Tag Archives: translation

How Social Media Can Push Your Business Forward

According to The Digital in their 2017 Overview, more than half the world’s population uses the internet. That’s 3.77 billion people with 2.56 billion people using social media. It makes sense that any content marketing strategy should include social media posts. When planning your strategy, consider these helpful hints.

Know Your Customer

Social media is the perfect platform for getting to know your customers. Insights and trends are easier to follow with their built-in tools. Once you know what makes them tick, you can craft your content to specifically target their needs and wants.

Narrow the Field

Social media can help you target customers who want your product or service. A targeted campaign works better than marketing to a general group of people. Rather than stumbling around in the dark, you can select demographics or filters that fit your desired target. LinkedIn, for example, offers search filters such as company size, location and job title. These filters can help you to narrow the field and target an audience that will be interested.

Don’t Be Repetitive

Using various social media platforms means delivering your message multiple times. Don’t be tempted to use the same piece of content on each platform. Craft something different for each platform with different images or text. Consider the preferences of each platform. For example, Instagram is more image-focused while Twitter is more text-based. You don’t necessarily have to start each post from scratch. You can tweak posts. A short tweet on Twitter, for instance, can be turned into an image for Instagram and a short article with a photo for Facebook.

Make It Relevant

Once you know your audience, you need to create relevant content. Review posts to evaluate what produces the most engagement. Your audience will read, share and comment if they like what they see, and if it resonates with them.

Create a Great Profile

If you’re using a social media platform like LinkedIn, you’ll need a company profile. Use tools like video, infographics, images and/or photos with your text to tell your company’s story and make it stand out.

Translate and Localize Your Global Pages

If you have social media in other countries, have those pages and posts translated into your target language. It might be easier to keep them in English, but you won’t attract customers who follow brands that communicate in their own language. When the Common-Sense Advisory asked 3,000 global customers about their buying preferences, 75% of people involved in the survey reported they prefer to buy products in their native language.

Localization means using text and images that reflect the language and culture of the country you are targeting. Readers want text that’s engaging. They want to see images of the people from their culture and country. If they can relate to the content of your post, they will likely trust your brand.

Communicate

Use social media to communicate and engage with your audience. If people comment or respond to posts, reply. It’s another way to build confidence in your brand which will then create sales. Don’t give yes or no answers to questions. Try to answer the question fully, even if you are only adding a link where the person can get additional information. Build a reputation for answering questions and being interested in your customer’s comments.

Sort Out Problems

If social media comments are highlighting a problem, you have (for example with delivery or customer service) make sure you respond accordingly and solve the issue. Let the customer know you are taking action and make sure you communicate with your followers once the problem has been solved.

Social media platforms will bring your business to the attention of a worldwide audience. By creating content that engages your audience, you will create new opportunities and leads to make your brand an industry leader.

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Terralingua is a professional ISO certified translation company specialized in localization and desktop publishing. We have worked with many of the world’s industry leaders. If you would like a personal consultation regarding your company’s needs, please visit our website for further information.

Translation and Content Management Systems

You may have heard the term CMS (Content Management System) if your company is making its content more widely available to reach a global audience. Though CMS is not a new concept, having been around since the 1990s, it is gaining popularity due to the great efficiencies it offers.

A CMS is used in the process of creating and managing content by organizing the information for ease of access and control. A CMS makes it possible for users to participate in the process from almost anywhere in the world so long as they can connect by computer to your system (and are authorized to do so).

Users don’t need to know how to code, or to be particularly tech savvy, because the CMS takes care of the underlying technology leaving users to focus on the actual content.

Most CMSs have features such as publishing, formatting, indexing and revision control. Editing is quickly accomplished as the CMS allows you to search and index documents as well as specify keywords to optimize search engines.

If you plan to globalize your websites and localize the content, then it’s important to think about a CMS that supports multilingual content and offers features for translation tasks.

