Published in SEO translations, Translating - General Information, Translation Agency Vienna on 13/01/2020

In today’s digital world, companies of all sizes find it easier than ever to enter foreign markets and to do business internationally. Yet, succeeding in a foreign market involves much more than simply opening a store there or advertising that you ship your products or sell your services internationally. In order to build a strong presence outside your home country, you need to quite literally speak your customer’s language.

Today, having your website and other communication materials only in English is not enough to achieve international business success. Recent survey results show that 75% of customers are more likely to purchase a product or service if the information is presented in their own language and in a way that is appropriate to their culture. In order for the marketing efforts to evoke the desired emotions, the content needs to reflect the customer’s habits and culture.

Choosing an experienced translator

Even if you or some of your employees are fluent in the target language, the translation should be best done by professionals.

Bilingual employees may speak the language, but they will lack the skill set of a professional linguist possessing an in-depth knowledge of the grammar and the cultural context. Also, bilingual employees do not have the necessary experience in and familiarity with translating marketing materials and corporate communication.

Therefore, we would advise you to leave this task to an experienced translator who knows about potential cultural stumbling blocks and will make the translation relevant and engaging.

Transcreation, not translation

Literal translation may be misinterpreted or may not be as effective as intended. Transcreation, however, takes translation to the next level, where communication materials are phrased in a way that the words and their meaning in different cultures have the same weight and impact.

Not all translators and agencies have sufficient knowledge and experience to do transcreation. We therefore advise you to hire a specialist with a proven history of successful transcreation projects.

Consistency is key

In your own language, the messages are probably communicated in a consistent way. This consistency should be reflected in the translations as well. Your tone of voice should be audible in all marketing texts and translations in order to build a coherent brand image. Creating style guidelines for content creators, marketers and translators will help you maintain a unique and consistent tone, which is vital to global marketing success.

Avoid using machine translation

Having your materials translated using Google Translate is often tempting, especially when you need a quick translation of just a few words, but these translations are often inaccurate or sound unnatural. In order for the translation to sound natural and be appropriate for the cultural context, the translations should be best done by human translators.

Keep the cultural context in mind

For multilingual marketing campaigns to be successful, the translator must take into consideration the foreign way of experiencing the world. As the marketing content often involves puns, humor, metaphors and slang, these need to be translated cautiously, as what’s compelling in one culture might be confusing or offensive in another. This means that translators should translate the content from the perspective of the target customers and adjust it to their worldview.

If you are looking for a reliable translation partner for building a successful international communication strategy, feel free to contact us.

Let us help you build a coherent brand image and establish effective communication with your target audience, locally as well as internationally.