Amazon Listing Translation & Localization Guide for International Sellers

Amazon is steadily rolling out new marketplaces around the world, offering third-party sellers almost unlimited opportunities to grow with the platform. While it’s great to sell successfully in the U.S. and Canada, expanding internationally with Amazon into Europe, the Middle East, and Asia gives you access to millions of new customers with significant purchasing power thanks to their growing economies and a booming e-commerce market.

If you want to take your Amazon business to the next level and start conquering international marketplaces, you can’t do so without translating your listings and adapting their content to local buyer preferences.

Firstly, because Amazon’s policy on selling abroad mandates localization of your product detail pages, and secondly, because it allows you to reach many more customers with your listings.

We’ll show you how to convince customers of your brand and products by perfectly translating your listings and adapting them to local preferences, and explain what to pay special attention to.

Many People Speak English – So Why Should I Bother Translating My Amazon Listings?

Although English is the most spoken language in the world, you can only reach about 25% of the world’s Internet users with English content. In Europe alone, where there are 8 Amazon marketplaces on which Europeans can shop, 24 different languages are spoken.

And since customers prefer to make purchases in their own language because they better understand the product offering and terms of purchase, you’re missing out on billions of customers and sales if you don’t translate and localize your offerings.

According to a Harvard Business Review report on consumer behavior, 75% of online shoppers are more likely to buy a product if the information about it is available in their own language. In fact, more than half say that product price is not as important to them as the ability to obtain product information in their native language.

Moreover, selling products is not just about conveying basic product information, but also about marketing techniques and sales psychology. To persuade customers to buy, your listing and copy must be as appealing and compelling as possible. The best way to achieve this is to address your target audience in their native language.

Ultimately, Amazon’s language requirements more or less force you to adapt your sales activities to the local languages of your target markets anyway.

NoteImperial System vs. Metric System

Not only the search terms can differ from country to country, but also the units of measurement. Especially the US market with its imperial system is very different from - well - almost the entire rest of the world, which has the metric system. A translator will convert inches into centimeters, ounces into grams and miles per hour into kilometers per hour so that in the end, everything will be perfectly coherent.

Global Selling: Amazon’s Language Guidelines

Amazon itself also stipulates that your listings and customer support must be available in the local language of the marketplaces you sell on. In German on Amazon.de, in French on Amazon.fr, in Japanese on Amazon.co.jp and so on.

Also, customer support must be offered in the language of the country you are selling in. If you sell through Fulfillment by Amazon, you don’t have to worry about customer service because Amazon handles it for you – it’s included in the FBA program.

However, if you sell through FBM, you need to make sure that you offer fast and reliable customer support in the respective local language.

For more tips on selling globally check our expansion guides

Can I Translate My Listings And Run Customer Support With Google Translate?

The time difference and language barriers can make it very challenging for you to establish yourself and your products in international markets. While there are many AI-based translation tools available today that theoretically allow you to do the translations yourself, they still tend to make critical translation errors.

It’s always difficult to prevail against the competition and when you go international, it will be even harder as you will have to compete with local sellers who know the language, the market situation and the buyers’ preferences by heart. The smallest detail in the product photos, a single bullet point or a difference of 0.1 stars can decide whether a customer will choose your product or a competing product.

If there are any spelling or grammatical errors in your bullet points, your infographics or your description, your entire listing will look sketchy and discourage potential customers from buying.

Even worse, slow, poor customer service that makes customers feel misunderstood will quickly lead to negative reviews and consequently damage your seller performance.

This is why you should either hire your own in-house team, which is very expensive, or hire a professional external agency to translate your listings and handle customer service for you.

Hiring A Translation Agency – Benefits & Costs

Amazon listing translation agencies are companies or freelancers that you can hire to translate your listings. They know at least two languages and are familiar with Amazon’s listing requirements. Some only translate from one language to another, for example from English to Spanish or vice versa. This is especially common among independently working freelancers.

Benefits Of Hiring A Professional Listing Translation Agency

When selling to more than one other country it makes sense to hire a translation agency. Larger Amazon translation agencies usually employ many different translators with different language backgrounds and skills.

The main advantage is that these translators are not just mere translators, but are usually trained in Amazon SEO and writing persuasive copy. Thus, they know exactly how to create a product detail page with copy that will entice customers to buy and rank your listing well in product search results.

In addition, a professional agency offers translations into many different languages. So if you want to have your offer translated into several languages simultaneously, for example if you want to tap into several European marketplaces at once, an agency is an ideal partner for you.

Costs of A Professional Listing Translation

There is no standard pricing system amongst translators, but certain pricing methods that are most commonly used. A very common model is the one whereby payment is calculated per word, which is usually between 5 and 30 cents per word.

Many translators also set a fixed price per listing translation, normally between $100 and $300 per listing.

The turnaround time is also decisive in determining how much is charged. The faster the work is delivered, the higher the cost will be for the translation service.

What Makes A Good Translation Agency?

There are plenty of translation agencies that specialize in translating Amazon listings. Before you choose one, it is important to know how you can recognize a good agency.

  • Excellent Language & Writing Skills – Obviously, grammar, spelling, an extensive vocabulary and a pleasant writing style are all things that the translator should be proficient in. Plus, your translator can’t just translate your original listing word by word, but rather needs to understand the intention and tone of the source text to be able to translate the meaning accordingly into the target language.
  • Knowledge Of The Country & Culture – The translator needs to know and understand the culture and customs of your target market. This is the only way to maintain a consistent brand image and language across different markets.
  • Qualifications & Certification – Any great translator has had a good education, passed appropriate tests and received certifications that are linked to high standards. So before you contract an Amazon Listing Translation Agency, ask what training the translators have undergone and what certifications they have received.
  • Industry & Product Experience – A good translator for your Amazon listing is one that knows the Amazon ecosystem and has experience with your type of product, especially if marketing it requires special technical or medical vocabulary
  • Tools & Software – Usually, a good translation agency will do a keyword research using keyword research tools to ensure your listing will rank in the search results.  
  • Proof-Reading & Feedback Loops – Good translators are obsessed with delivering the highest quality. This means that the translation is reviewed several times before the final result is delivered to you. The translator uses high-quality proofreading software and pays attention to the smallest details: Each comma, apostrophe and sentence is checked again and again, usually by a second translator too.
  • Quick Turnaround & Professionalism – Any reliable Amazon listing translation expert is committed to providing a fast turnaround time. They value a professional working relationship and stick to agreed deadlines. In addition, their professionalism is characterized by the fact that they are always open to feedback and can implement your wishes without feeling attacked.
  • Personal Contact & Communication – Communication should be quick and easy. Ideally, you should have a personal contact person who will take care of you and your project. Often a document is sent back and forth between you and the translator until it is perfect and the final version of the translation is ready. It’s annoying and a sign of poor organizational skills if it takes 5 days every time until your emails are answered or you are called back.

Before you hire an agency to translate your listings, you should ask them to send you some previous translation work, testimonials and/or case studies.

Conclusion – Use A Professional Translation Agency To Make Your Listings Stand Out

Listing your products not only on English speaking Amazon marketplaces, but also globally, holds tremendous sales and revenue potential that you should definitely take advantage of in order to scale your business. By adjusting your listing content to the local language and consumer preferences, you can convince millions of new customers to buy your products.

When localizing and translating your Amazon listings, be sure to hire a professional Amazon listings translation agency. They will provide you with perfectly translated, SEO-optimized product detail pages that will appeal to your target audience. 

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Toby Fischer, MBA

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