Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Effective Translation Helps You Succeed!

As the world grows flat, more and more companies are moving to new geographical areas. Has your company recently entered a new country to market your products? Then you must surely be planning the marketing and communication content targeted at the people of that new country.

While you may have plenty of literature and information about your product in English or your local language, you will soon enough have to begin translating it into the local language that is predominantly used in the country where you have set shop. It’s a no brainer that speaking the language of your local audience is of primary importance to effectively sell your product.

In a scenario where your communication is directly linked to sales, the role of a professional translation service provider becomes central and of uttermost importance. Effective translations of your marketing content will help consumers understand more about your product / service and also connect immediately. Marketing content translated in the local language can convince customers in your new market about the benefits of your product / service and your company. Mediocre, unimpressive content could mean that your product is simply brushed aside like so many other products being launched every other day.

A good translation company should be able to understand your product, its unique selling proposition (USP) and how the product is positioned for the target audience. It should have a nuanced understanding of the local language to draft the message accurately, keeping in mind the local consumer’s aspirations and concerns.

The Process a Translation Agency follows

You know your translation agency is doing its job well if

· Your needs are thoroughly analyzed before the translation agency begins work. This includes understanding your target audience and terminology used.

· Allocating a suitable translator or team of translators.

· Putting in place a process and timeframe for writing the content and auditing it for accuracy.


Partnering with the Right Translation Service Company

Keeping in mind that a good translation is of paramount importance, here are a few things you need to plan for when selecting a translation agency:


1. Locating the right translation agency - Once you have decided to venture into a particular country, you should begin the process of inducting the right translation agency. Choose a translation agency that can translate well from source language to the target language, without changing the meaning of the content that best describes various aspects of your product and facets of your marketing strategy. Also, check the languages that the agency supports.


2. Knowledge ramp-up - Once you have selected the translation agency, spend considerable time in educating them about your company and your products and services. The agency must understand your requirements and business objectives and effectively translate the same; they must also have experienced translators who have a strong hold over the local language and the source language as well. Emphasis must be on accuracy and the need to stay sensitive to the ethics and culture of the country.


3. Identifying your translation needs - There are numerous types of documents that need to be translated into the local language; these could be legal, marketing collateral for audiences of multiple levels and your website too. A professional agency should be able to provide you with software and website technicians to translate your product information and website content accurately. Thus, the agency should be able to provide reliable document translation services, legal translation services and marketing translation services.


4. Invest in building a rapport with your translation agency - Having a good working relationship with your agency is a priority. Having multiple briefings and clarification sessions enables you to receive properly translated and localized content.


With a good multiple language translation service, your business will fit neatly into the culture and society of the country where you are setting shop and will be accepted by the people there. This will play a major role in your success.

Read more about translation services.