Is your company poised to leap into overseas markets? From the acquisition of 
weakened companies to selling products overseas, there are many pathways to international business, and American companies are leaping at the chance to “go global.” For instance,ABC News has reported on the uptick in American-made products being exported overseas. As ABC writer Sharyn Alfonsi points out, “For the first time since the 1930s, U.S. manufacturers have an advantage in exports.” Fracking and an overall increase in domestic extraction have pushed down American energy costs, and American labor rates are more competitive than they have been in decades. If your company has survived the Great Recession, expanding into overseas markets is a logical next step – not to mention an enormous opportunity.
However, expanding a business overseas can be incredibly complex. From local lawyers to in-the-know, on-the-ground marketers, you will need plenty of help to make it in foreign markets. One of your most trusted partners in this endeavor should be an exceptional provider of business translation services.
Here are some of the business translation services you may need as you dip into international business:
Website Translation
For many entrepreneurs, expanding a website into other languages and cultures is a no-brainer. After all, the web is already worldwide, so much of the infrastructure and expense to attract overseas attention is built in. However, don’t just assume that you can simply copy and paste your web content into a translation program; doing so would be an insult to your potential overseas customers.
An expert in website translation not only understands the language, the culture and the industry, as all corporate translators must; he or she also appreciates how culture impacts the user experience. Heck, even something as innocuous as color coding could be mistranslated. In America, red is associated with stop, or “no,” thanks to traffic lights and stop signs. However, in China red is considered the luckiest color, so a Chinese consumer might think that huge red button on your site is a contest. In contrast to the American association of red with passion and romance, Indian consumers associate red with purity. Website translation considers such cultural details in addition to the obvious language differences.
Document Translation
This is the most commonly requested business translation service, for good reason. It’s nearly impossible to do business overseas with out the requisite licenses, documents and bureaucratic forms. Here are a few examples of documents you may need prepared by a corporate document translation service:
- Sales contracts
- Legal documents
- Financial records
- Marketing plans
A worthwhile corporate document translation service employs top-notch translators, proofreaders, and managers to ensure accurate translation of crucial business documents.
Software Localization
Just as cell phones don’t work the same overseas, international business often requires software “translation” as well as the translation of words. The amount of data that must be translated in software is impressive. Here’s a short smattering of the items that might be adjusted to market software overseas:
- Time and date display
- Writing conventiond
- Keyboard character input and output
- User experience conventions
- Copyright law differences
- Currency, weight metrics, and postal codes
Always Use a Professional
Don’t assume you can “get by” with a fluent employee doing his or her best to provide business translation services in-house. Successful business translation requires years of education and training. If you want your document or website translation to woo overseas buyers, hire a professional. If you want that international contract to set up a strong foundation for continued partnerships, make sure you have a corporate document translation service on your side.
[ Photo by: rachfog, on Flickr, via CC License ]