ‘Tokimeku’ is none of these things.

“Tokimeku” has been translated as “Spark Joy.

-Induce joy
-Ignite your joy.

I can imagine the whole feeling of bursting with joy and dynamism, and what a wonderful translation it is. （I was so impressed that I bought a copy at the airport bookstore.)

The fact that Spark Joy was not included in the first U.S. edition of the title (did you include Spark Joy in the title after the Konmari method became civil to some extent?) and,

The definition of “Does this spark joy? is translated as “Does this spark joy?” is due to the combined knowledge of the copywriters and brand creators of the multilingual website production team, in addition to their abilities as translators.

This level of output is more than a normal translation job, but to ask a translator to perform at this high level for a standard fee may amount to a bit of recklessness.

If you are looking for a copywriter who can translate a company’s slogan or a product’s tagline into English, for example, you may find that the Japanese translation does not convey the message! If you find that you can’t get your message across by translating your company slogan or product tagline into English, you can find a copywriter who can do the copywriting in English,

When it is necessary to adjust the tone and manner of the entire document, or the level of information provided for international markets, it may be necessary to use a brand creator who is also fluent in English.

１２　invest the most in photos and videos, preferably all new.

If you have practiced the above 3, “Visit at least 100 international websites and learn by yourself,” you may have noticed that the number of websites you have visited has been increasing.

Photos and videos are the most important factor in a multilingual website.

You can create the manuscript in-house if you try your best, but we highly recommend that you hire a professional to create new photos and videos.

This is because the discerning international clientele can tell at a glance whether or not a photo was taken by a professional and whether or not the photo is new, and the return on investment is extremely high because it directly affects the company’s image.

１３　content is basically created by the president

A website is a digitally-enabled sales person. It is not a tool that ends when a customer visits the site and checks out the products and services. It is also a tool for communicating the company’s plans in the mind of the CEO and what the company should be in the future to people other than the CEO (not only customers but also employees) in an easy-to-understand and leak-free manner, so that they can learn about the company deeply and correctly.

No one but the CEO of the company can envision what he or she wants to achieve through international expansion. A “multilingual website” is not just an electronic version of a company brochure for international use, but is actually the CEO of the company itself, who has an English brain.

From the early days of a small or medium-sized company’s international expansion when it is just starting out, there is a lot of work to be done. Inquiries from overseas, participation in overseas exhibitions, overseas business meetings, visits to overseas companies, and other opportunities to introduce your company in English will continue.

We feel that we are being asked to provide attractive presentations, strategic negotiation, and a series of other things that are a little higher in rank than our current company, but we cannot move forward unless we provide them. Once international expansion begins, there is not much time to think from scratch.

At such times, the best way to help your English brain is to create a “multilingual website,” which you can use to your fullest advantage, by refraining from throwing all of the work at others, and by thinking thoroughly about it, and then creating it with your own understanding.

The more your international expansion progresses, the more you will be glad that you have a website in a foreign language, and the more you will be helped by it. It’s just a website, but it’s still a website.

If this report helps you to create a “cool multilingual website,” this IS our spark joy!