Translation as a means of international communication | 22/07/2008

For most businesses to succeed internationally today, they must be able to act globally and communicate locally. It is imperative for any company with worldwide growth ambitions to understand what the end-user really wants. Why are translation companies important? In part because businesses hoping to succeed in global markets must localise their products and services in order to adapt to local conditions and customs. Businesses must be aware of the cultural, linguistic and social nuances of their target audience in order to communicate their messages to them successfully.

The globalisation of trade involves a burgeoning need for communication and thus of translation. In order to promote your company's products or services to potential foreign customers, you must be able to communicate in their own language using terminology and expressions in natural-sounding contexts. Professional translators are native speakers of the target countries’ languages, therefore when a project is translated into Japanese and Polish, the work will be done by a native Japanese speaker and a native Polish speaker.

At Language Connect, native English speakers translate from foreign languages into English only. The reason being is that even if someone is verbally fluent in a language, their written form may not be smooth. 99% of the time the written command of a foreign language will be recognised as 'foreign.' A professional native translator will ensure that your products and services can be fully understood in the target market and convey a local message within an international arena.

Here are some DOs and DON’Ts of translation:

DON’Ts
- Do not attempt to translate outbound or important internal documents using a non-native translator or a native one who has lived outside their country for several years – your message will come across as foreign
- Do not use foreign employees to translate documentation – bilingual employees are unlikely to produce high quality translations
- Do not employ translators to translate out of their native language – translate only into your mother tongue
- Do not use student translators who are not qualified for the job – the quality won’t compare with a professional
- Do not use machine translators – there is a very good reason why they have not yet taken over from human translators!

DOs
- Specify what the translation is being used for – is the text being translated for a speech or an advertising campaign?
- Be specific in identifying who will be reading the text – UK English or US English, Spanish for clients in Mexico City or Madrid?
- Try not to leave translation to the last minute

When translating documents for a foreign market, your company must first decide what information is required for translation. Sometimes only 1/3rd of the text in a document is pertinent. The insertion of maps, pictograms and diagrams may be a more effective means of getting your message through to an international audience rather than having to translate slabs of hyper-technical jargon into numerous languages.

For example, with China gearing up for the Beijing Olympics, pictograms are one of the basic image elements of the Olympic Games and are widely applied in areas such as directional signs, advertising and communications, TV broadcasting and souvenirs. The pictograms play an important role in identifying the Olympic sports and are easily recognised by a multi-cultural crowd

Translation is not a commodity therefore consider how many people will be reading your text and then decide how much you are willing to spend on translation services. Are you producing a nationwide newspaper advertising campaign or an in-house training manual for a team of 6? If the project is destined for an outbound high circulation market, a high quality translation service including subsequent revision and proofreading should be used. If the document has a limited circulation capacity and is for an internal audience, you may be able to get away with a less expensive option of having your text translated ‘for information purposes only’.

I am sure many of you have considered machine translation! As a quick means for translating a small paragraph of foreign text for your own personal reference, this option is the cheapest and may be very useful. However, even the most powerful computer programs are not capable of delivering a translation for business purposes. Languages are too complex for machine translators to be able to automate the process.

A British stationery company used a machine translator to translate a piece of advertising copy for a product launch. The company tried to launch a non-leaking fountain pen in Spain with the angle that 'it won't leak in your pocket and embarrass you'. The machine translator assumed the Spanish word 'embarazar' to mean ‘embarrassed’. The result read: 'it won't leak in your pocket and make you pregnant’.

As a general rule of thumb, your company will get the most professional results if you build an ongoing relationship with a language services company. The longer you work together, the better they will understand your business and the more effective your business communication will be.

For press and media enquiries please contact:
Rachel Hoy
E: rhoy@languageconnect.net