The San Gabriel Valley includes Pasadena, Alhambra, Arcadia, Monterey Park, San Gabriel, Temple City, El Monte, Covina, West Covina, Monrovia, Azusa and many other cities. Its residents speak many languages at home, and a lot of businesses there serve customers who are more comfortable in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese or another language. If that describes your customers, your website can either help or get in the way.

Start with who your customers really are

Before you translate anything, think about who actually walks in or calls. Which languages do you hear most often? Which do your staff speak? Which questions come up in each? The goal is not to have a site in every language. The goal is to make sure the people you already serve, and the ones you want to serve, can find what they need.

Do not guess based on assumptions about a neighborhood. Look at your own customers, and ask them.

Decide what to translate first

Translating an entire site is a lot of work, and it needs ongoing upkeep. A sensible first step is to translate only the information a new customer needs most:

Add more over time if the response shows it is worth the effort.

Quality matters more than quantity

A badly translated page can confuse readers and make a business look careless. If you are not fluent in a language, do not rely on an automatic tool alone. Ask a fluent speaker you trust to review the text, ideally someone who knows your industry. Pay attention to tone as well as vocabulary, since the right level of formality differs between languages and communities.

Keep versions in step

When you change your hours or prices in English, change them in every other language the same day. Out-of-date translations are a common problem, and they create real confusion. If you cannot commit to keeping a version current, it is better to leave it out and say on the page which languages your team can help in by phone or in person.

Tell people which languages you speak

Even without a translated site, you can help. A line such as "We speak English, Mandarin and Spanish" on your contact page tells visitors they can call without worrying about a language barrier. List only what your staff can really do during your normal hours.

Think about names and addresses

Many businesses in the valley are known by more than one name, and customers may search in different languages or scripts. Make sure your business name, address and phone number appear consistently on your site and on your Google Business Profile. If your business has a name in another language, you can mention it on the site where it makes sense.

Respect cultural details

Holidays, customs and preferences vary. If you close for a particular holiday, say so ahead of time. If your menu, products or services have details that matter to a community, such as ingredients or dietary practices, describe them accurately.

Put the contact details in each language

If you do translate anything, the contact section is the part that matters most. A customer who reads your hours and directions in their own language is much more likely to come in or call. Check that the phone number is identical in every version, and that the languages you list are the ones your team can really speak during the hours you are open.

Test it with real people

Before you publish a translated page, ask a customer or a friend who speaks the language to read it and tell you whether it feels natural. Small details, such as a word that sounds stiff or a phrase that reads oddly, are easy to fix once someone points them out.

Start small and learn

You do not have to launch a fully multilingual site on day one. Begin with the key information, watch how customers respond and expand from there. A modest site in the languages your customers use is more helpful than a grand plan that never gets finished.

If you want to see what your own business site could look like, websiites will build one from a short description and show it to you before you pay anything.