Everything you need to know about translating your credit union website

According to an article by MasterWord, studies show that when people are making major decisions (including those regarding financial matters), they are usually more comfortable in their first language, even if they can understand English sufficiently in everyday matters. In fact, 72.1% of consumers spend most or all of their time on websites in their own language, and 72.4% say they would be more likely to buy a product with information in their own language.

2017 Census Bureau data reported a record 66.6 million U.S. residents ages five and older speak a language other than English at home—that number has more than doubled since 1990 and almost tripled since 1980. With this number continually increasing, it’s crucial that your survey your own credit union boundaries to determine the makeup of native languages so you know how to best serve customers. If you only cater to native English-speakers, you are limiting the growth of your credit union and missing out on potential new customers. Translating your website can help you:

• Expand into new markets.
• Provide a better customer experience.
• Build trust and credibility with customers.
• Increase traffic to your website.
• Set yourself apart from the competition.

So say you’ve seen the light and want to tap into this broader audience by translating your website into Spanish—how do you start the process? You’ve got two basic options: use an automatic translator or a professional translation.

 

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