Cracking an international market requires a cracking translation team

Guest Editorial • Summer 2023

It’s a vital, but frequently overlooked or underfunded area, but high-quality translation is key to success in international markets, be it for on-message marketing or for communicating any other area of business.

Before beating yourself up for an embarrassing error originating from Google Translate or a cheap automated service, consider that you’re not alone.

Even some of the biggest household names have made huge gaffes, like Ford failing to realise that the word Pinto is often used when referring to small genitals in Brazil and KFC’s ‘finger licking’ good slogan translating to ‘eat your fingers off’ in China.

Language is Everything’s customer service manager Reece Hanson can’t stress strongly enough the importance of time and investment in translation and related services such as localisation. ‘We will always bang the drum for quality. If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well” he says. “The examples from KFC and Ford show that even an accurate translation could be entirely inappropriate or nonsensical in another market or language. This is where we would recommend localisation services using mother-tongue translators who would also copy ‘tone of voice’ for marketing copy and slogans.”

Reece is busy with his colleagues in the translation team at Language is Everything working for local, regional and national businesses who rely on them to get it right. From manufacturing businesses, where expert translators with sector-specific specialisms tackle highly regulated consumer product labelling, to legal documents for law firms, or websites where marketing copy needs to resonate with potential customers in multiple countries and regions – it’s all in a day’s work.

The team understands the nature of business, with its time and cost pressures, and forms strong partnerships with customers to offer bespoke packages of support along with a highly responsive urgent translation service.

Much of the work comprises common, but business-critical, documents such as contracts and confidential correspondence, and much of this will require an extra check. “Proofreading comes as standard, but we often employ an additional linguist for peace of mind and translate back into the original language to highlight any potential issues or misinterpretation by the original translate”, says Reece.

The business based in Hull works with around 500 loyal linguists speaking more than 120 languages and has been providing translation and interpretation services for three decades. It has earned a national reputation along with a number of recent business awards, and is currently listed in the top 100 UK companies by Great Place to Work.

Language is Everything CEO Carolyn Johnson MBE says that quality is the company’s cornerstone. “If you want to establish trust and win new customers in international markets, you must ensure that you ‘speak their language’.” she says. “Cracking an international market requires a cracking translation team! We will never take shortcuts and have a close working relationship with selected linguists, which really sets us apart. We use technology to enable smooth processes and good value for customers, but we are not replacing people with it.”

Carolyn’s comments are backed up by more than 115 five-star Google reviews from both linguists and customers, and they make fantastic reading! So before choosing a translation company, consider the following:

Would you like a friendly, supportive, value-for-money service?
How would you respond to poor English translation in a business setting?
Do you need to feel 100 per cent confident in the accuracy of a translation>
Does your project require a linguist with special sector knowledge?
Will you need localisation services?
Should you build in time for extra checks of your translation?
Would you prefer a company with a track record of meeting tight deadlines?
Will you need additional services such as telephone and video interpreting?

Get in contact with Language is Everything on 01482 976100, or hello@languageiseverything.com