How a tourist translator draws Italian visitors to
your site
You may have invested a lot of time and effort in attractive pictures, SEO, a lovely layout, and maybe even a fast online booking system. But, what about a good tourism translation of your website?
Perhaps you’d like to expand your customer base to the Italian market—but you’re
worried. There are tons of pages to be translated from English to Italian. You’re not sure if the investment is worth it. So, you wait… and all those potential Italian
customers might book elsewhere in the meantime.
It’s easy to avoid this, though. Below, I’ll share a few tips on how you can craft the perfect website for the Italian tourism sector.
Your Italian travel translator can advise on what to translate
When you want to expand internationally, you may think that you’ll have to have the same amount of information, web pages, etc. in the target language of the countries you’re trying to reach. But you’re lucky: that’s not the case!
Find a reliable travel and tourism translator to partner with for a consultation. They’ll help you identify pages that will really make a difference in attracting Italian-speaking tourists. Alternatively, they can prepare a quote tailored to your budget. You can then decide whether you want a full website translation after trialing your new Italian site for a couple of seasons.
Don’t use AI for your Italian tourism translation
Machine translation can seem like a great option to save time and money when you consider new web content for the tourism industry. But it’s not. Google prefers fresh and authentic content: it’s able to detect if a website has been machine translated, and is likely to penalise AI-generated copy during a web search.
So, prioritise quality over quantity. Make sure all the effort you put into those pages is reflected in a high-quality Italian version of your website—even if only the most crucial parts of it are translated at first.
Of course, high-quality tourism translations aren’t free, but they can help you get more sales. Investing in qualified native translators is key here!
The last thing you want is to waste time by running all your pages through Google Translate. You’ll only discover it’s gibberish to Italians, and then have to find a reliable translator (or a professional translation agency) to fix everything.
Invest in evergreen content with QR codes and translations
Your rates might vary. So do your restaurant menus and the seasonal activities you offer. If you’ve printed attractive promotional leaflets for these, they may go out of date quickly. What to do?
The good news: nowadays, you can rely on QR codes. They never change, and you can tweak your online materials as often as you like. Just create “evergreen” templates that change according to the season or even the weather. This way, you always give up-to-date information to your customers — fast.
Commission Italian FAQs and professional templates
Once you have translated some—or all—parts of your website, you might start getting enquiries in Italian. However, you may not employ any Italian-speaking staff. Although you might be tempted to write a friendly reply and just run it through Google Translate, there’s a better way to impress your potential guests.
Talk to your translator about frequently asked questions you receive. Then, prepare an online FAQ page, or—even better—ask your translator to prepare some handy templates for you! These could range from a general information request to a booking confirmation. This way, you’ll easily deal with everyday queries on your own. You’ll also save time and money and—most importantly—protect your reputation.
What if an enquiry is unusual? That’s when your translator comes in handy. They’ll be able to explain its meaning and, after liaising with you, craft a polite reply that reflects your style.
Your translator’s cultural awareness will win you clients
Did you know? When Italian tourists visit the UK or Ireland, they’re often very surprised that shops and restaurants close so early. So, you may want to include general shopping and opening hours in a welcome folder or in your online tourist information. For example, your guests will remember that the bell ringing in a pub is a sign to place their last orders!
There are many more tips your translator can give you—especially if they have lived both in Italy and in your own country. Make sure your visitors stay satisfied guests with their help.
Your chosen translator should be very familiar with local customs, follow the local news, and keep in touch with UK- and Ireland-based friends and colleagues. (This is what I do, so I always know what Italian tourists can expect in these countries.)
Ask your translator to run a test on your website
Your online booking system may have come with a standard Italian language version. Perhaps you even had a custom system built to tailor your website buttons and text.
If so, make sure your translator tests the booking process by pretending they are an Italian guest. This way, they can highlight any obstacles, and you’ll work together to make the process simple (and maybe even fun!). The last thing you want is to scare a potential guest away because they couldn’t figure out how to use your booking system.
Invest in high-quality tourism translation services
So, if you’re thinking about writing content for the travel industry, a tourism translation really can provide excellent results. Interested in learning more?
I’m a qualified Italian tourism translator who’s lived, studied, and worked in England and Wales. (Ireland is also one of my favourite travel destinations!)
I’d be happy to discuss your needs per email or during an informal call.