Google Translate Bugs

Hearing how much of a help machine translations are, is no longer a foreign thing to many of us now. Living in a world where we are often seeking things to be done quickly and easily, it is not a surprise that many of us are relying on the likes of Google, Bing and Yahoo translators. Online and machine translations do have their own benefits and they work at times but of course, there will be times where you cannot trust the translations produced by these applications online.

As an example, I have typed “I fell from the tree and it hurts” onto Google translate and the Malay translated texts produced were “I jatuh dari pokok itu dan ia menyakitkan”. In this simple and short sentence, not only were there grammatical errors but the system has failed to translate the word ‘I’ into Malay! In instances like these, the end user has to be alert of such errors and make the sound decision to not put his full trust and faith onto online translation applications.

This is the reason why many professional translators push for human translation instead of machine. With the presence of human beings working on the copies, these professional and trained translators are able to fully understand the content better than a machine would. In addition, they are also able to sift out other aspects such as nuances and emotions portrayed and would translate accordingly, something a machine translator is unable to perform.

Personally, we wouldn’t recommend machine translations but in cases you need to use them, be sure to double, if not triple check before using the translated texts for submission!

 

 

The Challenge of Website Copywriting

Know Your Audience

This is crucial as you are ultimately putting in content to your website for your specific target audience. Not knowing who you are writing for can cause extreme damage as the style and tone of the website content may not be the one you are looking for. Once you have streamlined your audience, picking the right angle and messages for the website content should be followed up with next.

 

Only the Main Points

Sometimes, lesser is better. Just because you have more content, it does not necessarily mean your content is better. It is best if you can convey your messages by highlighting only the main points. Focus on the main issue at hand and concentrate on bringing out that one message you’d like your readers to understand and read about.

 

Call to Action

Be it website content or a single copy by itself, including the call to action is very important. You certainly do not want your readers to be left hanging, not knowing what to do should they be interested in your service/product. A liner or two highlighting the various ways of contacting you should suffice. Sometimes, some companies would choose to also include some discounts to entice readers to make an immediate action.

 

Here at copywritingservices, we provide copywriting services that suit your needs. Drop us a call at 6600 3798 for more infomation!

Do you know copywriting?

copywriting2

Often times when we are given a copywriting task by a client, we get excited and pumped up to carry out the assignment. We have all these amazing suggestions and ideas going inside our heads but where do we start?

The best way to start is to understand what is needed by the client. You might have the greatest idea but if it doesn’t speak to your client, it won’t work. This also means that you need to work closely with your client to fully understand the direction of the project.

It is very important that your client provides at least the basic information that sets you off right. It is also important that you communicate well with them and get regular updates in case they have additional pointers to add halfway through the project.

As copywriters, it is of course our duty to give nothing but the best but in order to achieve the best, it works both ways. Communication between us and the client is very important and we should ensure this stays through at least till the end of the project.

Good luck!

Ideas On How To Hire A Good Copywriter

Ever find yourself keying the word “copywriter” or “copywriting services” into the website, especially Google, and find that you land yourself on a page that has too many choices and you don’t know where to start?

Basically before you start looking for copy writers, you need to have a few things on hand so that you can enquire and hire a good quality one. Here are a few pointers:

1)      Know what you need to write. Let the copywriter know that you need help in crafting a copy for website, marketing collateral (like a brochure or pamphlet, etc), email or advertising copy. Different materials call for different length of the copy.

2)      The style that you are looking for. Is it witty and funny, serious, informative, short and sweet, or the kind that renders the readers to think more about it?

3)      The audience that you are targeting. For a real estate company that sells a luxurious condominium, your target may not be that everyday man on the street. It is also the same when you go for printing of these ads, you will not print on a daily newspaper. More often than not, you will print in magazines read by the rich.

4)      The direction that you are going with the copy. What is it that you want to convey through that copy?

5)      What is the call-for-action? Would you like to have a paragraph that asks the reader to contact you if he is interested? Or is it merely for reading purposes?

6)      Captions of pictures. Let the writer know if you have pictures that you may want to add into the copy. It can also provide an idea of what you are selling.

7)      Provision of information. This is most important when you hire the copywriting company. Usually a writer would not have much information to the subject as compared to you, he may not know where to look for the information. So it is best that you have some research or informative materials for him to start writing.

With all the above in mind and ready on hand, you will be able to guide the writer through your requirements more effectively.