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Amazon is currently the world's most successful sales platform. For many retailers and distributors, it represents an attractive entry point to international markets.
You can sell products from your homeland to a huge number of other countries and let someone else handle the details.
The retail giant takes care of most of it for you, from order processing and invoicing to fulfilment and service – making it easier than ever to set up a global business.
They even have “Amazon Translate”, an automated solution for translating Amazon product texts. This is another translation engine that works as well, or as poorly, as other well-known representatives such as Google Translate and DeepL Translate.
What does this mean for you?
It means that the quality is good enough to give your customer a rough idea of what the product description says. However, in most cases it lacks the quality to sell your products online in other languages.
These days, one might mention the wide range of suppliers in Asia, particularly those from China, that rely on machine translations for the vast majority of their Amazon product texts. Unfortunately, most of us would also admit that those translations have an immediate negative effect and don't exactly enhance the vendor’s credibility.
This might be acceptable for suppliers in the lowest price segments. However, if you want to convey the kind of quality that appeals to other target groups, it's better to have a translation agency create high-quality translations for your Amazon product descriptions.
The most important selling point on your website? Your Product Descriptions!
Images and text are the only tools you have to impress potential customers in an online shop.
Nine times out of ten, linguistic errors make a bad first impression. There’s no getting around it – compelling sales copy has to be grammatically correct and use the appropriate terms.
And it’s how you transform occasional random sales into a strategically generated, sustainable stream of orders.
Unique product descriptions on Amazon have more impact
Some companies rely on the product texts and translations they receive from the manufacturers. This presents us with a couple of potential issues. Firstly, how can you know if the translation is any good? If you're lucky, you might get a perfect translation. The problem here is that many of your competitors will be using the same generic text. If that happens, you’ll land in an indeterminate pool of competing retailers that can only end in a price war. Because at that point, what else sets you apart from the competition?
Isn't it enough to use English for Amazon product descriptions?
Because English is considered a global language, many online retailers offer their product descriptions in just their local language and in English. This allows them to reach a large number of potential customers with minimal effort.
Nevertheless, studies show that this excludes around 50% of internet users in Europe alone. Alongside those who don't understand English, there are others who don't want to slog through English text when they shop online. And that's just two example groups.
Using English as the only foreign language is a good starter strategy. Once you identify a market as being important to your business, your best course of action will be to have your product descriptions professionally translated into the language of that market.
Why it's smarter to have Amazon product descriptions professionally translated
Good product descriptions are the most compelling tool you have to sell products online and convince potential customers to click "order".
It’s exactly the same in foreign markets – but only if the product descriptions are translated well, with an understanding of that target market's preferences.
In fact, well-translated product descriptions pay off in more ways than just sales. They actually play a far more important role than most people think:
Professionally translated Amazon product descriptions reduce the dropout rate
Here’s something we see we see very often, particularly in highly competitive markets:
A potential customer opens a product page on Amazon, is confused by the poorly worded, faulty description and immediately leaves the site.
They don’t feel they can trust this site and make a mental note not to come back.
They also know they’ll find the same or similar product just a couple of clicks away.
The next website has clear, articulate product text that makes them want to buy it.
Click. Bought. Done.
Professionally translated Amazon product descriptions reduce the return rate
Consumers’ knowledge and expectations of a product differ greatly from one country to the next. A well-translated product description takes this into account and is tailored to match each region.
Conversely:
Automatically translated, standardised texts result in an increased rate of returns from disappointed customers with false expectations caused by poorly translated product descriptions.
That's why Amazon product descriptions need more than just a word-for-word translation. It's far better to have the text professionally localised by a specialised translation agency that understands the cultural characteristics of your target market.
Professionally translated Amazon product descriptions prevent negative reviews
Misleading. Misrepresentative. Misinformation. Nobody invites these Misses to their party on purpose. If they do manage sneak in, they cause all kinds of trouble.
And that’s exactly what poor product descriptions do. Bad translations are misleading. They can misrepresent your product, distort the facts and lead to customer expectations that your product simply cannot meet. Alongside a higher return rate, you also run the risk of getting negative reviews in the Amazon rating system.
As a retailer, bad reviews are bad news. But it gets worse…
Manufacturers want their products to receive good reviews too. When they see that your “loosely translated” product descriptions have led to an increase in negative reviews on the world's leading trading platform, they could take legal action against you.
Professionally translated Amazon product descriptions generate:
- Repeat purchases
- Customer retention
- Better conversions from first-time buyers to repeat customers
- Wider customer base through positive recommendations
- Better distributor reputation
- Stronger business relationships with existing and potential manufacturing partners
Those who understand the importance of good product descriptions steer clear of risky translations
Good product descriptions use simple, straightforward language. Ironically, that doesn’t mean they're easy to translate. Despite their apparent simplicity, product descriptions are sales materials that are carefully crafted to address the specific preferences and expectations of potential buyers.
To convey a compelling piece of sales copy to a foreign culture, translators require several skills and abilities. They must have a comprehensive understanding of marketing, be familiar with the target country's social culture and be able to put themselves in the target audience's shoes.
How much does it cost to have Amazon product descriptions translated?
Similar to most text translations, several factors determine the price of an Amazon product description translation. Among others, these include the length of text, target language and the level of difficulty.
We will calculate your translation project at a fair, fixed price and give you fixed delivery dates as well. That way, you'll always ready to deal with the unexpected in the fast-paced online business.
Are you thinking about getting some Amazon product descriptions translated or do you have any questions about the translation of Amazon product descriptions?
We’re always happy to advise you. For free!