Making the decision to take your company global often means operational, official and documentation changes need to be put in place such as, modifications to packing or ingredients, registration with foreign government organisations, or translation of websites, business documents and financial accounts.
Understanding the process for taking your firm global can be straight-forward enough with the right help and advice, but there is often the added problem of translating the associated paperwork, forms and official documents which form part of this globalisation procedure.
Some documents, such as, minutes from meetings, employment contracts and so on, will require translation for your head office (or local branches if using existing company documentation).
However, it is also likely that you’ll be required to translate product packaging, marketing materials, websites, customer facing services, and financial or legal documents – the list can be quite extensive – so being prepared in advance for some, or all of these translations, means that the transfer into foreign markets will be smooth, cost-effective and efficient for your business.
The following information gives advice on the general document translation you might need when taking your business global.
Translating Legal Documents and Certified Document Translation
Official documents usually require a certified document translation in order to abide by government regulations.
This is to ensure that the translation is as accurate as possible and is applicable to the target culture’s legal system.
In some countries only certain translators are able to offer this service so check that the translation services provider you are using is one of the recommended translators.
Documents that require a certified translation might include:
• Birth/marriage/death certificates
• Employment contracts
• Qualifications
• Lease agreements
• Purchase documents
As with documents that require a certified translation, some other types of translations also demand a high degree of accuracy and knowledge, of both the prevailing legal system and the cultural norms.
When moving into global markets with your business you might need to use the following legal translations:
• Immigration documents
• Lasting powers of attorney
• Business contracts
• Transcriptions
• Property documents
Translating Marketing Materials and Documents
International expansion requires meeting with suppliers and potential clients, attending trade fairs with industry competitors and making important contacts for your business.
This type of marketing requires documentation to support your efforts and will include information about your business, your products or services, financial forecasts or employment/apprentice possibilities.
Potential clients, employees and partners will assess your company based on the quality and accuracy of these marketing materials so, in order to impress, they must be linguistically accurate and culturally appropriate.
Choose a professional language services provider that has clear links to the language (and culture) you require, and who uses linguists trained in marketing, advertising and design. In this way, you can be sure that your translation will be culturally and linguistically correct, while also being created and presented with artistic flair.
Translating Product or Service Information
Businesses in certain sectors will also need to translate sector specific information regarding their products or services.These translations can often be highly technical in their nature and require a level of accuracy, attention to detail and industry knowledge.
These translations might include:
• Product information
• Labels/ingredients
• User manuals
• Medical information
• Packaging
• Health and safety information
Accuracy is essential for translations such as these, as they ensure correct intake by consumers, proper use of machines by employees, or suitable purchasing by clients. Getting these technical translations wrong could result in law suits, refunds, loss of brand faith and can cost your business potential income.
Use a translation team that offer linguists who have formal training in your field and who are native speakers of the language(s) you require so that high levels of accuracy can be achieved.
At Creative Word, we have access to hundreds of linguists around the world, many of whom are trained in specific sectors such as, law, science, marketing and finance so you can rest assured that your translation is in capable hands.
If you would like to speak to a member of our team regarding document translations, or any other translation project, please contact us here.
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