Unicode is typically used in a multilingual CMS to support encoding and representation of characters in most or all languages you would choose for your business, including those that read from left to right and use non-Roman scripts. You should also be able to easily swap to different currencies, times and numerals.

Another important consideration when going global with your system’s content is to ensure the CMS has an integrated or linked translation memory tool. This tool, used by professional translators, finds similar and repeated translated text when localizing web sites or documents, therefore making future updates and revisions even easier.

Below are a few details about some well-known CMS tools for your consideration:

Joomla!

Joomla! is an open source application, so it can be used anyone, whether small businesses and large corporations.

Joomla! is ideal for a business that has a number of user groups who need access to documents for editing without losing control. It offers 66 languages, which means that you have a wide choice when it comes to putting your websites into another language. Keeping Joomla! up to date is simple as they have a one click update feature.

You can organize folders and files for your content by using the Media Manager tool, which also allows you to seamlessly access images and any other files because its integrated with the Article Editor.

You don’t need to know any coding to add content to your website. Pictures and photos can be dragged and dropped and you have a choice of layouts. Content can be easily found and changes tracked by using content versioning.

Drupal

Drupal is another open source application for commercial enterprises. Drupal has an easy to use interface, which makes it easier for users who don’t have a lot of HTML knowledge. It has a web-based translation module, which means that translations are managed from a central location and translators don’t need to know anything about Drupal.

Completed translations can be viewed together with any new information and content that needs updating. Translated content from whatever translation tool is used can be uploaded back to Drupal after completion.

Drupal is ideal if you have a large quantity of website content in different languages.

DITA

Not strictly a CMS, DITA is an authoring tool used by global businesses that have a lot of content in different languages. It makes brochure writing and updates of instruction manuals easy to control.

Content is written in segments so that text can be built up piece by piece until the work is completed. That means each piece can be accessed and used again without the need to revise and replace the whole body of content. Authors also have the benefit of using the system in Microsoft Word, so they don’t need any XML training.

Revisions to content in DITA also make the translation process more efficient. For example, when updating an instruction manual, you only need to have the translation updated for the revised segment. This saves time and money.

The most important consideration when implementing a CMS is to ensure it will best fit your company’s current and future needs. Though you may not be translating content now, you may open new markets that require materials in another language. Should you ever have a question about CMS and translation, don’t hesitate to contact your localization partner who should be able to help support your efforts.

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Terralingua is a professional ISO certified translation company specializing in localization and desktop publishing. We have worked with many of the world’s industry leaders and if you would like to talk to us about your company’s global communications, please visit our website for further information.

Desktop Publishing and Translation

You have a PDF file, and you need it in another language. The quote comes back with a line item for desktop publishing. What is it?

Translation and localization projects are more than just changing the text for the target audience: they also include adapting the layout. Adjusting the source document to create the same look and feel in another language requires desktop publishing. Desktop publishing or DTP is the use of layout software combining text and images. Desktop publishing documents may be used for desktop or commercial printing or electronic distribution including PDF, slide shows, email newsletters, epub, and the Web.

Is It Important?

If your provider offers desktop publishing it means that they have the ability to work with the source file format to return the same output. Desktop publishing is an important step in creating a localized version of the document. It takes time to properly format the translated text in layout, especially if space considerations were not anticipated.

Translation can cause the original text to expand or shrink. For example, English to Spanish has an expansion factor of 25%. 1,000 words in English can correlate to 1,250 words in Arabic. Conversely, there is also a shrinkage or contraction to consider. 1,000 words in English can contract to 900 words in Danish. English to Finnish can contract as much as 30%.

To get the same look, you need someone experienced with multilingual desktop publishing who can modify the source file to create a print-ready target file. The PDF you have was generated from a layout software program. There are many different programs that may be used to generate a PDF such as Word, FrameMaker, Illustrator, QuarkXpress, InDesign and many more.

The original software uses what is called the source file format, which is often not widely shared in an organization. A PDF file is sufficient for distribution and printing purposes and is manageable in size. The source file (it may also be called the native or original file) is used if document modifications or updated revisions are necessary. The source file can be very large in size due to graphics and may have supporting files such as fonts. Usually the source file can be found with the graphic artists or publications department in an organization.

