How to Create Accessible Digital Content for Non-English Speakers

Across industries businesses are working to expand their reach in an increasingly competitive market. One surefire way to reach a wider audience? Making your content accessible to non-English speakers. It’s imperative that businesses think strategically about how they can reach a more diverse customer base if they would like to be successful long-term, and see increased ROI. 

Let’s dive into how your business can create digital content that connects with multilingual audiences in their language, whether spoken or signed.  

Use Clear and Concise Language

Write in simple, direct sentences to ensure clarity. Avoid complex jargon, idioms, and culturally specific references that may not translate well. Content that is easy to understand in one language is easier to translate and localize.

Invest in Professional Translations

Automated translation tools can help, but they often lack nuance. Professional human translators, like those used on the PIVOT platform, provide accuracy, cultural relevance, and a natural flow. If using AI-powered translation, have a native speaker review and refine the content for quality assurance.

Optimize Website Navigation for Multiple Languages

A seamless multilingual user experience starts with intuitive navigation. Include clearly visible language selection options and ensure that translated pages maintain consistent design, functionality, and user flow with the original content.

Enhance Video Content with Multilingual Captions and Subtitles

Video content is a powerful engagement tool, but without subtitles, it excludes many users. Provide captions and subtitles in multiple languages to improve accessibility. This also benefits users who are deaf or hard of hearing and enhances global reach. 

Implement Multilingual SEO Strategies

Ensure your content is discoverable by non-English speakers by optimizing for multilingual SEO. Use hreflang tags, local keywords, and region-specific metadata. Creating content tailored to different linguistic audiences increases search visibility and organic traffic.

Offer Multilingual Customer Support

Customer experience doesn’t stop at content. Offering multilingual support via chat, email, or phone builds trust and improves satisfaction. Tools like PIVOT, with multilingual and multimodal capabilities, can provide assistance that’s accessible regardless of preferred language. 

Design for Accessibility Across Languages

Make sure your website and digital content accommodate different languages and writing systems. Right-to-left (RTL) languages like Arabic require layout adjustments. Choose fonts, colors, and formatting that enhance readability and accessibility across all audiences.

The Business Impact of Language Accessibility

Prioritizing language accessibility is a strategic move that drives audience engagement, improves customer retention, and expands market reach. Companies that invest in multilingual content position themselves as industry leaders, gaining a competitive edge over businesses that don’t expand offerings to include diverse audiences. Want to ensure your digital content is truly accessible? Contact accesszanü today to learn how our multilingual accessibility solutions can help you connect with a broader audience and drive growth in your business!

Most Popular