Considering that the “marketing guy” is writing this article, saying that there are situations where it’s better not to order marketing translations is a bit of a paradox. However, this is very true and it can save you from unnecessary costs. The world of content, social media posts, and endless planning is fascinating. However, in some cases, translations can make it without “creative intervention.”
In marketing, we always say that there’s no such thing as enough revisions. Marketing translations resume to that, basically. A person who knows how to write and make a boring sentence sound attractive revises a document or another product of a translation to make it… “marketing-ready.” There are many cases where this step is not actually necessary.
Marketing translations, when not to order them
You don’t necessarily need to order marketing translations if you need classic or technical translations. On topic translations, so to speak. If you just want to translate from language A to language B, to preserve the exact meaning of the words and have no creative interventions whatsoever, there’s no need to pay extra for this additional service. Here are five concrete examples to inspire you.
When the target audience is monolingual
If your target audience primarily speaks Romanian, English, or other languages, and is not culturally diverse, translating content with the intervention of a marketing expert may not be a requirement. You just want to translate something from one language to another without any fuss or interference. Done!
Small or medium marketing campaigns
Yes, in some special cases, such as campaigns or events with a limited duration and restricted geographic coverage, marketing translations may be unnecessary or costly considering the benefits. It’s one thing to launch a new product in 15 foreign countries. And another to do it in the city next to the border, population 8000.
When your budget is limited
Translating content with a marketing filter can be expensive. In campaigns with small budgets, it may be more advantageous to focus on other aspects of the business rather than translations. However, we still recommend not overlooking the proofreading stage. Grammatical errors should not be part of your brand’s communication strategy.
Content with cultural or local specificity
Some pieces of marketing content (articles, posts, ads) can be extremely specific to a culture or even a region. Thus, they may be better understood and appreciated in the original language without translation. It’s better to leave some words as they are (quiddich) than to attempt a translation (vâjhaț, tr. Romanian) that may not necessarily be appropriate…
…We’ll be on our emails for your complaints!
At the market testing stage
When testing a new product or campaign in a foreign market, it may be wiser not to invest immediately in translating the entire content with marketing intervention. At least until you receive feedback and validation in that market. Focus on the basics, especially if you just want to see what happens in the market.
Marketing translations, when to absolutely order them
Order marketing translations whenever you need to localize a text. If you want your post, ad, article, or product description to be as attractive as possible, you will automatically opt for marketing translation. Here are five specific situations where you must get marketing translation for your product/service.
Launching a product/service on the global market
When you want to introduce a product or service to foreign markets, it is essential to go for marketing translation. They’re crucial when you want to address the target audience in those foreign countries the right way in relation to your original message. A marketing expert will edit your content, be it a motto, social media posts, blogs, product descriptions and so on so that it “makes sense” in the language of the new country.
When addressing a multilingual audience
If you have a diverse audience, with different cultures and languages, translating content focusing on marketing is crucial to maintain engagement and interest. This is usually very hard to gain, and can only be done if you know how to speak their language. And surely, it can be lost very easily. Communication is key, much like with any other relationship.
Growing the international presence of a brand
If you simply want to expand your brand into international markets, and successfully compete in global environments, translating content with a focus on marketing is a necessity. Any post, article, ad, or other marketing product must be translated with great care to suit the taste and language of those in the target country.
Events or campaigns specific to certain regions
Should you organize events or marketing campaigns targeting certain regions or countries, translating content is essential to ensure effective communication. Make sure the message is marketing-ready, the speech is sparkling with local references, and the social media posts have that regional feel, as they are personalized for the specific audience.
When you want to optimize international SEO
Translating website content with marketing assistance can contribute to improving rankings on search engines in foreign languages, as well as attracting more visitors and potential clients. Talking about SEO, it’s important to find the right keywords. If you translate them literally, they might not be the best choice for your needs.
In conclusion, you might be even more confused about whether to go for marketing translations than before reading this article. Our apologies! In this case, it’s best to rely on someone who knows what they’re doing. For example, shoot an email to one of our project managers at the agency. They will sort out whether you should go for marketing translations or not.