Even if you only have a .pdf file, an experienced graphic artist can recreate the layout. Images and fonts may be needed for higher resolution outputs, but a quality PDF can be replicated without the source file. This does require extra time, so it is always best to locate the source file if possible not only for quality sake but time and cost as well.

If you are making an investment for a professionally translated file it is best to also ensure that the layout is handled by someone experienced. A translation service provider will have a native speaker ensure all text reads properly in the final format. You may save money with a text-only return but may end up with an out-of-sync document if you have a non-native speaker placing the text in layout. If you want your translated version to be professional, then formatting and text should be picture perfect.

What Does Desktop Publishing Include?

• Changes to columns, tables, and graphs

• Text related to graphics and photos

• Font changes to match the target language, especially for languages that read from right to left such as Arabic or Hebrew.

• Recreating .pdf files

• Expanding or shrinking text layout

• Anything else necessary to make the document polished and professional

How Can I Keep Costs Down?

• Ensure the original document has a simple design; try not to embed images or too many photos in different sizes especially if there is related text.
• Make sure you have enough space for the expansion of the text, otherwise the line spacing or font size may have to be reduced and the look may not be as close to your original text as you would like.
• For ease and consistency, it is best to use style sheets.
• Make sure your font supports the characters in your target language; otherwise it may have to be changed.
• Supply all the original files, including supporting images and fonts. Remember when using columns to make them wide enough to accommodate the target language, otherwise it will appear messy.

Is There Anything Else I Should Consider?

• Consider how abbreviations or acronyms should be addressed in the target file. Provide information regarding these terms.
• Advise if you want imperial and metric measurements to be used together or metric only.
• Check to ensure the contact information (address, phone number, etc.) is appropriate for the target audience or if it should be changed.

Most important is to use a service provider with experience in both translation and multilingual desktop publishing. When using translation tools such as translation memory, the translator will need to export text and properly import it back into the layout. A seasoned provider will be able to do this seamlessly.

When you receive your translation proposal with the desktop publishing line item, hopefully it will now make sense why multilingual desktop publishing is worth its weight in gold.

Terralíngua is a translation service provider that has worked with some of the world’s top brands. Providing translation, localization, and multilingual desktop publishing services, we only use native speakers who have a deep understanding of the country’s culture and are experts in their field. If you need assistance sharing your message on a global platform, please visit our website.

Why It Is Important to Translate and Localize Your Web Pages

There are 359 million people who speak English as their first language worldwide and there are millions who speak it as a second language or have some basic knowledge. It is tempting therefore for business owners to keep their websites in English no matter where they do business. After all, with great product photographs and simple website content interested customers will get the gist of it, right?

Yes and no. Yes, they will understand what the product is and where they can buy it; but no, it will not garner you brand popularity or customer loyalty.

According to Forbes writer Micah Solomon, building a loyal customer base is the “single most important thing you can do for your business.” As he points out in his article, a business needs to know their customers and use the knowledge they gain to build a relationship.

How is this done through your website? Mainly by engaging your customers with interesting and relevant web content that will have them coming back for more.

Create posts that they will want to share, which means having quality content, rather than spam type soundbites. Make them want to read every word.

Use visuals like photographs, videos or infographics along with text. People react well to visuals. Lynell Burmark is the author of a book called “Visual Literacy, Learn to See, Learn to Learn.” She is an expert on the use of visuals. Lynell says that visuals are processed by the brain 60,000 faster than text and using color enhances retention by 75%. That makes a visual presentation a powerful marketing tool and a great way to get noticed.

Make the most of social media. Create a Facebook page for your business and use it to promote your goods or services as well as to engage with customers. If they ask questions, answer them as quickly as you can. Then you get a reputation for being receptive to customers’ needs.

