Business expansion can be a challenging and difficult task.
New location, consumer base and competitors are just some of the factors, which can directly affect how well a company will prosper (or how quickly it will fail) within the new, chosen market.
Taking your company abroad, however, increases the difficulty and complexity levels even further and harshly raises the stakes in case of a failure. In order to strengthen your company’s position before and during the internationalisation process, a number of aspects must be considered as well as boxes ticked.
One of the most important aspects you should consider meticulously is using the correct language widely recognized within the new market for legal document translation.
As a result, professional translation agencies offering linguistic services have become an integral part of many businesses and corporate sectors and important partners in some of the largest and fastest-growing firms in the world.
Nowadays, companies such as Amazon, Google or Tesla work with linguists and translators on a regular basis, which allows them to approach international markets more precisely and accurately target a specific, chosen audience. The question, nonetheless, still remains – why do language translations and interpreting services play such an incredibly crucial role during the internationalisation process?
Language makes the consumer feel comfortable
Perhaps the most obvious, yet at the same time – also the most truthful answer, is that people feel much more comfortable when able to read important information or learn about a brand or service directly in their native language. In fact, a study completed few years ago found, that more than 80% of respondents asked said that to be the case, precisely. Additionally, 1 in 5 of those asked claimed to never purchase goods if the are not able to find information about it directly in their native language.
Looking at the numbers above, as you can probably imagine, translating your content into the market’s native language is absolutely necessary in order to create a professional brand image, which will consequently encourage the potential customers to want to associate with your company. A trustworthy brand image can go a long way in your home market, let alone within a foreign market where your company only began to build its reputation amongst consumers. Presenting content which was accurately translated into a language they can freely and fully understand is the initial step.
Who should I trust with translating my documents?
Translating your corporate materials can be not only a challenging, but also a very sensitive matter. From the company’s point of view, any business documents which include confidential information, for example, financial statements, product development ideas or legal documents should always be protected. As a result, finding a reputable translations provider which guarantees full confidence of the translated content is absolutely essential in this situation.
One of the most popular ways of approaching this problem is to work directly with a registered translation agency, which specialises in converting, translating and interpreting documents for your specific business sector and is able to cover the languages you require. The good news is that in the United Kingdom alone there are several such and providers, for example, the officially registered ATC member Translation Services London, an agency which currently translates and interprets documents for some of the largest UK organisations and businesses.
Another company, which might be worth contacting in order to learn more about their services is ‘UK Translations & Interpreting’. This agency offers professional translations in more 100 different languages. Partnering with a provider such as the ones described above can prove to be extremely beneficial for a company of any size.
Additionally, if you wish to explore the potential translation providers even further, websites such as the ATC UK (Association of Translation Companies in the United Kingdom) or CIOL (Chartered Institute of Linguists) offer a comprehensive list of all officially registered members. As a result, you can choose your provider based on your specific needs and languages required and rest assured that they will be able to provide the highest quality of work, as in order to become a member of the ATC or CIOL, a translation agency must meet very rigorous requirements.
What documents should I translate when approaching foreign markets?
Deciding which particular documents and materials to translate can be as difficult, if not more so, than choosing the right translations agency or provider in the first place. Although each business is different and every internationalisation process varies depending on the corporate sector and target market, there are some common materials, which should be translated as a rule of thumb.
Firstly, regardless of whether you approach the new market solely via digital means (e.g. a website, social media) or also plan to be physically present abroad (e.g. a high street shop) – translating your company’s website should be at the very top of your priority list when it comes to translations. Generally speaking, the chances are that at some point, your potential customer will end up on your site, whether to browse through your products or services or to learn more about your brand. In order to ensure the highest conversion rate, your content must be accurately translated so that the visitors are able to fully engage with your brand.
At the same time, if you decide to be physically present within the new market, translating other marketing resources, such as brochures or business cards, can prove to be extremely beneficial in the long term.
Lastly, legal and financial documents should also be professionally translated to allow your potential customers and business partners to feel comfortable when working with your brand and for your company to create an honest and consumer-focused brand image.
Are language translations really that important in business?
The short version – Yes. The slightly extended version – Allowing your potential customer to read information about your services or products in their native language is without a question one of the most important and fundamental aspects of approaching international markets.
At Present, only 13% of the world’s population speaks English. What this means in simple terms, is that by not translating your materials into the chosen market’s native language, you theoretically miss out on reaching around 87% of the global market. And although some countries such as Denmark, Singapore or Sweden have much higher numbers of their respective populations able to speak English, even in such markets, creating a compelling content from scratch or translating your existing materials directly into their native language will allow your company to create a friendly, customer-focused brand image, which in the long term will certainly be extremely beneficial.