Ebay have announced that they will be offering a translation service to Japanese sellers who want to list products on its English-language service which they hope will encourage cross border trade.
The service will cause a slight delay in adding an item to the site but is relatively simple. Sellers will be able to type a product description in Japanese and it will be translated within 24 hours into English.
This is an excellent tool for Ebay. Ebay is unique in that it has a global appeal. Breaking down the language barrier can only improve its service and I am sure more languages will be added in the future.
International sales on Ebay more than doubled last year to $4.6 billion and now accounts for 54% of their total revenue.
A Chinese interface is already available for Ebay. Global Link Software allows sellers to list and manage products across 21 Ebay sites.
The Japanese service can also be used to translate buyer’s questions from English into Japanese and then translate the reply back again.
Explanations on how to list a product will be available in Japanese on a new website.
Ebay’s Japanese site is http://www.sekaimon.com/