Fashion translation

Translate product descriptions or find a translator for a fashion shop – here you will find some tips

Modern translation for the fashion industry:

7 Signs of a professional translator

Do you need a translation of the content for your fashion shop? Would you like to translate your Amazon or Ebay product descriptions?

It doesn’t seem too difficult to find a translator for the fashion industry, but there are some hidden nuances.

The fashion industry is developing rapidly. New types of clothing, shoes, textiles, dyeing techniques, and not-yet-in-existing items are appearing. As a result, the fashion language is changing. For a correct and modern translation, your translator must therefore also keep up with the times.

I’ll tell you what you have to pay attention to when choosing the right translator.

Must-have skills of a professional fashion translator

• Familiarity with the latest fashion trends

The fashion industry includes not only fashionable items such as clothes, shoes, dishes or even furniture, but also the materials or technologies with which they are manufactured.

For example, Typewriter technology is new today and is only just beginning to gain popularity. It might at first glance seem logical that it is a print. In fact, the word “typewriter” in this context means a Japanese technology for the production of cotton fabric. A fashion-conscious translator will not confuse the technology with the material, the manufacturer brand or the print.

There is also a trend towards sustainability in clothing today. Instead of the usual fabrics, new ones appear: antimicrobial, made from recycled materials – environmentally friendly, body-friendly, more functional. The fibers of the new generation are, for example: Loopback, Alcantara leather, Rayon, Meryl, Layocell, Tactel. A language expert who is familiar with latest fashion trends will never translate the names of fabrics like brand names or designer collections.

Fashion trends are also not left aside the color and dyeing techniques. There are unique Peach Pink, Rocky Road, Fruit Dove, Biking Red. Some check patterns are confusingly similar. If your translator follows the latest fashion trands, he/she can easily distinguish the pepita from tartan, gingham, houndstooth or prince of wales pattern.

• Familiarity with branded products from top brands

World brands have created their own unique products or elements. Who hasn’t heard about Louboutin iconic red-soled shoes? But how many people have heard about the McCartney Falabella bag, Shaggy Deer imitation leather, the Louis Vuitton Pochette bag, the Gucci Horsebit brand element or Wood sneakers made of eucalyptus from Giesswein? These items have unique features and are patented products. Therefore, they, like the well-known Louboutins, should not be translated, but only adapted, keeping the original name.

• Ability to detect false translator friends in the fashion world

In the variety of fashion there are many things that have the same spelling but differ in purpose. Is Oxford a fabric, shirt, shoes, or print on clothing? At first glance, it looks like a cut-out dress is a dress with the cut-out. Today, however, a dress with a special cut type, which was given the designation „cut-out dress” has come into fashion. At the sight of the word Alcantara leather, it may seem that this is one of the types of leather. However, it is synthetic suede with a velvety surface based on a microfiber nonwoven made of polyester and polyurethane.

• SEO skills to find the right words for your target audience

In the modern world it is important for web shops that the product texts are not only attractive, but also SEO-optimized and unique. For this reason, the choice of word variant for the target language into which your translator will translate product descriptions plays an important role.

When optimizing the search for the translation, it should be noted that some product names have synonyms in their native language as well as their English-language analogues, which are also used quite often in the modern language. E.g. hiking boots, hiking shoes, hikers, alpine shoes. For search optimization, it is better to choose the variant of the word that is more popular in the region of the target language. The use of multiple variations will contribute to a greater reach. Usually this point is discussed with the SEO content translator who also will create a glossary for your ecommerce website.

• Familiarity with the neologisms of the fashion world

New products with unique characteristics and differences should not be translated. When translating neologisms, their designations should be retained. For example, wood sneakers made of eucalyptus are not translated as “sneakers made of wood”, and chunky sneakers or dad sneakers are not translated as “sneakers with thick sole”. Untranslatable article names also include for example: running sneakers, trekking shoes, slip-on loafers, athletic sneakers, peep toe.

• Competence in language styles

The translation of the online shop usually includes product details (descriptions), catalogs, size charts, instructions for use, shipping information and documents, privacy policy and technical messages. The translation of the item description is stylistically different from the instructions. Product texts are usually more creative and aim to reveal the unique qualities of a product.

• Localization skills

In order for your fashion webshop to be user-friendly in the target language, it should be localized. This means translation taking into account regional characteristics, including terminology, sizes, dimensions and local time. An easy-to-use platform, both on PCs and mobile devices, is a must-have for online stores. Therefore, you should pay attention to this if you need to translate product descriptions. The localizer can adapt your texts using one of the localization platforms or modern translation software and adapt them to the length of the row of windows or buttons.

These tips will help you find the right translator for your webshop. All conclusions in this article are drawn by me from my own translation experience. And if you are looking for a translator for English, German, Russian, Dutch (Netherlandish), I am your direct contact person. This means that you will receive your translation without any middleman.

• I need a translator for my online store and would like to find out prices

• I need translate product descriptions into German and Russian

• I would like to translate my webshop