As soon as a business has raised significant revenue from a new product sold to its home market, the next step to follow is to go global with the product. But for a marketing campaign to be successful, there are some challenges that need to be addressed so that any marketing material sent overseas attracts new buyers. One of these challenges is localizing the main content of the advertising material. This is related to the context that the marketing is to take place. It is the job of a translator who has a thorough knowledge of two languages and knows what cultural correct terminology and other local features can be used to attract new customers.
Who is a linguist?
Linguists are language experts who have an exceptional eye for even the smallest of details and flaws in language patterns. Linguists are so valuable when it comes to ensuring the effectiveness of localized content. They are also important in many other ways such as described below.
Linguists understand customers
Linguists’ total understanding of the targeted group of customers ensures that the marketing content once localization has taken place is engaging to its audience both linguistically and culturally. A linguist has the training to view the text through the eyes of the targeted customer so it can be adjusted if there appears to be a mismatch. They are the best choice for attracting a global audience.
Linguists keep content consistent
Linguists maintain the consistency and integrity of localized content. They use glossaries and style guides to help them maintain language consistency in a client’s translated marketing material.
Linguists are experts in local languages
When working for transcreation services, gaining cultural insight, and copywriting, linguists should really be located in their first language country. It is this language they use all the time. Language rarely stays the same but linguists who are exposed all the time to their native language stay up to date with language changes.
Linguistic services avoid mistakes
Linguists know all the pitfalls of translations and keep up to date with some serious errors that have been made in marketing translations so they don’t make the same mistakes themselves. These include the famous KFC tagline “Finger-Linckin’ Good.” KFC chose to have this slogan translated by a “local proofreader” who mistranslated and the slogan ended up saying “We’ll Eat Your Finger Off!” Pepsi made a similar mistake with this tagline of theirs “Come alive with Pepsi,” When translated for a Chinese audience the expression read ‘’Pepsi can bring ancestors back from the dead!”.
A third blooper was from the American Dairy Association whose slogan was “Got Milk?” but when translated for the Mexican audience ended up with the translation, “Are you lactating?”.
No business ever wishes to suffer due to poor translations, but a good linguist should never allow this to happen.
Good translation companies ensure they hire the best linguists and translators to ensure a company’s marketing campaign is localized so it is just right and can be successfully delivered across multiple markets.
