Is it okay to use Google Translate on your website?

Do you know Google Translate has been around since 2006? To put it another way, it’s the same age as Twitter, WordPress, and LinkedIn! ?

If you want to translate a section of your website into another language, Google Translate may feel like an easy option. Just copy and paste your content, choose your language, and away you go.

However, just because you can, doesn’t always mean that you should. Let’s look at if it’s okay to use Google Translate on your website, and what the alternatives are.

Want to know more about international eCommerce? Here are my five top tips for preparing for global domination!

Is Google Translate accurate?

Originally Google Translate used statistical machine translation, which used probability to find the most relevant translation for a particular word. It also translated content from language A into English, before translating it into language B.

As you can guess, neither of these strategies resulted in overly accurate translations.

In 2016, Google Translate moved to a neural machine translation model. This uses deep learning, a subset of machine learning, which in turn, powers AI systems. This meant Google could understand complicated linguistic patterns better and translate content phrase-by-phrase instead of word-by-word.

It’s important to bear in mind that Google Translate currently supports over 130 languages, with over 100 more in development. As a result, it will be more conversant in some languages than in others.

This interesting survey analysed the accuracy of these translations, with German, Portuguese, Spanish, and, curiously, Afrikaans, winning out.

So, to revisit the original question – Google Translate is much more accurate than it used to be. However, it’s not entirely perfect, and the accuracy rate will depend on the language you’re using.

The difference between translation and transcreation

The thing with Google Translate is that it does exactly what it says on the tin – it translates a word or phrase from one language into another.

Conversely, transcreation is all about conveying your message in an entirely new language, taking different customs and cultures into account.

Here’s an example. As you’ll be aware, Black Friday is one of the biggest events in the eCommerce calendar. Originally a North American shopping event, the tradition has now spread to countries all over the world, even the Middle East. However, over there, it’s known as ‘White Friday.’

Why is this the case? Friday is a sacred day in the Middle East, and black is a colour associated with mourning, so putting the two together would not be conducive to sales. As a result, the colour was changed to white, suggesting positivity and goodness.

So if you use Google Translate to translate ‘Black Friday’ into Arabic, Kurdish, or Persian, you’d probably get blank stares from your target audience. But a transcreator would know to use ‘White Friday’ instead.

Transcreation: not just for other languages!

You can even use transcreation to appeal to people who speak the same language as you.

Put an English person, an Australian, and an American in the same room, and although they’d be able to have a decent conversation, there will be some points where they have to stop and say, ‘I’m sorry, what does that mean?

The same logic applies to your website. Refer to one of your products as ‘chuffing lush*,’ and your typical Brit will understand the context, but people from other English-speaking countries may go away scratching their heads.

(*For our non-UK readers, this means ‘really good’!)

In summary: to Google translate or not to Google translate?

Don’t get me wrong; Google Translate has its uses. If you’re on holiday and need to find the toilets, it’s worth its weight in gold!

However, is it worth using in your website copy? Probably not. Google Translate doesn’t take cultural understanding and slang used by your target audience into account, which can lead to inaccurate or even soulless copy.

For example, take Hygge – the Danish design trend that’s taken the world by storm over the past few years. It evokes thoughts of soft woolly jumpers, sleepy evenings by a roaring log fire, and a feeling of cosy contentment.

Run it through Google Translate, and you get…. fun. Not quite the same thing.

Translation can be fine if you need basic information, like for a product datasheet. However, if you opt to use Google Translate, we recommend running your final copy by a native speaker to be on the safe side.

On the other hand, a human transcreator will understand your target audience and provide the right context to your content. And while this may be more expensive, it’s more likely to lead to a positive customer experience, which means increased sales and conversions.

At Xigen, we specialise in transcreation, with native speakers from all over the world. If you’re looking to enhance your online store and sell internationally, send me a message and let’s talk the language of eCommerce!