Multilingual marketing is vital when conducting international business; a Common Sense Advisory research study showed that over 75% of consumers choose not to purchase from websites which aren’t available in their native language, and that more than “60% rarely or never buy from English-only websites”. The message is clear – if you want overseas consumers to purchase your goods or services, you need to translate your website and offer multilingual marketing with professional localisation so that consumers can fully engage with your site.
Marketing localisation offers the opportunity to increase and improve many aspects of overseas trading including:
• Improved brand awareness
• Improved brand faith and trust
• Increased consumer engagement
• Humanises your brand
• Increases sales potential
• Shows respect for culture, heritage and language within new markets
The return on investment is good, with enhanced consumer engagement leading to more sales and repeat custom. Professional marketing localisation will benefit your business and boost your brand reach.
The following steps will help you to improve your marketing localisation, giving greater opportunities and rewards in overseas markets.
1. Professional Translation and Localisation
If you are unsure as to whether you really need to budget for, and partner with a professional language services provider, and believe machine translation is a viable alternative, please read on before making your choice.
Machine translation has come a long way in recent years; it can offer a fast, mostly accurate translation for frequently used words or phrases, but it is not a suitable alternative for human translation.
Of course, computer programs do help human translators create professional translations, but these are specialist software systems, not Google Translate!
Professional, human translation and localisation uses the linguistic skill and years of knowledge of the translator to create a finished product that reflects the original message but which has been adapted to fit within a specific culture, dialect and region.
Localised information will reflect the prevailing norms of the region including elements such as, currency, weights and measures, or image portrayal, but will also adapt factors linked to language such as humour, colloquial language and tone of voice.
Once the value and importance of professional localisation is fully understood, few business (who wish to successfully advertise their firm) would choose to rely on machine translation.
The most feasible option for a successful and proficient outcome is professional translation and localisation.
2. Preparing for Localisation
Once you have decided to engage the services of a professional language services provider (or LSP for short), you should consider what content you require translated or localised, and prepare for the process.
This should include the following steps:
• Create a glossary of frequently used phrases/words/terminology – this gives your translation team the best start with your translation and will be referred to time and again.
• Create new content with a global audience in mind – social media posts, blogs, and web content can be created with a multilingual mindset which avoids cultural references and colloquial language saving time in translation
• Style guide – consider elements such as your brand, preferred use of images, colours, logo, taglines and so on, and convey this to your translation team so they have a greater understanding of your requirements
• Prioritise content for localisation – if you are on a tight budget, you can choose which marketing materials are most important for your purpose and save others for a later date. Understanding your new market might help with insights into what will be most successful for you.
• Prepare files – if you can organise everything that your chosen translation team will require in advance there will be fewer delays, problems or queries. Ensure formatting is suitable and that all files are translation ready.
3. Translation Technology, Time and Translators
No two language service providers are the same – some specialise in certain languages and cultures (here at Creative Word we are experts in the Arabic language and culture), others may depend upon human translators only for their translations, while others may offer specialisms in certain industries, so selecting a provider that best fits your requirements is essential.
Partnering with a LSP should be considered a long term process (this is more cost effective too) so ask questions, check credentials, look at examples of their work before committing to a decision.
Consider what translation technology they use, such as, translation memory software, as this can increase speed of translations, especially future projects, and select a provider that uses a combination of state-of-the-art technology and specialist human translators as this will give greater accuracy, consistency and improved translation turnaround times.
If you would like to know more about partnering with Creative Word for your translation and localisation projects, please contact us.
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