For many, an international business expansion is the natural next step after seeing a significant growth of their company within their home market. Companies and organizations from practically any industry can successfully approach international markets and potential customers, and as a result, significantly expand their sales and revenue. We work directly with our English to Hmong translators to get you the best possible translations at the best possible prices.
Nonetheless, one of the key aspects of a fruitful internationalization process is the correct use of language in your company’s external communications with its clients. What this means in practice, is that business owners must strongly focus on providing their content, documents, websites and all other relevant materials in the customers’ native language. In fact, a recent study has shown that a vast majority of European consumers strongly prefers to purchase goods and services if they are able to find all relevant information about the brand in their mother tongue.
Professional language translation services are, however, a complex process, which require an in-depth knowledge and industry expertise. This is especially true within the business and corporate sectors. If you have not needed translations in the past, the chances are, you simply don’t know how to go about acquiring them. We’ve prepared this article to shine some light on the translation services process, help you decide which specific documents to translate and where you can find the best possible translation agency that specialises in expert language translations.
What content should my business translate?
Although every business is different, especially across different sectors, when it comes to translation services and deciding which particular corporate content you should convert into another language, there are some common threads amongst all companies and organisations.
For example, translating and carefully localizing your business website is one of the key aspects when approaching international markets, regardless of your particular corporate sector.
Official company websites are very often the first ‘go-to’ place for most customers, and so providing content in their native language can be extremely beneficial. Interestingly, written content is not the only aspect of a website that should be carefully adjusted to meet your international clientele’s expectations. Localizing the currency, time zone and even sometimes the colors used can often influence consumer’s behaviour and suitability of your global communications.
Additional marketing materials that companies should consider converting into another language when approach multilingual audiences are, for example, brochures, business cards or product descriptions. By converting these into the market’s native language, you not only create a consumer-focused, professional brand image, but also significantly and directly increase your potential customer reach.
Apart from the company’s website and other marketing materials mentioned above, every company should additionally consider translating their legal and official documents – such as contracts, warranties or official letters and other such communications. This can prove to be extremely beneficial in the long term.
Where to find a specialist translation agency?
Finding a specialist translation agency doesn’t have to be a time-consuming and stressful process. In the United Kingdom, there are several online resources available where you can fairly easily compare different companies and choose your preferred translations supplier, based on their experience and specialization.
Online resources such as the ATC (Association of Translation Companies), Proz.com or CIOL (Chartered Institute of Linguists) can be extremely useful when looking for a professional translator or a translation company.
Before contacting an agency, it’s also important to carefully check their credentials and general feedback/reviews from past clients.
The previously mentioned ATC is an association, which consists of some of the most professional translation companies in the United Kingdom. A company which is a member of the ATC must follow strict guidelines and meet rigorous assessments. As a result, any translation agency which is an official member of the Association of Translation Companies is a trustworthy and established provider.
Additionally, websites such as Trustpilot, GoodFirms.co or Google Reviews are truly excellent, independent resources to visit before contacting a translation agency, as they allow you to read in-depth feedback and reviews from the company’s past clients.
Which languages should I translate into?
Before finding the best translations supplier for your particular needs, as previously mentioned, you must carefully consider which documents, materials and files should actually be translated. As the translation process can be lengthy and, in some cases, also expensive, ensuring that the documents you decide to convert into another language are absolutely essential for your company’s international expansion can be very cost-effective in the long run.
Similarly, choosing only the required languages is absolutely fundamental.
Although it may seem obvious at first, many people and business owners aren’t actually too sure, which particular languages may be required for their documents.
Although it’s pretty clear that any business content or documents should be translated directly into the new market’s native language, things can still get complicated.
For example, if the consumers in your chosen country speak more than one language – e.g. Canada, where some people are able to speak both French and English, deciding which language to translate your content into can be somewhat complicated.
As a result, linguistic and cultural aspects should definitely be a part of your in-depth market research. By doing this, you will be able to better understand the culture of your potential clients, their language preferences and then decide, what the best way to approach them would be.
Interestingly, as translation agencies work with international clients regularly, on top of their linguistic services, they are also able to offer professional advise and consultancy when it comes to helping you in deciding what languages to choose and how to localize your content in order to ensure it is fully culturally appropriate for the target audience and your potential clientele.
Let’s wrap things up…
Choosing the best translation agency for your particular needs isn’t an excessively complex process, it does however require you (or your brand) to take certain steps to ensure that the supplier you decide to partner with is able to accurately translate your documents and guarantee that your content is carefully localized, meeting your market’s expectations.
From official memberships in UK translation associations, such as the ATC to positive feedback and reviews from past customers and a wide range of linguistic services – when choosing a provider, it’s absolutely key to ensure
