The importance of translations in marketing

In an increasingly globalized world, marketing is one of the fundamental tools for the success of any company, especially for start-ups trying to position themselves in a competitive market. Content is among the most important elements to consider in a marketing campaign, as understandable text in the native language and with local terms and expressions is more likely to attract millions of online users than a website written in a single language. For this reason, translation has become a key part of online marketing.

In the past, many companies have made the mistake of launching international marketing campaigns simply using English as the lingua franca. This approach is no longer sufficient. Consumers around the world expect companies to communicate with them in their native language. This is especially important in emerging markets where English is not the primary language. To reach these consumers, it is crucial that companies translate their content into the local language.

Translation is not a simple task . It requires advanced language skills and knowledge of the culture and context of the destination country. For this reason, many companies choose to outsource this task to a translation agency, who offer services that adapt content from one language to another to help companies improve their business.

Translation: a difficult but necessary task

Translating content is a complex task that requires a careful approach and in-depth knowledge of the local culture and language. A good translation agency works with a team of highly skilled translators who are familiar with the language and culture of the region where the campaign will be launched. It should also have proofreaders and editors to ensure that the final content is accurate and suitable for local audiences.

Content must be adapted and localized to have a real impact on the audience. Translators must take into account cultural differences, idiomatic expressions and linguistic nuances of the local language.

The importance of translation in marketing

Translation can also be crucial for search engine optimization (SEO) in the local market. To index and rank websites, search engines like Google use algorithms based on a number of factors, including content. If the content is not in the local language, it is less likely to be indexed by the search engine. This means that the business may miss out on the opportunity to connect with its target audience.

The alliance between marketing and translation has therefore become increasingly crucial for increasing the business of a company or a start-up at an international level. Translation allows you to reach a global audience in their native language, which can make all the difference in the success of a marketing campaign. It is therefore important that companies invest time and resources to ensure that their content is properly translated and adapted to local cultures, to ensure an optimal experience for their customers around the world

Transposing exactly the same source text is not enough. People are impressed by different aspects and features of the product depending on the culture, they also have a different sense of humor and may feel offended by certain content. It is therefore essential to first analyze what the client's objectives are and what the target audience is, to adapt the text accordingly and ensure that the intended purposes are achieved.

The main challenge of a marketing translation is to produce a text that speaks to the new audience, without however betraying the original voice of the brand . Wherever they go and whatever content they come into contact with, people need to be able to recognize that they are dealing with the same brand, with which certain values are also generally associated.

Another aspect to consider is the high visibility that characterizes marketing texts. This is not content intended for a limited audience, made up for example of experts in a specific sector; on the contrary, they are accessible by virtually anyone. A culture-related mistake or inaccuracy will be known to the whole world and regaining the lost trust will not be an easy task.

Relying on the work of a professional means taking care of every detail and guaranteeing the success of the translation. The brand identity will be strengthened globally, but will still maintain its uniqueness.

What types of text are affected?

Thinking about marketing translation, what are the text types that first come to mind? There will certainly be advertising texts, brochures, taglines and slogans, or a marketing campaign to take abroad. All correct answers, but if we explore the panorama more carefully we will notice that marketing also lurks in unsuspected (or almost) places. Let's discover them together.

• Market research and press releases : they appear to us as texts with an official and set tone, but they must always convey the brand's voice. Let's also not forget that the latest trends favor a more friendly and conversational tone.
• Catalogs and product descriptions : don't be fooled by the abundance of technical terms. Reading, the potential buyer must be able to recognize the brand and its values. Furthermore, adaptations are often necessary to address concerns or to appeal to motivations that vary greatly from culture to culture.
• Websites : marketing translation pervades virtually all websites, especially on pages whose purpose is to present the product (physical or digital) that the company aspires to sell. Even microtexts (call to action buttons, notifications, messages) are not exempt from this component. More and more brands are opting for the transition from standard and impersonal communication (“ Enter full name ”) to one closer to the user (“ What's your name? ”), capable of arousing positive emotions and thus favoring product promotion .

Why is marketing translation different from “classic” specialist translation?

Basically, a marketing text is a combination of phrases and words specifically designed to capture the attention of readers and trigger a reaction in them , encouraging them to perform an action such as buying a product or signing up for a service. A translator generally doesn't have the time to carry out such an in-depth linguistic analysis and rewrite the text almost from scratch, but this does not authorize him to adhere to the source text as it is, reporting it exactly word for word.

If extreme terminological care and a clear, simple and direct style are expected from a technical translator , which can often adhere to the original without too many problems, the marketing translator is asked to concentrate on transposing the meaning, the values of the brand and its tone of voice .

This does not mean that terminology is completely absent in marketing texts (indeed, it is very important). But everything is considered in a broader perspective, in the service of cultural adaptation . A technical translator must be the best expert in his sector of work. A marketing translator must have a deep knowledge of the target audience , considering demographics, interests, religious influences, expectations, sensitivities, and paying particular attention to how the character of the brand will be perceived.

The risk that marketing translations run into is the production of texts that are linguistically correct, but which do not seem to have been born in the language of the end user and for that specific market . Lack of rhythm, not very fluid style, structures that weigh down the text, repetitions, very long periods. Anyone reading it immediately understands that it is a translation. The imperative is to avoid a literal translation, avoid tracings, insist on reformulation, grasp the sense and return it using the language naturally used by the target audience.

Here are some of the challenges that await the translator around the corner:

• the choice of register , more or less formal;
• the use of inclusive language ;
• the rendering of humor , because not everyone laughs at the same jokes;
• the transposition of metaphors and idioms ;
• overcoming cultural barriers , to be discussed with the client to understand how to adapt concepts that are not equally widespread;
• focus on different values , for example in Italy the family has a leading role, while for other cultures earnings, a sense of community, independence, socialization and so on may be more important;
• possible addition of information to support the user , for example Italians are less familiar with technology than Americans and may need details that are taken for granted in the original text.

As for the length of the text ? Another aspect that should not be underestimated. Some languages, including Italian, are known for more elaborate syntactic structures and the words themselves contain a considerable number of characters. Compared to English (which uses shorter words on average and is considered a very synthetic language) the final text could even be 30% longer.

But it is not always possible to adapt the layouts, therefore it is useless to engage in very long, articulated and complex periods to show off one's writing skills. The real challenge is being able to condense the concepts without losing strength to the message .

What about transcreation ?

Transcreation could be defined as the "sister" of marketing translation . The two activities are often correlated and it is not uncommon to also have to resort to transcreation when dealing with a marketing translation. This type of service is generally limited to delimited parts of the text or document , such as taglines and slogans or particularly creative titles, but also styles, colors and images, which arouse very different emotions depending on the target audience.

In transcreation , the original words are totally revolutionized and the translation process becomes very similar to copywriting . You add and remove parts of the sentence to recreate puns, repetitions, alliteration and other figures of speech. In terms of literal translation, the two texts (source and translated) may indeed be very different. But the transmitted message will remain unchanged : different words will communicate to the new target audience the same idea conveyed by the original text.