I know some languages emphasise words differently to English, e.g. via changing word endings rather than stressing words with inflection of the voice. 

If you are localising a site, would you trust that `<strong>` and `<em>` tags (and their placement) will have the same meaning in other languages — would you maintain this emphasis, check with your translator or leave them out?

What I'm wondering is how this translates (excuse the pun) into the semantics of the web? — Strong and em tags carry semantic meaning that is used within SEO, screen-readers etc. So should they be left in place so this isn't lost, or dropped to better conform with the target language?