Call To Action: good examples in Italian and how to translate them

Effective calls to action, in any language, are those capable of convincing a website user to carry out a specific action (or ‘conversion’).

What is a call to action?

A call to action (CTA) is a few words normally used as a prompt to click a hypertext link.

In practice, calls to action appear on websites in the form of virtual buttons. By clicking on a CTA, users can download free content, subscribe to mailing lists, or make a purchase, for instance.

Effective examples of calls to action

The most effective calls to action succeed in engaging the relevant target audience. This means using a tone of voice and language in common with the target audience.

It also requires the right balance between the tone of voice of the target audience and that of the business. This maintains a corporate image while connecting with potential new customers.

These guidelines apply to all languages, but are essential for languages like Italian and Mandarin Chinese in which there is a big difference between formal language and informal language.

It is no leap, therefore, to see that all businesses need to tailor their calls to action to both the products they are selling and their target market.

Winning examples of calls to action include:

• ‘Subscribe now for free!’, which translates into Italian as Registrati! È gratis;
• ‘Start now!’, translating into Italian as Comincia subito!;
• ‘Download our free content now’, often appearing in Italian as Scarica ora i nostri contenuti gratuiti.

How do you translate CTAs?

Creating an effective call to action in English is not rocket science. The guidelines above apply to any language.

What could be trickier is translating a call to action from English into another language, such as Italian, and vice versa. This is where the skills of a professional translator specialising in marketing translation come into play.

Bearing in mind that literal translation (often found in this sector) does not work, a professional specialising in marketing translation will know how to rephrase the call to action, rendering it in the desired language. This is what is known as transcreation, and is fundamental to international marketing.

Examples of calls to action translated

Here are a few examples of very effective calls to action and their best translations into Italian:

• ‘Buy now’: Acquista ora;
• ‘Subscribe now’: Iscriviti subito;
• ‘Click here to start the free trial’: Clicca qui per cominciare la prova gratuita;
• ‘Click here and download it for free’: Clicca qui per iniziare il download gratuito.

At Eurotrad, we work with professional translators specialising in the field of advertising and marketing translation for businesses. If you need a translation service for your business, contact us for a free quotation!

A CTA is a key conversion element in online marketing. Here are the most effective calls to action and how to translate them.