| If your business is heavily web-based, then you're | | | | but "hire" is often associated with vehicles or |
| surely already aware of the Internet's potential for | | | | industrial machines, "rent" with residential property |
| reaching an international audience and for reaching it | | | | and "let" with commercial property. Subconsciously, |
| quickly via on-line advertising. To cater for your | | | | your choice of possible keywords was probably |
| international customers, you'll probably have your | | | | influenced by the grammar of English and the |
| web site translated into the major languages spoken | | | | grammar of web searches. For example, you would |
| in the markets you are targeting. For many people, | | | | probably chose "van hire" rather than "vans hire" or |
| this part is relatively straightforward: you submit your | | | | "van hires", neither of which are usually grammatical in |
| copy to the translator, who will provide you a quote | | | | English. If you were running a holiday company, you |
| based on the volume of text and any other special | | | | might choose "minibreaks Paris" rather than |
| requirements you may have, such as checking the | | | | "minibreaks in Paris", because you know people tend |
| translated text of web forms once they're on line. | | | | to omit short function words like 'in' in web searches. |
| But have you considered how you're going to handle | | | | When it comes to translating these keywords, you |
| the translation of your on-line advertising material? | | | | might naively think that you can look up translations |
| If done properly, translating on-line advertising | | | | of each individual word and do a search and replace |
| material differs from ordinary translation in some | | | | on the list of keywords. Unfortunately, this will usually |
| important ways. Firstly, a significant part of the | | | | not be effective for several reasons. Where there |
| material to be translated will actually be the | | | | are synonyms such as "hire", "rent", "let" in English, |
| keywords that you bid on or purchase rather than | | | | the foreign language probably won't have exactly the |
| the ad copy itself. Translating keywords effectively is | | | | same number of synonyms with a direct mapping |
| somewhat different to translating paragraphs of text | | | | between them. (In Spanish, for example, the two |
| for reasons we'll see below. A good ad translator | | | | verbs "alquilar" and "rentar" can both apply to either |
| must also work differently to a colleague dealing with | | | | vehicles or property.) So in the foreign language, you |
| ordinary text when it comes to the ad text itself. | | | | may need to consider combinations of words that |
| The latter point may seem the more obvious but is | | | | you didn't consider in English, and some combinations |
| worth expanding on. The advertising scheme that | | | | may not be viable. |
| you are using will generally have restrictions imposed | | | | Some of the grammatical restrictions that affected |
| on them such as the maximum lengths of titles and | | | | your keyword selection in English may not apply in |
| other lines of the ad. The text of your ads was | | | | the foreign language. For example, in English the |
| probably chosen to sound catchy rather than | | | | phrase "vans hire" is generally ungrammatical. But in |
| because a particular literal meaning was important. So | | | | French, Italian and Spanish (and indeed many other |
| to translate an on-line ad, it may be more effective | | | | languages), the phrase would be common and |
| to use an approximate translation that sounds catchy | | | | grammatical with either singular or plural, leading to |
| and adheres to the length restrictions. As an example | | | | more keyword combinations to consider bidding on. |
| of the kind of decisions the translator can make, | | | | And in these and other Latin-based languages, |
| there is a word in Spanish that can be used to | | | | compounds are usually formed by inserting the word |
| translate "summer holidays" ("veraneo") which is | | | | for "of" between the content words (e.g. "de" in |
| actually shorter than the general word for "holidays" | | | | Spanish and French, "di" in Italian). But in web |
| ("vacaciones"). If the translator knows that your | | | | searches, this word may optionally be omitted, so |
| business or campaign is specifically dealing with | | | | that in Spanish, for example, a Spaniard looking for |
| summer holidays (and a good translator will always | | | | "car hire" may search (among other things) for either |
| take the time to understand your business), they can | | | | "alquiler DE coches" or simply "alquiler coches". |
| use the shorter word which may be crucial when | | | | Most subtly of all, the grammar of web searches |
| translating an ad title with a 25-character limit. | | | | actually differs from language to language. Some of |
| The problems involved in translating advertising | | | | my own research suggests, for example, that |
| keywords may be less obvious. But think first about | | | | Spanish speakers are more likely to include the word |
| the process you went through to choose your | | | | "de" between content words than French speakers, |
| keywords. You probably starting by picking some | | | | and that Spanish speakers are more likely to pluralize |
| phrases that characterize your business. You may | | | | words in their searches. |
| then have expanded this list by considering | | | | Finally, recall that some on-line advertising systems |
| synonyms, possibly using a tool such as Google | | | | offer a keyword tool which will suggest alternatives |
| Trends to find the most likely synonyms that a user | | | | for you to bid on giving a starting list. You should also |
| would search for. You would also have considered | | | | speak to your translator to see if they can assist |
| which combinations of these synonyms were most | | | | you in choosing between the list of suggestions and |
| likely in English. For example, in British English, the | | | | advising you on their meanings where necessary. |
| words "hire", "rent" and "let" have similar meanings, | | | | |