Common Errors While Designing a Multilingual Website

• 21 October 2021
• Admin

Web designing involves the creation and presentation of relevant elements on websites, easily accessible by the end-users through the web, by using any electronic machines like computers, tablets, etc. A web designer usually gets concerned about how a website will look over the internet and how the clients will interact with it. Web development is the key to making the website work and viewed. However, making errors in the multilingual website constructing process is sure to happen. Let us talk about the four common mistakes that web designers encounter along with solutions for each mistake that may help to give the best user experience when accessing a company’s website.



An automated translation machine usage
One of the most important errors in a multilingual website building process is the use of an automated translation gadget. Companies usually use automatic translation applications available on Google, such as Google Translate to minimize translating costs.

This method does not ensure the accuracy of information the company wants to deliver to clients because this type of automatic translation application does not translate technical terms but common words. A multilingual website depending significantly on gadget translation creates confusion, in addition, to making users uncomfortable while accessing the website.

Therefore, to provide a great user experience, hiring skilled freelance linguists or high-certified expert translators is beneficial, as they play an outstanding role in associating multinational cultures. Hence, focus on the long-term benefits of achieving potential customers instead of saving the initial cost.

Fails to pay attention to the system of units and date and time format
Currently, most countries around the world have agreed to use the international system of units (SI), widely known as the metric system. Meanwhile, there are three countries in the world namely USA, Myanmar, and Liberia which still apply the imperial system in daily life. People in these countries are more familiar with ounces, inches, and feet than the kg, cm, and m. Therefore, this distinction between two-dimensional structures should be carefully tested before your business launches a multilingual website.

Besides, web designers should not miss out on converting the date and time format based on the target countries’ language. This is because each country has a different way of showing chronological order.

To avoid making mistakes in the system of units and format of date and time in the multilingual website design, it is advisable to consult an expert team specializing in web localization. They will assist you to generate a multilingual website with the same format for every country.

Put the language selector in the wrong place
The language switcher plays a crucial role in determining whether the company’s website is user-friendly or not since every time international users visit your website, the first thing they do is to look for the language switcher. If your company’s site isn’t equipped with the language switcher feature or the icon is placed out of sight, the user will probably leave the website all at once.

Therefore, when designing a multilingual website, you need to find the right place to insert the change language icon with a drop-down menu. The ideal location is at the top right corner of the website as it is easy for users to recognize when they access the site.

Using the same web layout for all countries
While designing a product, we always put customer satisfaction as the top priority. The same goes for designing multilingual websites. Applying the same web layout for all countries will make the users feel nothing but boredom because every country has its own web design preference.

Therefore, web designers should consider three factors to be included in the user’s aesthetic tastes while beginning the website building process.
• Color: Companies should have a thorough understanding of the culture of each country and the meaning of color depending on the culture of the target audience before designing the website in that country’s language.

• Design Preference: Web designers should design the website using content and images, depending on the target audience’s preference.

• Text Orientation: Most countries around the world arrange their website content in the left-to-right flow. However, Arabic is the official design which is written from right to left. So, web designers should also consider this factor while designing a website.

Therefore, the aforementioned common mistakes, along with tips will definitely help your company build a multilingual website, and bring the best user experience for clients around the world.

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