Translate your web and Facebook pages. Coming back to the beginning of this article, along with content, translation is one of the most important aspects of your business; especially if you want to do well in a global market. Use a professional translation company who utilize native speakers. They not only understand how to create target language text, but they also understand how to use the language so it does not look like a translation.

Localize. Get to know the culture of your foreign customers, learn about their likes and dislikes and what they expect from you. Use Facebook or the country’s equivalent social media sites to communicate with them in their language, while respecting their culture.

Do not forget that, when writing text, the cultural relevancy is crucial. For example if you would have content related to female driving or how beautiful the color white is, if you want to do business in Saudi Arabia or China this could have disastrous results for any future business relationships. Women do not drive in Saudi and white symbolizes bereavement and bad luck for the Chinese.

Customer loyalty is built through knowledge and trust. Having your website professionally translated and localized are the first steps towards gaining a loyal customer base and properly presenting your products in a global marketplace.

Terralingua is a professional translation and localization agency, who can help your company create a plan to maximize your localized content. We have worked with some of the world’s top brands and can assist your company with effective communication in a global environment. Please visit our website for further information.

Exporting to China – Challenging, but Not Impossible

Even though China experienced some economic downturn at the end of 2014, there are many small businesses that could benefit from trading with China. Chinese consumers love Western high-end goods. A 2013 article in the Chicago Tribune pointed out that over 1.5 million Chinese consumers visited the US and the UK in 2012. These consumers spend more than 300 million dollars a year on luxury goods. Many US retailers host Chinese consumers every year. Jeweler Tiffany & Company employs Mandarin speakers at their Fifth Avenue store.

Servicing Chinese consumers domestically is quite a bit different than international trading. It can be challenging, and it is important for a business to do their research very carefully before attempting to open the doors to China.

Many small businesses are put off by a perceived lack of export information combined with currency and payment concerns. However, there are plenty of resources available to help small US businesses in China.

Find Resources

The US Commercial Service has a section dedicated to China on its website. It contains information and resources about doing business in China, including industry information, market research and trade events.

Another helpful website is America’s Small Business Administration which provides finance information for exporters as well as getting started and contracting support. The website will also point you to other valuable resources.

In the UK there is the UK Trade and Investment website which provides information about exporting with details about trade fares and webinars. Another useful website is the UK Export Finance website, which has an informative guide to exporting to China.

Learn about the Culture

If you want to do business with China, it is important to remember that there are cultural differences and the more aware you are, the less chance you have of making a mistake that might cost you your trade reputation.

An article in the International Business Times lists a number of cultural differences that should be taken into consideration. They include learning to be patient and not worrying about silence. Manners are also very important, as well as good timekeeping.

Learn Chinese superstitions. For example the number four is considered unlucky as well as the color black.

Visit the Country

Visit China and the region where you will do business. You will learn a lot about the people and their culture by just being there with personal interaction. Observe how successful brands are advertised and packaged. Talk to as many consumers as you can to better understand your market (even if you do not speak Chinese, you will no doubt find English speakers).

Make Sure Your Paperwork Is Professionally Translated

In order for your business to succeed and present a professional image, translations should be professional as well. Do not attempt to do business using Google Translate, it will not be understood and it might even offend.

If you are going to advertise and use social media, ensure it is localized so it makes sense to local consumers and reflects their way of life, not yours.

Doing business abroad is a daunting task but with the right research and preparation, it can mean new avenues of revenue and success.

Terralingua is a professional translation company that has worked for some of the world’s leading companies. If you would like our help with your global communication, please visit our website for further information.

Globally Expanding Your Horizons

Expanding business opportunities to new markets is always on the international business radar. With China’s economy slowing down and Russia suffering a downturn, it’s time to look for the hot 2015 emerging markets.

According to an article by Ian Bremmer in Fortune.com, while China remains attractive there are other markets with the perfect ingredients for expansion. Stability, sustainable growth and good governance are what Bremmer advises to look for if you want to make your investments in emerging markets. We will highlight two of his recommendations, Colombia in South America and Poland in Central Europe.

