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Translation Services For Marketing Materials: Everything You Need To Know

Posted by Gummy T. on January 12, 2023.

One of the first steps in expanding your business worldwide is to interact with target clients in their native tongue by using translation services for marketing materials.

However, when your business is attempting to expand into numerous new regions, marketing translation and localization can be challenging.

How to get the best outcomes when using translation services for marketing materials. Let’s explore.

#1. Why translation services for marketing materials matter

  • Improved brand awareness

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Everyone has to be aware of your brand before they consider making a purchase of your products/services. If you want to educate a new audience in this way, you need to develop a marketing strategy with a significant reach.

Running some Facebook ads might be a great approach to raise brand awareness in the US or Europe. However, in countries like Argentina or Nigeria, where just a small portion of the population uses Facebook, a different strategy would be more sensible.

This kind of adaptability is a built-in feature of localization marketing. It enables you to create a completely different strategy for each location or locale, which results in improved brand awareness.

  • Enhanced brand affinity

Global marketing campaigns can be successful, but they rarely feel native everywhere. Companies that focus on a local level are likely to see stronger brand affinity, as a result of their marketing being more relatable to potential customers.

By developing a solid plan of translation services for marketing materials, you may win over prospects even if you are competing with another company established in your target regions.

  • Faster international growth

If implemented effectively, the various advantages of translation services for marketing materials might add up to measurable returns on your balance sheet. Specifically, this strategy aids in accelerating global expansion.

ASOS serves as an excellent example again. By implementing combined activities, this online store boosted its company’s international revenue by 158% in a single year and experienced rapid growth in markets throughout the world.  In only 5 years, the company grew from being UK-centric to producing 61% of sales from foreign countries.

 

#2. Differences between translation, transcreation, and localization

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Businesses growing abroad use professional language services including translation, localization, and transcreation in various ways. They are frequently used interchangeably regardless of the fact that their definitions and usage are different.

The three are not necessarily exclusive, and your company might use all three at some point as a component of your marketing strategy for expansion. Here is a summary of the key distinctions among these terms you need to know:

TermDefinitionDetails
Marketing TranslationThis one refers to the translation services for marketing material and other forms of source writings into another language.To adapt the text to the proper style and register of the target language, only minor adjustments are made to the text’s words, structure, and meaning. Typically, only translators are needed.
TranscreationThe target market in the new market is taken into account when creating any form of marketing campaign material, including content, product names, slogans, and images. This term is also known as imaginative or flexible translation.Wording and structure can be significantly altered while maintaining the message, tone, and effect of the original text. This term usually entails recruiting copywriters with experience.
Marketing LocalizationThe target markets’ customer preferences are taken into account in all parts of the marketing campaigns, including cultural quirks, linguistic customs, distribution methods, aesthetics, website design, numbers, and more.Depending on the location, the changes’ scope may alter. Messages are frequently kept the same while being modified for the target language’s culture. Depending on the demands of the company, copywriters and translators may both be recruited.

To learn more, you can read this article: Basic Linguistic Terms: Translation, Localization, Transcreation, and More

#3. Case studies of translation in global marketing campaigns

An Example of Translation Services For Marketing Materials: HSBC Bank

There are numerous instances of businesses choosing to use literal translations of their marketing catchphrases. HSBC is certainly not one of them.

In 2009, the bank’s catchphrase, “Assume Nothing,” was translated straight into several languages without enough consideration for meaning and cultural context, forcing the firm to spend $10 million on an expensive global rebranding campaign.

The motto actually read “Do Nothing” when it was translated, not “The bank makes no assumptions about its customers.” In essence, this is the exact opposite of what a bank would want to tell its clients during a serious financial crisis.

Therefore, it is very important to choose a professional marketing translation company that only chooses native translators for your global marketing campaigns.

 

#4. Useful tips for marketing translation services

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  • There’s more to translation than simply getting the words right

It is crucial to translate words from one language to another. It takes more than just getting the words right to produce translation services for marketing materials that are truly effective.

Consider translating a manual for a product that is offered in Japan as an illustration. You must remember that Japanese culture is significantly dissimilar to Western culture when translating the language. If you want to properly cater to the Japanese audience, you will need to change the tone and style of the content.

Although translation services for marketing materials are crucial, there are other factors to consider as well. Understanding the culture of the audience you are translating for is also essential. Then, you can produce marketing translations that are actually useful and effective.

  • Enhance productivity with CAT tools

Tools that rapidly translate documents using machine translation have a negative reputation. You’ll understand why if you’ve ever tried Google Translate and received a bad translation.

Marketing translations will always require a human touch to sound natural. Native translators with the help of CAT tools can bring qualified and consistent translation services for marketing materials and help you save a lot of time and money.

With CAT tools, your translator can:

-Keep your marketing translation consistent.

-Boost language precision and quality

-Prevent human errors

-Save time when finding previous marketing translations

  • Save time with versatile file formats

Your time-to-market will be slowed considerably if you have to rely on manual processes to get your marketing translation published. Since it will take longer to get your localization ROI, this raises costs.

You can save time if you send one of these file formats to translators when translating your marketing materials:

-InDesign files

-PPT files

-Word documents

-Excel files

 

#5. Get started with the professional marketing translation agency

A professional marketing translation agency with various professional resources and qualified translation tools can help you with translation services for marketing materials effectively and accurately.

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With a wide range of native translators and linguists around the world, GTE Localize can offer the best translation services for marketing materials at a fast turnaround time and a budget-saving cost for your business. Below are the outstanding values we offer:

  • Skilled native linguists: To produce translation services for marketing materials, we have more than 1200 native translators with high qualifications and experience in marketing localization and particular fields.
  • Lifetime warranty policy: Made of qualified translators and the latest technology in the translation and localization industry, GTE Localize is committed to giving clients a lifetime warranty for our translation services for marketing materials. This guarantee applies to every content localized by us, regardless of service, deadline, or price. 
  • Budget-effective translation services for marketing materials: Applying technology in our procedure (Translation Memory, CAT tools, etc.) helps smooth out our workflow as well as cut down costs for translation services for marketing materials. Every dollar you spend with us for marketing translation services is put to good use. 

Let’s reach more global customers today by reaching out to us. One of our experts will give you a detailed consultation and a free quote.

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