Offering your product to a new demographic or region can be an excellent way to boost your sales. To do so, you will likely need to translate your product’s marketing message into other languages. That’s where finding high-quality translation is essential. You may be wondering if apps can just take care of it, seeing as there’s an app for everything these days. However, below we’ll explore why professional human translators are still a must if you want to get your marketing message just right.
Why Translation Services Are Important for Successful International Marketing
Nowadays, translation apps can often help in many casual situations. If you’re traveling abroad and need to order dinner, an app can probably handle the translation. However, top marketing language service provider Tomedes advises that translation services are still very important for professional environments. That’s because, while Google translate and the like have made huge steps forward in machine learning, they’re still not 100% accurate. A human element to the provision of translation services is still very much required.
A 2019 study shows the dangers of machine translation. The study took 100 discharge instructions from ER visits and translated them using Google Translate. That amounted to 647 sentences. 594 were accurately translated into Spanish. 522 were accurately translated into Chinese.
While not terrible, that’s still 53 mistranslated sentences in Spanish and 125 in Chinese. Those sentences could have been instructions on how to take medication properly or how to do a physical therapy exercise. According to the study, 15 of the Spanish sentences and 50 of the Chinese sentences were translated so poorly they could have actually harmed the patient.
In another survey, humans were asked to rate how accurate Google translations were. On a scale of zero to six, it got a 5.43. However, that varies significantly between languages. Those rating Chinese to English translations gave it just 4.3 – far inferior to the results delivered by Chinese to English professional human translators.
So, will machine translation replace professional human translators? No. In the human translation vs machine translation wars, machine translation still has a way to go. And in the business realm, machine translation mistakes can potentially be devastating, especially when it comes to marketing translation. One mistranslation and you could offend a whole culture or misrepresent your product to such a degree that you invite a lawsuit.
Below, we’ll look at what marketing translation services do and how to work with them.
How to Find High-Quality Translation Services that Specialise in Marketing
What is a professional translator? Professional human translators convert written text from one language into another. Many specialize in certain types of translation. One of those translation types is marketing translation, which falls under the broad umbrella of business translation services.
Make sure you are working with an individual or translation company that focuses on marketing translation services and has a proven track record in this area. These professionals will be better equipped to handle the unique aspects of translating marketing messages, like keeping the same tone in an ad.
As this relates to marketing, high-quality translation services might translate text in items like:
• Ads
• Brochures
• Social media content
• Sales letters
• Flyers
• Marketing emails
• Catalogs
Many marketing translation services also tend to handle website localization in addition to the process of translating the text. The translation is a part of the overall localization of a product. Localization means adapting a product or message to a new market in a way that means the core message stays the same. A localization team may update graphics, change layouts, adjust currency symbols, keep an eye on cultural sensitivities, or make sure a product fits with local market regulations such as privacy laws. These changes can ensure a brand has the maximum chance of succeeding in a new marketplace.
If you plan to market your business in other languages, you might also have to consider using professional human translators for internal communications. As you expand, part of your team might be located in another region and speak another language. You might also have to communicate with other local professionals like distributors and haulers. In that case, high-quality translation services can also handle items like presentations, emails, memos, technical documents, and contracts.
How to Source Top Professional Human Translators
Finding professional translation services need not be daunting. Start by asking around your professional network for recommendations of marketing or business translation professionals. This can be an easy way to source high-quality translation since the recommendation comes from a source you know and trust.
You can also search online, particularly if you need a specific service, such as Spanish professional human translators or Chinese professional human translators.
You will need to vet your translators to make sure they will be good to work with. Check the background of the translator through portfolios of past work, references or client testimonials and make sure their website looks modern and up-to-date.
Take note of how the translation agency communicates; they should answer questions clearly, be timely in their responses and professional to communicate. It’s also important to ask how the translator or translation company ensures accuracy. They should have multiple stages of reviews and proofreading or use software to keep track of certain terminology and notes about the tone of your marketing messages.
Ask about how the company ensures that deadlines are met too. Do they use productivity software or allocate project managers?
By doing so, you can find a high-quality translation to help you market your business effectively in other languages.