Colombia

Colombia may be known for drug wars and left wing rebels, but since peace talks began in 2012, an agreement is set to take place between the Colombian government and the FARC rebel group this year. Colombia now has a growing economy with a stable government, headed by President Juan Manuel Santos.

Language

Colombia’s official language is Spanish, but they also have over sixty five indigenous languages and numerous dialects.

Investment

Colombia’s economy saw rapid growth between 2013 and 2014, although this has now slowed due to falling oil prices. However, as Reuters reported in February, this hasn’t stopped new investment. The Heineken group has recently agreed with soft drink maker Postabon, to produce and sell Heineken through its Chilean affiliate. Google too is set to invest money in a number of South American Countries to narrow the digital divide, according to Fox News.

Poland

According to the report by global Management Consulting firm, McKinsey & Company, Poland could become a global player with an advanced European economy in the next decade.

In the twenty five years since the collapse of the communist regimes, and its entrance into the European Community in 2004, Poland has flourished into a successful market-based economy. It is now free from the restraints of state control. At the beginning of 2014 Bloomberg reported that Poland was ranked best for business in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Language

The official language of Poland is Polish and it is spoken as a second language by some people living in the Ukraine, Lithuania and the Czech Republic.

Investment

Investors are encouraged by the government’s efforts to improve infrastructure, which has been helped by a massive injection of EU funding. Poland wants to replace and improve its obsolete energy sources, including the introduction of energy efficient buildings and renewable energy sources. Improvements to its transportation infrastructure are ongoing, including the Baltic-Adriatic Corridor and the North Sea Baltic Corridor, connecting road, rail and ports.

The Importance of Translation in Business

For any business thinking of investing in either Colombia or Poland, it is vital that legal, marketing and advertising material is translated professionally into the target language. A professional, native speaking translator who lives, or has lived in the country where you wish to trade, will be familiar with the language and know colloquialisms and idioms, which are vital when you want to communicate with your customers through social media.

Terralingua is a translation company that can support your global business. We provide translation and localization services to some of the world’s top brands in all major languages. Visit our website and contact us today to discuss your requirements.

Why Using Data Analytics Will Make Your Business Better

A recent Forbes blog about Big Data said that despite the fact the businesses that use analytics are more likely to show an increase in profits, many companies just do not want to embrace the change.

Companies think it is too complicated, or they have an ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ attitude to their marketing strategy and will not set up a system that in reality is a treasure trove of information.

The fact is that analytics can be hugely beneficial to your business. Although you might not want to put your trust into digital technology, it has its place in the commercial world and should be used side by side with your sales team.

Digital Marketing Analytics will help you to narrow down your target audience and will give you the information your business needs to keep consumers engaged with your brand. Yes, people still want to communicate with real people; technology is not going to mean the end of the sales team. But, what it means is that they will be better informed about the people to which they are selling.

Look at social media. It is one of the most useful places to gauge consumer opinion and to see what is trending. You can also find out how your competitors are doing. Other analytics can tell you where consumers live, what they spend their spare money on and what interests and hobbies they have.

Data analysis can also give you the results of previous marketing campaigns. It can show you what worked, what did not; what is likely to succeed and what may need changing due to things like geographical differences or economic factors within a particular consumer group.

Once you have gathered information then pick your platform. Whether it is through email, a cell phone SMS campaign or direct mail; you know that you have targeted an audience that is likely to have an interest in your product or service because you have tailored your campaign to this very group.

In an article written in 2012, The Ivey Business Journal said Big Data creates valuable insights that would otherwise remain hidden, yet two and half years later, some businesses are still waiting at the stalls.

Creating an ecosystem of data will improve your brand reputation and your profits because you will be in tune with consumer opinion. Your company will also be more likely to keep present customers loyal and attract new ones.

If you are global company, any marketing campaigns will need to be translated and localized to reach your target audience. Ensuring customers abroad understand clearly what your brand is about will require skill to lock into the local language. Professional localization of your message will result in consumer confidence and trust in your product or service because your company has authentically engaged with their culture.

