According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), international tourist arrivals worldwide have increased by 7%. In Asia and the Pacific, they have increased by more than 8%, in Europe by 7%, in Africa by more than 6% and in the Middle East and America by more than 4%. The estimated global earnings of the tourism industry at the end of 2017 was $ 1.332 billion.

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Tourists from China spent as much as $ 257.7 billion in 2017, followed by the United States ($ 132.2 billion), Germany ($ 83.7 billion), the United Kingdom, France, Italy, etc. All of these countries have spent billions of dollars on travel.

What are these numbers telling us now? They are telling us that most of the world’s major destinations are enjoying strong growth, which means that in order to maintain this type of growth and encourage more global tourists, it is important for tourism companies from all over the world to shift to languages in the future, which makes the translating of tourism websites a very important marketing tool in the tourism industry. Since tourism is a hospitality and service industry, tourists expect very good services, which include information available in their language.

Things to consider if you decide to translate your website:

1. Choose the right translation service provider

When it comes to translating travel websites, it is important to choose the right translation or language service provider. You should work with translation service providers who are not only well-versed in language and tourism but who also know the culture of your target markets. As your content on the Internet is professional, translations must be professional as well.

Tourists should be provided with highly informative content, with clear destination descriptions, prices and travel packages.

2. Translation costs

The cost of website translations depends on many factors, including what and how much content is translated, which is why it is better to have a long working relationship with a translation agency.

Although you are familiar with the travel industry, there are many benefits to working with translation professionals. Many translation agencies and translators have worked with travel agencies in the past and can offer you numerous information and cultural knowledge.

3. Provision of correct information

As a travel operator, you cannot afford to make your agreements with customers and terms of service incomprehensible to non-Slovenian speakers. Imagine if a client has to use an online translation tool to translate important documents; catastrophic results can be expected. Legally binding documents must be properly translated so that passengers can fully understand the document they sign.

Chinese tourists, who once travelled only to local destinations, have been the biggest spenders in recent years. Other countries from East Asia, North America and Western Europe also have an increasing number of international tourists, and these nations speak Chinese, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, German and Italian. It is essential that you know your customers and provide them with information so that they will also be satisfied.

The challenges of translating tourism texts

Translating travel-related content is not easy. Although the content seems simple and the texts are not long, care must be taken when translating, because if the quality of the translation is poor, it can damage the company’s reputation and its performance will be much worse.

Texts can be culturally specific. This primarily includes expressions about food, location and events. Translating these terms from one language to another can cause incomprehension.

The written content should be attractive. In some cases, translators translate the text literally, which can be unpleasant. Writing for the tourism industry requires creativity because the content must be compelling and engaging to the reader.

Tourism is a very dynamic industry where information is regularly changed and updated. If you work in the tourism industry, long-term cooperation with a professional language service provider is recommended.

Website translation is no longer one of the marketing options, but an essential business decision.