Becoming a Global Player

When you’re establishing a presence in the global market, communication with your customers needs to be on point. Expecting to reach an international audience without investing time and effort in language translation services is a road to frustration.

Common Sense Advisory found that about 72% of consumers, prefer to be addressed or reached in their native language. They also(AMA- American Marketing Association).

As part of your company’s globalized approach, you need to have your marketing materials and website translated, but it goes deeper than that. You need to step back and take a holistic view of your business. Current market data shows that the largest international players are retaining a strong but simple brand identity and successfully translating it to fit each linguistic market. Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign is a perfect example of a concise, positive message that appealed to billions.

Making Translation Part of Your Equation

How and where do you apply translation to expand your market? To discover the how of applying translation, we must find the where. Here are some of the most important places to pay close attention to translation:

Social media Translation. Social media marketing has rapidly become one of the most important activities in marketing and its traffic helps push leads and sales activities. Social media is continuously changing but is here to stay. Having your social media material expertly translated and localized is critical to success in marketing. Social media moves very quickly and you have to be ready to respond to changing platforms and trends.

Document Translation. This applies to brochures, insets, articles, flyers, any direct marketing piece and other print material your business uses. Professional document translation helps lend accuracy and legitimacy to a globalizing brand.

Website Translation. Product pages must be translated, as well as terms of service, policies, pricing, company information, calls to action, and forms. All the relevant content, including elements for search engines, must be translated carefully by a professional human translator expert versed in the source and target language, your products and services, and the technology of the website.

Customer support. This must be available in a suitable format, such as chat windows, form messages, or live representatives. This will give your clients even more confidence when communicating with your company, which strengthens your brand and earns customer loyalty.

Translation of internal processes. Training videos, manuals, and every piece of resource material for employees must be professionally translated by people who are not only fluent in both the source and target languages but the industry of your company’s product and services as well.

Legal materials. Licensing, purchasing, franchising, contract, terms and conditions, and many more legal events in the life of a business carry with them large amounts of paperwork which need to be accessible to all concerned parties in their languages. A business that shows itself to be upright and diligent in its international legal dealings will win goodwill, reputation, and a positive image.

Beyond Translation: Localizing

Change is something your company must be open to when making translation part of your business practices. Translation of marketing materials and websites must sometimes involve transcreation. Transcreation is a step beyond translation that adapts the content stylistically to appeal to the target audience while retaining the integrity of the message. Consider the brand Mr. Clean, adapted to Mr. Proper in much of Eastern Europe. Or, Lay’s crisps that have different brand names worldwide but have similar looking logos. These brands grew in these markets by altering their presentation. Here are a few tips on following their example:

Apply local SEO. A professional Translation company will guide you on what keywords to use based on top searches by the target market.

Learn and use local marketing metrics. These can tell you much about your target demographics, such as whether they prefer mobile apps to websites, or if they respond better to video over text.

Use your translation service provider to the fullest by allowing them to be a cultural guide, with input on what will and will not resonate with your audience.

Change or update the content to help your international buyers: kilometers or miles, inches or centimeters, kilos or pounds, Celsius or Fahrenheit. Adapt your content to the systems and acronyms that are familiar to your target audience, or offer both for clarity so your clients receive the information in the units that they use.

New Customers, Bigger Profits

Enhancing your international marketing efforts by using translation services is an essential part of developing a successful international business plan. Professional translation services are an important part of your ability to expand your brand and broaden your customer base. Placing your website, video, and document translation projects in the hands of professionals is a must. Work with a Translation company that has the language experience, cultural awareness, and technology solutions to help you interact with your international customers while ensuring your brand has a positive impact on the lives of your clients.