What Types of Business Document Translation Services Do You Need?
We operate in a global market. The internet, online shopping, SNS, and new communication options are wiping out every commercial boundary. And today an increasing number of companies are seeking business document translation services to grab a slice of the global profit pie and taste the benefits.
Furthermore, this global trend will only continue growing, as evidenced by the latest indicators. Nothing seems to stop the race for the global market. Indeed, Forbes states that “despite challenges brought on by the pandemic, ongoing war and unpredictable markets, the world’s largest public companies managed to boost sales and profits in the last year.”
But that is not all. Is the situation only auspicious for large companies? Is it necessary to have a huge corporation or a long track record to be successful? