Translating website menu into Indonesian

Translation best practice is one that not only adheres to the common rule of translating into the target language but also considers context which is then technically and semantically correct without disrupting the linguistic aspects in general.

Translating, to some people in the industry, may remain the same thing; transferring source language into the intended target language. For specialized translator, another perspective may emerge. He/she will specialize in certain area of expertise and won't move to another area of expertise before he/she really masters what it is supposed to be an excellent translation from any possible good translation criteria. In short, the translation produced is universally accepted with no argue from any relevant translation industry people and its users. It sounds hard, but it is not hard for them.

One of the specialized translations only specialized translators can do is website translation. Translating a financial document will surely differ from translating legal document and some other different topics. Similarly, it is when translating a website. More context, more technical skills and more experiences and references are taken into account. It is not without reason. When translating a website we have to:

• know the topic being translated and context; it is common in translation practice and this is the point when doing translation
• know the character and space limit and diction; as we cannot write freely in a website, especially when we are translating their menus, it is then our responsibility to be as creative as possible. We have to creatively use the word equivalent, so that no meaning is not communicated in the target and at the same time, no target word is truncated due to the limited space. It sounds hard, but for specialized translators, it is easy. They are used to doing this.
• think more before determining what words to use and what to do; yes, we do not translate certain topic only, but we are also supposed to maintain website relevance and aesthetic value of the website as it is supposed to be.

In translating a website, we have to really know the website 'head' and 'body'. Literally said, we have to treat the 'head' and 'body' individually. Menu tabs should be differently treated from the normal text. As we mentioned above, there are many things to consider when translating a website. To put the basic knowledge of website translation theory into practice, let us take a look at the example below.

We screenshot the website of www.website.com and will make it an example. This website has nothing to do with us, nor do we translate this website. It is for learning purpose only.

Let us note that we have:

First layer menu

• CONTACT US
• LIVE CHAT
• MAIL
• SIGN IN

Second layer menu

• HOW IT WORKS
• FEATURES
• TEMPLATES
• $10 WEB DESIGN
• PRICING
• SIGN UP

Now consider the first rule; context. Then, consider the character and space limits. Decide what target words would be equivalent to the source words and the least target words possible. Let's say:

First layer menu

• HUBUNGI KAMI, alternatively KONTAK KAMI
• OBROLAN LANGSUNG, alternatively CHAT LANGSUNG
• EMAIL
• MASUK

Second layer menu

• CARA KERJANYA, alternatively CARA KERJA or PROSES
• FITUR
• TEMPLAT
• DESAIN WEB $10
• HARGA
• DAFTAR

 To summarize, the website translation should be concise while contextually correct. If you find that your translation does not suit the website space while it is contextually correct, you need to coin another similar word or phrase to make it well accommodated. If you ignore it, your website translation is contextually correct, but aesthetically incorrect. Both elements should emerge and thus this can be called excellent website translation result. Any questions? Contact us!