Thanks to the continual evolution of our digital world, it’s easier than ever for businesses to expand their target market and acquire new clients by doing business internationally. But contrary to popular belief, there are many parts of the world where purchase power is rising, and English is not the primary or preferred language. However, taking your business to the global stage isn’t as easy as setting up shop in a new location and shipping your products overseas.
The key to success in developing a solid presence in a new market is ensuring that you literally speak your new audience’s language.
Communicating with your customers in their native language, and not your company’s default language, is no longer optional; it is essential. This is a fact supported by a 2014 Common Sense Advisory Group Study that found 75% of consumers are more likely to purchase something if the information about it is presented in their native language.
By understanding your consumers, their unique habits, culture, and language, you can produce the right kind of marketing materials that will evoke emotion in your audience. Here’s a look at the dos and don’ts for global businesses aiming to translate their marketing materials for international audiences!
Do
Work With a Reputable Language Services Provider
Even if you (or one of your employees) are fluent in the language you want to translate your materials to, it’s a task that’s best left in the hands of professionals. You need a lot more than just bilingual skills to translate your materials for a foreign market.
Professional linguists have more than just knowledge of the language; they also understand the target market, its cultural sensitivities, current events, and nuances that can make your marketing materials more relevant and engaging.
Understand the Process of Transcreation
Literal, word-for-word translators are great for short, informal conversations, but they’re rarely able to resonate the right way. This is why you need to deploy transcreation, which is a combination of translation and localization, plus a little more creation. Transcreation will take your translation to the next level and ensure that your message still carries the same weight and meaning, regardless of which language they’re written in.
Focus on Your Style Guide
Your brand and its marketing materials have their own unique ‘voice’, which means it has to be translated too. Creating style and editorial guidelines for your language services provider to follow ensures your brand’s message stays consistent, regardless of which language you’re targeting. Reference materials like glossaries and any previously translated content can also help your translator gauge the tone you’re aiming for.
Don’t
Use Machine Translation
Machine translation (MT) tools like Google Translate works for short phrases but definitely not for marketing content. You need a professional and experience human translator for professional projects, regardless of how big or small they are. MT is often unnatural, inaccurate, error-prone, and lacks essential content. It also doesn’t localize your content to reflect cultural nuances, which is exactly what you need to ensure a native brand experience. Anything meant to be consumed by humans must be translated by humans.
Forget About Regional Dialects
Translation isn’t just about going from English to a foreign language. The abundance of regional dialects and colloquialisms must also be kept in mind when going global with your brand message. Even English-to-English content might need a little tweaking to ensure it resonates with the foreign audience.
American brands targeting audiences in countries like Australia and the UK must ensure they’re providing their audiences with local market terms to ensure they can explore your products in the right context. In Spain, for example, there are four distinct dialects in use, which can impact the terms you use in your marketing campaigns and call for the modification of materials to fit in with regional sales patterns.
Ignore Cultural Context
When you translate your marketing content, you need to remember that you’re targeting a whole new culture. So even with the best translation, your audience might still miss the point of your campaign if you don’t incorporate cultural aspects into your messaging. It’s all about saying the right things at the right time, but what’s acceptable in one culture might be taboo in the next. This is why it is essential to consider the premise of your campaign and ensure it’s culturally acceptable, even if it requires you to try another angle or have your copy written in a different way.
Need Help with Your Global Marketing?
Day Translations thrives on helping brands establish their presence on the global stage. With our team of experienced, professional linguists, we’ll ensure that every aspect of your marketing outreach is localized to ensure optimal engagement levels with your audience, regardless of which country you’re targeting. Get in touch with us today to learn more about our range of localization and transcreation services that’ll ensure your brand’s message never gets lost in translation!