We’re combining our 3 lead web services to help your website launch in international markets with a bang.

All good things come in threes - that’s certainly true when it comes to launching your website in a new language and country. Follow these 3 key steps to start seeing results from your website:

Step 1: Brand Research - find out how suitable your brand or product name is for international markets

Step 2: Keyword Research - investigate what people actually search for to find your product, and use this information to your advantage

Step 3: International Blast - put the results of the research into practice, localise your homepage & contact form, and start generating enquiries, with a method that is usually cheaper and more effective than pay-per-click advertising

However, during February we’re offering these 3 services as a package for £590 - so you get one free when you buy them together.

To kickstart your website in a new language, or test a market you’re intending to target, simply email us, or call +44 (0) 113 8150460.

Web-Translations has been commissioned to implement the Leeds City College online rebrand and help engage new audiences as part of the college’s commitment to Entrepreneurs.

In a move that will see the college opening up a whole host of creative services to entrepreneurs in and around the area, from screen printing and laser cutting, to retail and office units, Leeds City College is to streamline its web presence to help illustrate more clearly what they have to offer and engage with young businesses from around the region.

Bringing together the current offerings of Factory4, The Unit and The Workshop, the new website will see all 3 current offerings sit under a new brand called ‘Inc’, with a strapline of ‘Inspiring Enterprise’. The sub-brands will then be Inc Enterprise (formerly The Unit), Inc Creative (formerly The Workshop) and Inc Workshop (formerly Factory4).

Although Web Translations are primarily specialists in helping organisations do business internationally online, and do not specialise in web design projects, Leeds City College felt the experience of the company’s M.D, Daniel Rajkumar, aligned the company with the college’s target audience. Daniel’s previous experience as Commercial Director for web design company Clever Clover will stand him in good stead for this project.

Rifat Bashir, Business Incubation Manager at Leeds City College (shown above on the right) said: “It was important for us to choose an agency who really understood our core values. The fact that Daniel set up Web-Translations straight from Leeds University Business School, is a member of many entrepreneurship organisations, and has won several awards for entrepreneurship over the last 9 years convinced us that he and his team would understand our audience”.

The website will provide information for those who are interested in renting office space, or in undertaking creative workshops, as well as information about mentoring services available. It will also have full social media integration to enable entrepreneurs from around the region to share knowledge, advice and experiences through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Daniel Rajkumar said: “We are delighted to be working with Leeds City College on this project as I think the services they are offering are fantastic resources for people starting out in business. I’ve always found Leeds to be a great place for business people being supportive of each other and I hope our work on this project provides a further resource to bring entrepreneurs together”.

To speak to Web-Translations about your website or international brand strategy, call +44 (0) 113 8150460 or email sales[at]web-translations[dot]co[dot]uk.

With the recent changes in Spain comes new opportunities and a new office for Web-Translations in Madrid. Spain may be going through some economic pain, but the fact remains it is the best placed European country for helping businesses to make the most of the fast emerging markets of Latin America, or any of the 27 countries for which Spanish is an official language.

Ignacio de Pablo, an experienced localisation consultant, will head up the Madrid office and spreading the word about Web-Translations among local contacts and partners who recognised the need to export as a strategy to grow. (more…)

Hi Everyone!

I’m Fiona Henderson and I have just joined the Web-Translations team as a Project Coordinator.

I was born in Edinburgh and grew up in the nearby seaside town of North Berwick. After studying Russian and Slavonic Studies at the University of Glasgow, I moved to Leeds to study towards an MA in Applied Translation Studies at the University of Leeds.

I’m delighted to have found a position which allows me to engage with my knowledge of languages on a daily basis, whilst learning new skills and building on my experience in this exciting and constantly evolving industry.

Other facts about me: I am extremely musical and love going to the theatre to watch an opera or ballet, or to listen to some classical music. I am not very sporty but I do enjoy horse riding, ice skating and dancing. My dream is to take the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Vladivostok!

In today’s competitive business environment, it pays to be the first company to market with a new product or service. Here are our tips on how to beat your competitors and take full advantage of global opportunities in your sector.

1. Be the early bird - get there first!
Localise your homepage for multiple markets - then you have the pick of where to focus your attention & resource rather than being forced out of the markets your competitors already operate in.

2. Forge your own path
China, Russia, and other fast-growing economies will compete with you in markets you hadn’t even begun to consider. Don’t follow the herd, but blaze your own trail. This takes confidence and a strong business plan but it is the only way to keep competitive advantage.

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We’ve expanded Web-Translations and opened an office in Bath to meet the needs of our growing portfolio.

Andrew Carter (pictured right, below) who has been with us for over 2 years as a freelancer, has now become a full-time employee, and is heading up the new satellite office with his latest recruit, Jonathan Power (pictured left).

Andrew says: “I worked with Web-Translations on a freelance basis for 2 years, and became a full-time employee just a few months ago. I enjoy working with a wide variety of clients, and love knowing that whatever their aims are we have a product in our multilingual website “toolkit” that will help them succeed in international markets.” (more…)

As of the 6th December, AFNIC - (manager of the registry of .fr domain names) will lift restrictions on the availability of the .fr domain (among others) to European businesses.

If you don’t already have a French website for putting this domain to use, there has never been a better time…

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Hi everyone!

I’ve recently joined the Web-Translations team as a project coordinator. I am originally from Bradford but familiar with the local area and went on to University of Manchester where I graduated in 2009 with a BA in German and Business Management.

Since graduating I have worked in a couple of different industries - finance and logistics - but always with the view to these jobs being short-term. I have been on the lookout for a role that could essentially combine my knowledge of another language with my innate passion for business, and have found a perfect match with Web-Translations. I furthermore believe I have found somewhere with the right tools to enable me to develop and to launch a successful career.

I am highly driven to achieve goals and to deliver for our customers as the business looks set to grow and expand into new markets, and what’s more, I look forward to helping other businesses do exactly the same.

Outside work I’m passionate about sport, in particular football, and have never wavered in my support of a team going through dire straits at the moment. I also love to travel and experience different cultures and meet people from different nationalities. Building on the time I spent living in Frankfurt, I travelled around Central and South America during the summer of 2010, and am certainly keen to do more of this! I got to go on the recent trip to the dmexco event in Cologne with my new colleagues Lynn and Cassandra, and am looking forward to putting my skills and newfound knowledge into practise.

I look forward to the challenge the future holds.

It is with a sense of anticipation that we enter into our 9th year, celebrating the recruitment of four new team members and carefully planning our expansion into Germany.

For as long as we’re helping our clients to grow their profits from international markets, we can be confident of the growth of our own business. While organic growth has been steady, I feel that the business could be achieving more rapid growth. However, such growth wouldn’t be possible without access to funds. In today’s market, capital doesn’t come easy. While the base rate of interest is remarkably low, the banks are using the opportunity to improve their margins, failing to pass on the rate reduction. Before the economic crisis, I obtained a loan at 4.5% over base. However, the rates I’m currently being offered are in excess of 17% APR.

Obtaining funding to grow has been unusually challenging…
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Yes, it’s a bit early to mention Christmas, I know, but savvy online retailers are already in the midst of preparing for the festive period.

Success stories such as Amazon and ASOS have shown that international sales can have a huge impact on an ecommerce business, so it’s hardly surprising that more retailers are jumping on this bandwagon and localising their websites to open up shop to international customers.

Before jumping in with both feet, however, there are a few things you can do to ensure your international online sales go smoothly ahead of the festive season: (more…)