If your business is looking to expand past its current localized clientele to access emerging foreign markets, professional translation services become a must. Bridging the gap in communication between your company and these potential clients is extremely important in succeeding at doing international business.
That being said, here are the five main reasons why your business needs professional translation services if you want to compete in the international market.
1) Accessibility to countries and customers worldwide
In today’s day and age of the internet, businesses can expand their services outside of their locality, but this requires speaking the language of the client.
Although English does serve as the “lingua franca” worldwide, it’s not spoken widely enough. Chinese Mandarin serves as the most spoken language in the world with over 1 billion speakers. China also happens to be one of the fastest growing economies in the world, so reaching those consumers can only be done in their native tongue.
Similarly, many potential clients in Latin America do not speak any English whatsoever (or a very weak English), so if a business intends to target customers there, it’s absolutely necessary to use a translation service to handle Spanish and Portuguese translations.
2) Free translation software isn’t good enough
Although there has been a dramatic improvement in online free translation services (like Google Translate), they are still not at a level that is up-to-par with business needs. These automated free services are unable to understand language and meaning in the same way as a multilingual professional translator. Unfortunately, free translation is still full of mistakes, including misunderstanding the meaning of sentences and using t
he wrong words in the translation. This can cause confusion to the foreign language reader.
Free translation software also doesn’t into account the nuances of language localization. For example, Canadian French uses different idioms, words, expressions and cultural references that may not be understood by customers from France. Similarly, British English has subtle differences to American English and requires changes in spelling and diction. Translation and localization services understand localization needs and translate accordingly based on targeted clients.
3) Resources and tools available
Professional translation companies have a variety of tools and resources at the disposal of their clients. Rather than have to go through the pain of hiring numerous translators for different needs, these companies offer a one-stop-shop for services that go beyond document translation, often for many languages.
Among these are localization requirements for website development, desktop publishing, translation for mobile apps, and international video and audio needs.
Whether a client needs professionally translated and recorded voice overs, dubbing, or website translations, they can feel confident that they are receiving professional services from one translation company.
4) Incorrect translations are damaging
With the expansion of global businesses, proper translation is vital to continuing client relations and maintaining a professional reputation. Incorrect translations can damage a business in numerous ways, particularly when it comes to technical translations.
Technical translation services understand how to appropriately translate important technical guides, user manuals and documentation that are necessary for customers to use the product correctly. Technical translations ensure clients are using the product appropriately, understand all the terms, and do not require additional support from the business.
Incorrect translations can cause clients to use products in a damaging way, thus creating backlash against the company from unhappy customers. It also means that more clients will be reaching out to the support team as the technical documents do not offer the required guidance.
5) Cross-industry experience and knowledge
Technical translation services have experience translating for different industries and specialize in those that are difficult-to-translate. Businesses such as those involved in medical, software, corporate or legal industries cannot take the risk of hiring any freelance translator to handle the translation work.
These businesses require specialized help from services that understand how to properly translate their documentation. For example, a small misunderstanding in translating a legal document could have high-risk repercussions for a business.
Because of this and other reasons, hiring a professional translation service is worth the added investment.
You must be logged in to post a comment.