Here’s How Translation Services Can Improve Your International Marketing
Businesses today have unprecedented opportunities to reach global audiences. However, this global reach comes with its own set of challenges. As a business, it’s not just important, but crucial, to understand what makes other cultures tick – their norms, languages, and values.
Otherwise, your well-intentioned marketing campaign may not just go amiss, but lead to significant blunders that can seriously tarnish your brand’s reputation. Learning from past mistakes and adopting strategies to ensure cultural sensitivity can help you craft messages that resonate across borders. In today’s article, our translation and localisation experts take a closer look at the factors that can help your marketing campaigns on a global scale.
Miscommunication Leads to Blunders
Phrases and concepts that make sense in one culture may have entirely different connotations in another, leading to significant marketing blunders. Let’s examine some real-life examples of marketing gone wrong.
• Gerber in Africa. Nestle Group’s use of baby images on Gerber food labels backfired in parts of Africa. Some people assumed that the label showed the contents of the jar, which led to confusion and distrust.
• Cola-Cola in China. Coca-Cola’s initial launch in China used a literal translation that, unfortunately, meant “Bite the Wax Tadpole.” However, recognising the error, they quickly changed it to “Delicious and Happy,” which was much better received.
• Burger King in Singapore. In 2010, Burger King ran an ad featuring a suggestive image and the phrase “Blow her mind away.” It was deemed offensive and led to a sharp decline in sales.
• Groupon’s Super Bowl Ad. In 2011, Groupon aired a Super Bowl commercial equating the plight of a person seeking discounts with the struggles of Tibetans. The insensitivity of this comparison led to widespread backlash, and the ad was pulled.
These examples show the critical role that professional and certified translation services play in marketing. Without them, misinterpretations cannot just damage but potentially destroy your brand’s reputation and alienate potential customers.
The Importance of Translation Services
Effective marketing goes beyond selling products and services. It’s about building genuine and long-lasting connections with your customers. Professional translators aren’t just fluent in languages; they’re fluent in cultures. They know the local customs, idioms, and humour that resonate with your target audience.
As such, they craft messages that perfectly align with your potential customers’ values. Professional translation services ensure that your brand voice stays strong and steady across all languages and channels, keeping your brand reputation intact. This mitigates the risk of costly mistranslations.
Tips to Avoid Miscommunication in Global Marketing
Here are some strategies to avoid pitfalls and ensure your multicultural marketing efforts materialise.
Localisation Over Translation
While translation focuses on translating text from one language to another, localisation services tailor the message to resonate with local customers, idioms, and humour. This ensures that the text is culturally relevant and engaging.
Localisation also considers unique aspects of culture and creates content that feels native to the audience. This process may involve adapting imagery, colour schemes, and even the tone of the message to align with local preferences. Let’s look at an example where a lack of localisation might fall flat.
English Version:
A UK sportswear brand uses the slogan, “Get in the Game with Our Winning Gear!”
Translation to German.
A direct translation would be: “Kommen Sie ins Spiel mit unserer Gewinnerausrüstung!
Although this translation is grammatically correct, it may not feel natural or compelling to German consumers because it doesn’t consider local sports culture or language preferences.
Localised Version:
In Germany, football is extremely popular, and football-related phrases resonate well. A localised slogan could be: “Sei dabei mit unserer Sieg-Ausrüstung!” which means “Be part of it with our victory gear!”This version uses a phrase that aligns with local sports enthusiasm and sounds appealing to German customers.
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Conducting Market Research
Understanding your target audiences’ preferences, behaviours, and expectations is vital to avoiding miscommunication in your marketing strategy. It helps you gain deep insights into what resonates with your audience and allows you to tailor your messages accordingly.
For instance, you want to launch a mobile app in China. Make sure you:
• Conduct online surveys to gather data on language usage preferences and communication habits
• Interview native Chinese speakers to understand idiomatic expressions and linguistic nuances.
• Analyse language trends on popular Chinese social media platforms like Weibo and WeChat to identify colloquial language usage.
The research may help uncover that your target audience prefers informal language, colloquial expressions, visual content, and emojis. This data will be your go-to guide and ensure that your marketing materials speak directly to your Chinese customers.
Understanding your target audiences’ preferences, behaviours, and expectations is vital to avoiding miscommunication in your marketing strategy.
Cultural Considerations
You should know the cultural norms and values of your target market. Here are a few things to consider.
Individual vs. Collective Perspectives
Marketing messages should reflect whether the target culture values individualism or collectivism. For instance, Americans might resonate with an individual enjoying the open road. However, cultures like India value communal experiences, so they might prefer messages that emphasise shared activities.
Gender Dynamics
Different cultures have varying attitudes toward gender roles and life events. For example, in Zulu culture, women are celebrated for their strength and resilience.
Also, the dress code for different cultures should be considered. For example, some cultures require more modest attire while others do not. So, these are some dynamic gender roles that should be regarded.
Addressing Stereotypes
Stereotypes can be offensive and counterproductive. Therefore, testing ideas through market research is essential to ensure they are received positively.
While some humorous stereotypes may work, they must be handled delicately to avoid offending your potential customers.
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So…
Multicultural marketing is not just a challenge, but an opportunity to blur borders, celebrate diversity, and expand your audience. By embracing cultural sensitivity, you can succeed in your efforts and even surpass your expectations. Remember, even well-established brands can stumble when cultural nuances are overlooked. Still, you can create impactful and all-inclusive campaigns that resonate with your audience worldwide with the right approach.
So, whether you intend to launch a new product, expand into international markets, or simply seek to connect with diverse audiences closer to home, make sure you invest in quality marketing translation services. They will ensure impactful and all-inclusive campaigns that hit the right spot for your audience worldwide.
About TS24 Translation Agency
Translation Services 24 (TS24) is the UK’s leading translation agency in London with professional translators working in over 200 languages. We provide services to clients in all corporate and public industries and specialise in sector-specific linguistic solutions. With over a decade of experience in the industry, 15+ million words converted every year and 100,000+ projects completed, TS24 is a leading provider of expert translations and interpretation services and an officially certified member of the ATC. Contact TS24 here. You can also read all of our recent articles here.
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