Globalizing Your Marketing Materials Needs More Than Translation

When you’re trying to take your business into an overseas market or to appeal to a global audience online, you want to make sure that you’re able to carry over the appeal of your offerings in their entirety. If that’s the case and you don’t want to shoot yourself in the foot, you might want to go a little further and realize that Globalizing Your Marketing Materials Needs More Than Translation alone.

You may need more than just a translation

A translation is a fairly basic service: it’s a one-to-one interpretation of text or speech from one language to another. While sometimes you might want to see how a phrase translates as closely as possible, there are other times when you might want to make it even more understandable and suitable for the listener or reader. Localization is all about understanding not just the way that words are translated, but the context of those words, making sure that you’re closer to the meaning you’re trying to convey, not just the word choices.

Know what doesn’t translate

If your marketing message is based on something that’s specific to your language or culture, then you might want to make sure that you avoid including it in your marketing messaging. For instance, idioms like “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” or “every cloud has a silver lining” are notoriously difficult to translate the meaning of accurately, so if they’re at the center of a marketing message, you might have to go back to the drawing board. Similarly, you should be aware of gestures or images that might be inappropriate to the audience you’re reaching out and to make sure they’re not in your advertisements or marketing for that audience.

Media requires more nuance

A direct translation sometimes works in text. Localization would be better. However, when it comes to things like videos or multimedia, then you need to put even more care into it. For instance, if you’re translating a video, you want to make sure that you’re using dubbing translation services. Not only do you want it to translate accurately, but you want any speech to sound and be timed as naturally as possible to fit the expectations of the audience.

Work with local influencers

Great translation, localization, and dubbing can help you convey your message as accurately and appropriately to your audience as possible. However, you should never underestimate the pull of local star power. Working with overseas influencer teams, you can get an ‘in’ with your market through the direct access provided by someone they are already familiar with and more likely to listen to. Not only can you rest easy that your brand’s appeal is going to be translated well, but it can make it a lot easier to crack a market that hasn’t heard of you before.

Hopefully, the points above show how nuanced and multifaceted it can be to market to a different country and an audience with entirely different expectations and cultural norms. It’s far from impossible, there are plenty of professional services to help you do it. It just requires your effort and participation.

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