How to translate your website into Spanish

It's well-known that users engage more with websites that create a sense of belonging. So, enhancing their user experience by personalizing your website can be a powerful strategy. This is particularly significant when you aim to expand into new markets.

Markets where Spanish is spoken are brimming with potential. Research indicates that the global population of Spanish speakers hovers around 500 million, a truly impressive figure indeed. By translating your website or app into Spanish, you can reach these markets more easily.

Keep on reading to learn how to successfully overcome language barriers and elevate the user experience on your website by translating it into Spanish.

Why translate your website into Spanish?

In our increasingly globalized world, accessibility is very important. Translating your website into Spanish could be the key to numerous opportunities. Let's explore why:

• Expanding your audience: Spanish is one of the most commonly spoken languages in the world, with nearly 500 million native speakers. Translating your website into Spanish can significantly expand your potential audience and market reach.

• Increasing user engagement: Websites and apps translated into a user's native language significantly improve user experience, engagement, and conversion rates.

• Cultural inclusion: Offering your content in multiple languages demonstrates respect and consideration for different cultures. This inclusivity fosters trust and strengthens your brand's reputation globally.

• Boosting SEO ranking: Multilingual websites have an advantage in terms of SEO, as they can rank in search results in different languages. This can lead to increased visibility and higher organic traffic.

• Business growth in untapped markets: Spanish-speaking countries, including those in Latin America, offer significant opportunities for growth. A Spanish website can pave the way for business expansion in these markets.

• Competitive advantage: Many businesses only cater to English-speaking customers. By translating your website into Spanish, you can differentiate yourself from the competition.

Key points to bear in mind when translating your website into Spanish

Consider these essential points to craft a website that ensures an easy and pleasant experience for your visitors:

• Choose the right variant of Spanish: Spanish has variations in vocabulary, grammar, and phrases across different countries. Decide whether you want a more universal, neutral Spanish or a specific variant like Mexican Spanish or Castilian Spanish.

• Understand the culture: Cultural context is as important as language. Understanding the nuances of Spanish-speaking cultures is essential for effectively communicating your messages.

• Professional translation: Use professional translation services whenever possible to ensure accuracy and cultural appropriateness. Machine translations often miss nuances and can even cause embarrassing mistakes.

• Quality and consistency: Maintain high-quality translation throughout your website. Consistency in language, tone, and style is key to ensuring a seamless user experience.

• Adapt SEO: Translate and localize your SEO keywords and update your hreflang tags. What works in English might not work in Spanish. It's important to understand what your Spanish-speaking audience is searching for.

• Proofreading: Always strive to proofread the translated content. This helps in identifying errors and inconsistencies. Hiring a native Spanish speaker for proofreading can be particularly beneficial.

• User interface and user experience: Translate all aspects of the user interface, including buttons, forms, error messages, etc. Ensure that your design accommodates longer Spanish texts.

• Multimedia translation: Don't forget about images, videos, and infographics. They may contain text that also needs to be translated. Consider using subtitles or dubbed voice-overs for video content.

• Regular updates: Try to keep the Spanish version of your website updated with any changes you make on the original site. This includes new blog posts, updated product descriptions, and any modifications in terms and conditions.

• Test and get feedback: Test the Spanish version of the website among a small group of your target audience. Their feedback can provide insights into any potential problems or areas for improvement.

How to translate your website into Spanish with Localizely

Using the Localizely platform to translate your website or app into Spanish is quite straightforward. Basically, you need to upload your localization files to Localizely, translate your localization messages into Spanish, and finally download these files to incorporate them back into your project. More in-depth instructions on these steps will be provided in the sections that follow.

Upload localization files

Your localization files can be easily uploaded on the Upload page. Drop your file into the marked zone and click on the 'Upload' button.

Translate the website into Spanish

After you've uploaded the localization files, the next step is to visit the Translations page where you can start translating your localization messages into Spanish. Select a translation approach that suits you: you can translate on your own, use Machine Translation, delegate to your team, or hire professional translators.

Download localization files

After the content of your website has been translated into Spanish, navigate to the Download page. Here, you can download your localization files and let your development team integrate them back into the project.

Final thoughts

In this post, we've provided a short guide on how to effortlessly translate your website or app into Spanish, one of the most popular languages globally. By doing so, you can easily tap into new markets with a Spanish-speaking audience and increase the accessibility of your products and services. Countries such as Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Spain, the United States, and many others are markets with great potential. Why miss a good chance?

When it comes to translation and localization, Localizely can help you to ease these demanding tasks. It is a user-friendly platform filled with features that can make software localization easy. Plus, it has a free plan (no credit card required) that is ideal for smaller projects and is entirely free for open-source ones.