Updated 2023
More businesses are now reaching global audiences. In doing so, they make sure that their marketing campaigns are translated into different languages. This allows more people to appreciate the message of their campaign and eventually patronize their products or services. But a translation fiasco can cause serious damage to your brand reputation.
This is why it is essential to ensure that every word in your marketing copy is properly translated. You also need to localize your marketing campaigns to suit the new target market. But what happens if you get caught up in an embarrassing mistranslation?
The Effects of a Translation Fiasco
Here’s a possible outcome. In 2009, HSBC Bank had to rebrand its campaign after the tagline was not translated well in various parts of the world. Its catchphrase “Assume Nothing” was translated as “Do Nothing” in many countries.
It might have been a simple mistake, but it cost the company millions of dollars. Though the chances of a huge fiasco happening are low, it is still possible. This is true especially if you have not hired experts to deal with these translation issues. However, there are some ways you can bounce back from a translation fiasco, but these tactics need to be deployed as soon as possible.
How to Handle Mistranslations
Public Apologies
Quickly apologize for the mistake and launch a new campaign. This time, make sure there will be no translation errors. You can also be witty in making excuses, allowing your audience to witness the human element present in your brand. We’re all humans, and we all err from time to time.
Launch a New Campaign
Launch a different campaign with a different focus. In doing this, you will divert the attention of the people from the previous campaign that ended up with a failure into something more exciting. This will most likely make people look forward to seeing what is in store for them. Go for massive discounts, give away freebies, or host a charity event. This will clean up the image of your company.
Get Rigorous with Review Processes
All your marketing content needs to be reviewed before it is published, and when it comes to translated content, you need more than just a standard review process. Whether it is for print ads, social media campaign,s or television commercials, everything has to be reviewed carefully. This will ensure that the same mistake won’t happen again in the future.
Partner with an Expert Translation Service Provider
Perhaps you used someone in-house to handle your translations when the translation fiasco occurred, but when it comes to taking your business global, outsourcing translation services is the only viable option. If you want to end up with the best results, you need to let experts handle all the translation details of your ad campaign. Translation agencies understand the finer nuances of language and the culture behind the language, which means that they can ensure nothing ever gets lost in translation.
Ready to Recover from that Translation Fiasco?
It might be difficult for you to pick everything up once the damage has been done. However, anything can be fixed as long as you start thinking of more creative ideas. Remember, as the cliché goes – time heals everything. When more exciting and scandalous news comes up, people will most likely forget what happened. However, it’s still important to try and repair the damage done and set your brand up for future success by deploying the tactics we discussed in this post.
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