Data analytics will help you to better understand current and potential customers, and it will result in larger profits.

Terralingua is an ISO certified translation provider that can help you put your business on a global platform. We provide translation and localization services to some of the world’s top brands. Visit our website and use the “contact us” information to discuss your translation or localization requirements.

Translating Idioms

Translating idioms from one language to another is one of the most difficult tasks a translator has to face. Unlike other translation issues, where a translator who has excellent knowledge of both the source and the target language can change the words to read naturally from one language to another, this cannot be done with idioms. Therefore when creating content that will be localized, idiomatic expressions are often avoided.

In her book In Other Words, Dr. Mona Baker, the Professor for Translational Studies at Manchester University in the United Kingdom says that idioms are “Frozen patterns of language which allow little or no variation in form and often carry meanings which cannot be deduced from their individual components.”
Idioms are also closely related to the country’s culture. These unique expressions can make a language more interesting and fun to learn.

A good example of this would be with the idiomatic phrase “break a leg”. This phrase is often used by superstitious members of theatre or film productions, because using the phrase “good luck” is thought to bring the production “bad luck” and therefore the phrase “break a leg” is used instead. Idioms are frequently used in literature, poetry, cinema and theatre. Shakespeare introduced hundreds of new idioms into the English language. Some of these include well known phrases like “cruel to be kind” and “wild goose chase”.

Idioms convey meaning only a human can understand. Should you log into a machine translation tool on your computer and put in the words “break a leg” it will tell you the literal translation which means you are telling someone to go and break their leg, which is not very polite. This exercise demonstrates the importance of using humans to translate text versus automated results.

So, how do you translate idioms? According to Mona Baker, there are four methods of translation. The first is to find a similar idiom in the target language, with the same meaning and form – A good example is “nine times out of ten”, which is an idiomatic expression used in many different countries, including Spanish and Portuguese.
The second is to use an idiom with the same meaning, but in a different form. Here, the phrase “sky high prices” has the same meaning in Spanish and Portuguese as in English, but it is not in the same form.

The third method is by paraphrasing, where the meaning of the idiom in the source language is conveyed by a phrase which expresses the meaning, but does not use an idiom. “A bit of horseplay”, which means boisterous play in English, is not an idiom in Spanish or Portuguese and would have to be explained using other suitable words in the target language to explain the meaning.

The fourth method is omission, which Mona Baker says should not be used too often and only if the other three methods cannot be used. This is because it will not be true to the source content.

Idioms are used in business English and you may have come across some of the following examples:
• Moving the goalposts – Changing the rules or the conditions of an agreement.
• To be on the ball – Enthusiastic and aware of how new methods and ideas can improve business.
• Watch from the side lines – Someone who is observing a situation, rather than being an active part of it.
• Drop the ball – Make a mistake.
• Par for the course – Typical.
• A low blow – An action that is damaging to a person or business.
• Cut to the chase – Get to the important part.

As:
• In the same boat – Sharing the same situation.
• Land on your feet – Everything will work to your advantage.
• Bends over backwards – Someone who has been extremely helpful.
• Think out of the box – To consider things from more than a unique angle or perspective.

If there are existing idioms in materials you wish to localize, a professional translation agency is an excellent resource that can provide advice and guidance.

Does Your Service Language Provider Have “The Right Stuff”?

Translating is not just about rendering spoken words or written text into another language. It is a conversion that keeps the essence, tone, intention, cultural references and other nuances intact. Knowing two or more languages does not naturally qualify a person to become a translator. It is a difficult job and requires specialized skills, especially in cases that require a technical background.

Know What You Need

Word choice is important, especially in the case of translation and interpretation. Many people use these terms interchangeably. However their roles are very different, as translators work with written communication while interpreters handle oral communication. Both play an important role in global businesses and can help businesses expand their audiences. They perform the function of transmitting information accurately and help develop and improve communication with prospective clients from different countries and cultural backgrounds. Ensure you are asking for the right service when selecting a provider. Though someone may be an excellent oral communicator, it does not mean they will be able to craft text in written form. Interpreters have more flexibility working in real time while translators have to be more precise and professionals will work with an editor.

