In October of 2009, Twitter launched its first crowdsourcing system designed to help translate Twitter sites into multiple languages. With the volunteer efforts of Twitter users around the world, the pages of this popular site were translated into French, German, Korean, Japanese, Italian and Spanish. This opened up Twitter access to millions of new users around the world.
In 2011, Twitter took this system to the next level. With a new product called the Twitter Translation Center, the company can now crowdsource translations of Twitter sites into dozens of new languages. Any Twitter user can now sign up, log in and start contributing to the translation process. Volunteers can create translator profiles, use phrase tagging, comment on phrases and more. Translations are taking place on Twitter.com, mobile.twitter.com, Twitter for iPhone and iPad, Twitter for Android, Twitter Help and the Twitter Business Center. (Translations apply to sites and products, not Tweets.)
For business users, this means the reach of Twitter is about to expand exponentially. Thousands, maybe millions of users who couldn’t access Twitter products a few short years ago will now be able to log on and join the conversation. This is a potential game changer for growing businesses with international ambitions.
Deals, links, updates, compelling pictures and special offers can be viewed by users on the other side of the world. Bear in mind that these translations apply to products, not Tweets, so you’ll be able to take better advantage of this new tool with images and non-verbal product messages.
If you’re interested in joining Twitter’s crowdsourcing efforts in order to target a specific language market, visit twitter.com/translate and follow @translator for more information.
Image By: shawncampbell
