Why should we translate? Many marketing executives, directors of business development, documentation managers, and technical writers ask or are asked this question. Although most technical writers and a growing number of marketing executives are aware of compelling reasons to translate, communicating and justifying those reasons in budget meetings can be a challenge.

Given the current economic downturn, some companies are finding it more difficult to view translation of their materials as being cost beneficial. Every company has its eye on the bottom line and every penny must be saved. Translating a company’s materials for its international markets may be viewed as a luxury that fails to escape budget cuts.

 

Not all English is the same

Because English has become a widely spoken language in business, decision makers may assume that translation into the reader’s target language is not necessary. Yet even if your readers have a working knowledge of English, their level of comprehension of the language and range of vocabulary can vary widely from user to user.

Often when business leaders assume that customers or users speak English, they are referring to a person with whom they conduct business and who is located somewhere within the European Union. In such cases, these users generally speak British English, not U.S. English, and may need to spend considerable time looking up simple terms that are well-known in U.S. English but that have an entirely different meaning in British English. For example, the “hood” of a car in Great Britain is referred to as a “bonnet,” while a “hood” in U.S. English is an article of apparel worn over the heading and not a piece of equipment that must be secured before operating a motorized vehicle.

Moreover, the customer contacts with whom business leaders generally communicate may have a higher level of understanding of English than the user of your technical documentation. Business leaders can often form impressions of the end user based on their interactions with upper management colleagues in the customer or distributor organization.

For example, assume your company has made a sale to a client in Germany who speaks excellent British English. It is not reasonable to expect that the customer contact who signed the sales agreement will be the person who will be reading your company’s technical manual. Rather, it is the machine operator who will use the document and that reader may have no knowledge of English. Or, if the machine operator is accustomed to speaking British English, the user may become confused by the many differences in terms between U.S. and British English.

Professionalism is key

A common misconception that some business leaders hold is that the customer or distributor organization will have the time and resources to translate your company’s operating manuals. Not only do customers not have the time, skills, and resources to perform this task, but placing such expectations on the customer can demonstrate a lack of professionalism on the part of your firm as well as a lack of concern for the customer’s needs.

In addition, if the customer or distributor does translate your content, they may choose to translate only the “high points” and miss important instructions that will ensure the correct operation of your product. In one case, such a translation resulted in a 350-page manual of important material being distilled into a document of roughly 35 to 75 pages for use by the machine operator. The results of such abridged translations are that content is incorrect and incomplete, and your customer service department will see an increase in requests for support.

Other considerations

Even if you know that your target audience speaks English, be aware, too, that certain regulatory requirements may dictate that you translate your post-sales material into the target language for the countries into which you will ship your product.

For example, some members of the European Union may require that a foreign manufacturer translate post-sales material and packaging into the local language in order to market their goods in those countries.

Meanwhile, experience has shown that customers make buying decisions based not only on the features of the equipment they purchase but also on their ability to properly use the equipment. For example, a customer may purchase your product over a competitor’s the first time they decide to make such a purchase.

However, if the customer is unable to install or properly use the equipment because the operating manuals are not properly translated or are not translated at all, you can expect to lose their repeat business. The next time the customer wishes to purchase your product, they will recall their dissatisfaction with the guides that accompanied your product and choose your competitor’s offering instead.

Some companies will also ensure that their marketing materials are translated correctly and are localized for the culture in the geographic areas where the product is sold. However, once the sale has been made, end users can become dissatisfied with the quality of the post-sales materials if those documents are not properly translated.

The result is that customers will form impressions about your company’s commitment—or lack of commitment—to customer quality and satisfaction and choose not to buy your product the next time around. To develop brand loyalty, it is important to evaluate whether you are offering not just a high quality of translated marketing materials, but also that you translate the materials you provide post-sales.

Cultural respect = increased sales

In today’s economy, retaining valued and established customers is vital to generating more sales and providing you with leads to other companies that can use your goods or services. Taking care of your existing customers on the post-sales side is critical to retaining their business in this highly competitive global market. When you consider the cost of translating your marketing or operational materials for international markets, be especially careful not to neglect your post-sales relationship with your customers.

If yours is a manufacturing company that truly wants to penetrate, capture, maintain, and grow its market share in a foreign market, you should look carefully at creating brand loyalty by ensuring customer satisfaction. If you do not have your operational manuals professionally translated for the target market, you may be failing to demonstrate to your customers that you understand and respect their culture.

By making sure your materials are properly translated and that your customers in those foreign markets can use and maintain your equipment, you demonstrate the same respect for their culture that you demand for your own. When you provide complete and correct translations of your operational materials, you demonstrate that you appreciate your customers and begin to create brand loyalty. 

Safety first

More and more U.S. companies are realizing that for a safer work environment within their overseas operations they need to have their safety materials translated. In some cases, a senior member of the management team that is native to the local culture has performed the translations. However, even if the engineer within the local manufacturing facility is a native speaker, the industrial safety material in your documents may not be translated correctly and may not be easily or properly comprehended by the local worker.

The consequences of failing to translate such important safety material can be serious, from a personal injury viewpoint as well as a legal standpoint. Incorrect translations, or a total lack of translations, can jeopardize the safety and lives of workers and leave your company open to litigation that can have serious financial consequences for your firm. 

Even those materials you produce for distribution within your company should merit analysis for possible translation. For example, a U.S. construction company with a large Spanish-speaking work force recently elected to translate all of the safety materials they distribute to employees.

The benefits of investing in professional translations of these materials was soon realized when the company reduced employee down time by 20 percent and significantly increased productivity. Simple procedures that had been missed before because of a lack of understanding by the employees are now being performed when needed. Over time, with their employees having a better understanding of safety issues and procedures, the company should also expect to see a reduction in their insurance premiums.

The success this company has achieved has been so great that they are now in the final stages of preparing all employee benefit guides for translation. The company believes that if its employees can read about their employee benefits and obligations in their native language, they can better understand the benefits and requirements, make greater use of the benefits available to them, and take greater ownership for their roles in the company. All of this equates to a more involved and more productive employee.

The bottom line

In today’s economy, every company across the globe is looking at its bottom line and trying to find ways to control and lower their costs. Before you decide to eliminate translation costs from your company’s budget, consider the consequences your decision will have on customer loyalty, compliance with regulatory requirements, worker safety, legal liability, increased calls to customer service, and overall customer satisfaction. The short-term savings of eliminating translations can have serious effects on customer perception and satisfaction and can ultimately cost your company much more in the long run. wt



Jeffrey Jorgensen is National Account Manager for International Communication by Design, Inc.