How to translate product content with AI
Crafting translations of product content efficiently and to good effect is critical for businesses aiming to expand into global markets. This is especially so when not only the language is involved, but nuances of culture, linguistics, and local commercial norms.
That’s why an increasingly popular choice nowadays is to leverage AI for translation. It’s fast, cost-effective, and lends itself handily to scaling your volume of translations. In this article, we’ll examine the advantages of using AI translation tools, the challenges involved, how to write effective AI prompts for product content translations, and what we consider as best practices for optimising AI tools to enhance your product content.
Gains from using AI to translate your product content
AI-powered translation tools offer a wide range of advantages, making them ideal for translating product content, especially for eCommerce businesses. Here are the main benefits:
1. Speed and efficiency
Traditional translation methods, such as using human translators or agencies, can be time-consuming and costly. AI translation, on the other hand, lets businesses translate vast amounts of content in a short time. Tools like Descriptionwise can translate product descriptions, specifications, and even user manuals in seconds, making it possible to scale across multiple languages quickly.
2. Cost-effectiveness
By automating much of the translation process, AI tools significantly reduce costs. There’s no need to pay per word or for additional revisions, as is often the case with manual translations. AI tools like Google Translate or OpenAI’s language models can generate initial drafts, which, with some fine-tuning, often suffice for many use cases.
3. Consistency in translation
AI-powered systems can guarantee consistency across all translated content. This is a crucial factor for businesses managing large product catalogues. Consistent terminology, product names, and phrases improve customer trust and reduce confusion (and bounce rates for that matter) when browsing product listings in different languages.
4. Localisation alongside translation
Advanced AI tools, including those integrated into Descriptionwise, not only translate text but also adapt content to local cultural nuances. This localisation capability ensures that product descriptions and marketing materials resonate with the intended audience in their specific region, including adjustments to idiomatic expressions, units of measurement, or date formats.
Be aware of the challenges
Despite these obvious benefits, AI translations come with their own set of challenges which you need to address to ensure high-quality results.
1. Context and nuance
AI can struggle with understanding the full context or cultural nuances of certain phrases. For example, metaphors or idiomatic expressions often require careful handling to ensure that the intended meaning is preserved. Without human oversight, these can easily be mangled and mistranslated, causing confusion or even offence to local audiences.
2. Industry-specific terminology
Product descriptions often contain industry-specific jargon or technical terms. AI translation tools may not always recognise these terms accurately, especially if they are rare or unique to a particular sector. In such cases, manual intervention is needed to ensure the correct usage of such terminology.
3. Quality control
While AI translation tools are fast, they are machines – not flawless…yet. In some instances, translations may lack fluency or miss critical grammatical structures. It’s important to review AI-generated translations (ideally by a native speaker of the target language) to ensure accuracy, appropriateness, and readability.
How to write AI prompts for translating product content
AI’s effectiveness in translating product content depends to a significant degree on the quality of the prompts provided. Well-structured prompts help the AI generate more accurate translations that take context into account.
1. Be specific about the language pair
For better results, specify the source and target languages in your prompt. For instance:
“Translate this English product description to Spanish, maintaining technical accuracy.”
2. Provide context
Including context in your prompts helps AI better understand the type of text it’s working with. If your product description includes technical terms or industry jargon, let the AI know. For example:
“Translate this product manual from English to German. The text discusses electronics and uses technical terminology.”
3. Specify the tone or style
If you want the translation to retain a certain tone or style (e.g., formal, conversational), include this in the prompt:
“Translate this product description into French, keeping the language formal and professional.”
4. Use combined prompts
For more advanced translations, you can combine prompts to specify multiple aspects at once. For example:
“Translate this description of a kitchen appliance from English to Italian, ensuring the text is easy for non-technical users to understand.”
Best practices for using AI tools to translate product content
Using AI effectively for product translation requires a combination of strategic input and careful review. Here are some best practices to help you get the most out of your AI tools.
1. Use AI for the initial translation, but rely on human oversight
AI can provide an excellent foundation for your translations, but human review is crucial to catch mistakes and ensure quality. Especially for product descriptions with technical details, get native speakers or industry experts to validate the translation to guarantee accuracy.
2. Leverage paid AI tools for better results
Free tools like Google Translate offer good basic translations, but paid services often come equipped with enhanced features like context-aware translations, better accuracy, and customisation options. Tools like Descriptionwise provide superior quality by integrating its AI capabilities with human-level expertise, making them suitable for businesses that require consistent, high-quality output.
3. Customise your AI tool settings
If your AI tool allows for it, customise settings to align with your specific product category or industry. Tools that integrate with Product Information Management (PIM) platforms, like Descriptionwise, can be customised to reflect product taxonomies and brand guidelines, ensuring more consistent and accurate translations.
4. Continuously train the AI
Most AI tools are learning from the data they process. Feed your AI tool with examples of high-quality translations and corrected errors, and you can gradually enhance the quality and accuracy of its output. Descriptionwise, for example, allows users to train the system to better understand brand-specific terminology.
Final words
If you’re looking to streamline your product content translations with advanced AI, try Descriptionwise for free today. Our AI-powered platform delivers accurate, localised translations and integrates seamlessly with major PIM systems. Upgrade to the premium version for even more powerful, customisable features to ensure your content is always a step ahead of the competition.