It’s All about Skills

The skills of a translator often are hard to uncover until you are under fire. Though someone may look good on paper, they may not be able to perform under the pressure of a deadline or a particular requirement. This is where the skill of testing and evaluation by an agency becomes invaluable. Good agencies have completed this step according to their quality standards. Ensure your agency includes this important step in their process. What skills should be tested?

• The understanding and knowledge of not only the source but also the target language and their cultural concepts.

• The flair for using reference material like dictionaries, cultural books, literature written in the language.

• The ability to write according to the audience.

• Has the capability of keeping the original essence of the language alive.

• A native speaker able who is able to capture the rhythms and nuances of the language.
• The ability to use translation memory tools and current technology

Having a translator with skills that are tried and true, is a valuable asset to your business. However, finding quality translators in all backgrounds and language combinations can be a time consuming task if you do not have a trusted agency as your partner. Selecting an agency that upholds high translator standards will give you the peace of mind that your localized content was completed with the “right stuff” in mind.

What Does Culture Have to do with Translations

Translation is not a concept in vacuum, but is invariably a culturally mediated notion especially relevant for global businesses targeting new cultural destinations. For instance, if you want to translate English into Spanish, the words and expressions translated must be culturally compatible, because the literal translation may at times sound ridiculous or may not make sense at all.

Need of translating in local languages

Big multinational companies wanting to reach across diverse cultures have indispensable translation needs. While English is pretty much a universal language, companies get their promotional material translated into multiple languages because they need to reach across different cultures and they need to establish a connection with their diverse clients.

So, pretty much every company wants to get the their product brochures and manuals translated from English into Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, French, German, Russian, Hindi, and several other languages. Translation services help in promotional strategies of a company.

The most successful companies are the ones that are not only able to reach the international market, but also to make an impact. Language is one huge barrier in having the right promotional strategy. However, the same language can turn into an asset for a company with right translation service, so the customers begin to understand the products intimately because it is in their mother language.

Avoiding translation mistakes

Translation mistakes can leave you laughing, but could entail enormous loss to the company represented by the translation. Their image could take a beating that may be difficult to retrieve in the short term. Translation mistakes send the wrong message across. It implies that you not only made a half-hearted attempt at translation, but also that you are only after money. Translation from English into Spanish or any other language should faithfully reflect the cultural touch to be meaningful.

The translator should also bear in mind that literal, word for word translation can change the meaning of a message. Often a dictionary may not be of much help in cases involving technical translations. Translators should be aware with regional variations in different dialects. For instance English into Spanish translation of bus is “autobus” but it becomes “guagua” in Puerto Rican version of Spanish.

Literal translation often distorts the meaning to ludicrous extent. For instance, the menu in a Swiss restaurant translated in English claimed “Our wines leave you nothing to hope for”. Surely, all it wanted to claim was their wines are so good that nothing can compare with the feeling.

Dealing with cultural incompatibility

Cultural incompatibility is a frequently faced issue in translations, not just from English into Spanish translation, but almost every translation. Brands and products often move into the other country without a clear understanding of the native culture. Translation of slang is often the most problematic issue. Therefore, translators should preferably be from the same culture where any product is being introduced. In addition, the work they do should pass through several filters before final adoption.

Reaching your target audience in the right way

When you have to reach your international target audience, you need to break the language and cultural barriers effectively. It is obvious that translation plays a critical role in this task. The translation should not appear like translation but direct communication. For instance, your English into Spanish translation should not appear to the native that it is a translation, but they should perceive it as a direct communication from the native company.

A small mistake could be hugely embarrassing, and the connection with the target audience is immediately lost. For instance “Tegro” a fat loss product was about to be introduced in France, when it was discovered that it sounded like “tes’gros” which means you’re fat!