Translating User Reviews and Review Requests: Why, When and How

April 5, 2022
Contributor: Shubham Gupta

Translate user reviews and review requests to increase global marketing impact for your software or SaaS business.

What do software buyers look for when seeking technology to ease their job? What's one of the most important factors influencing their purchase decision? 

Reviews from customers who have already used the same product or service. 

Customer reviews are extremely important in today's digital buying journey. They provide valuable feedback to companies, helping them improve products or services and attract new customers. Two-thirds of buyers claim that reviews significantly impact their purchasing decisions.

Since reviews strongly influence the buying experience, it’s crucial for software and SaaS providers expanding to global markets to make reviews available in multiple languages. They must have product reviews translated into their prospects’ local or native languages.

Let’s dive deeper and learn the importance of translating user reviews and how it improves conversions for global reviews campaigns.

What are translated user reviews and review requests?

Translated user reviews are just what they sound like — customer reviews that are translated into different languages. Since this approach allows prospects to access product or service information in their native language, it can be lucrative for software and SaaS vendors seeking new ways to reach more customers and increase sales.

A review request, on the other hand, is a request for a product or service review in a customer’s native language. Software and SaaS vendors send review requests in their customers' local or first language, with the intention of receiving genuine reviews in that language.

Why are in-language materials critical for software buyers?

How do you feel about reading something written in your native language? Most people feel more connected to and comprehend context better in their native language. And not so surprisingly, software buyers feel the same way. 

When it comes to software, buyers want product information in their own language. Many software buyers believe it is essential to translate core content and marketing materials into their first language, confirms Gartner Digital Markets’ 2021 Global Software Outlook Survey.*
Importance of content in user's primary language

To ensure prospects comprehend your software product or service correctly, make in-language materials accessible to them — from customer reviews and blogs to marketing collateral. This will not only bring you closer to a global audience but also improve relations with potential buyers.

Impact of in-language review requests on global marketing strategies

In-language review requests provide a significant boost to global marketing efforts. Software and SaaS providers can better connect with potential buyers and create a more positive impression globally by requesting reviews in the target languages. Conversely, if reviews are unavailable in a target language, prospects may be less likely to trust a brand or make a purchase.
Two key benefits of in-language review requests:
 
  1. Easier promotions: Requesting reviews in the target language makes it easier to promote those reviews to a local audience. For instance, requesting reviews in French means consumers in the French market will hear from genuine, local French-speaking consumers, which also eliminates the need for translation.
  2. Better customer understanding: Reviews written in native languages offer a deeper insight into the culture and values important to global customers. This helps build more informed marketing as well as product expansion strategies for the future. 

When should you translate user reviews and review requests?

It's a tough call to decide when to translate user reviews and review requests. You want to deliver the greatest possible customer experience while not wasting time or money on unnecessary translations. 

Consider these few key touchpoints to determine when to translate user reviews and review requests:

  • When you’re trying to get traction in a new market: If you’ve released your product in a new market, translating review requests can be a great way to show potential customers that you’re interested in their feedback.
  • When you want to improve user experience: If you notice that many users are reviewing your product in a different language, it’s time to consider translating existing reviews into that language to improve user experience for customers globally.
  • When you want to increase sales and profits: If prospects can’t read what others have said about your product because they don’t speak English, they might not buy from you. Translating reviews ensures everyone can access the information they need (with no language barrier) before making a purchase decision.
  • When you want to ensure your customers feel heard and valued: If you’re trying to increase customer loyalty, translating reviews into other languages will show customers that you care about their opinions and feedback.
  • When you want to avoid misunderstanding from customers who don’t speak English: Translating reviews into local languages — also known as localization — will help prevent potential misunderstanding among non-English speaking buyers who fail to read or accurately comprehend reviews written in English.

How to translate reviews and marketing collateral for greater impact

Software and SaaS businesses are increasingly using customer feedback to improve brand credibility. Customer reviews have a significant role in marketing collateral portfolios. They're posted on popular sites and provide proof of authenticity as well as build trust with prospects.

The challenge is that reviews often come in different languages and require translation for maximum impact on audiences worldwide. Translated review and review requests (into target audiences’ languages) ensure messaging is communicated accurately and effectively.

The translation process for large numbers of user reviews can be daunting and time-consuming, but it’s worth the effort to reach more potential customers.
Four ways to translate reviews and review requests for maximum impact:
 
  • Adopt in-house translation: It helps to have an in-house team for translating reviews and marketing collateral for your key global markets. Why? The in-house team has a better understanding of your brand's language and overall tone of voice, so they can tailor strategy more efficiently.
  • Opt for language service providers (LSPs): At times, the not-so-familiar native language and tone are beyond the scope of in-house teams. That's when you should turn to LSPs for help. They have professional linguist experts to handle different project types with maximum efficiency and accuracy.
  • Allow users to translate on your site (with an embedded translation tool): Consider integrating an embedded translation tool that enables users (who come to your site) to translate text in their preferred language. This would offer more accurate translations and increase site traffic from other countries.
  • Translate for different global sites (e.g., website.uk vs. website.fr): If you have a global site, consider translating reviews and other content for different countries to improve traffic and visibility. For instance, if a product review is appearing on “website.uk,” you can translate it for “website.fr” to target a wider customer base in France.

Translate user reviews for lasting impact on software buyers

Potential software buyers are spending more time online reading reviews before making purchases. However, if these reviews are not in their native language, they might miss out on something valuable or may not have the desired impact, resulting in lost customers.

Translating user reviews and review requests can help you win them back. Translated reviews show that you care about your audiences and are willing to go the extra mile for their satisfaction. This will build trust, increase sales and ultimately maximize your revenue.

Leverage Gartner Digital Markets’ no-cost Review Collection Service to get authentic user reviews and build trust with software buyers.

Shubham Gupta

Shubham Gupta is a Content Writer at Gartner Digital Markets who ideates and creates purpose-driven content to help modern technology businesses achieve their goals. Outside of work, he enjoys reading thriller novels and Urdu poetry, as well as spending time with his dog. Connect with Shubham on LinkedIn.

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*Survey methodology

Results presented are based on a Gartner study to understand business challenges and approaches to technology and software investments. The primary research was conducted between October and November 2020 among a total of 1,349 respondents in the following countries: United States, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, Portugal, Brazil, Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden, India, Spain, Germany and France.

Companies were screened for number of employees (2 to 249) and total annual revenue (less than 100 million USD in fiscal 2019) to arrive at small and midsize businesses. Respondents were also required to be involved in purchasing technologies for the organization and hold a position of manager or above in the company.
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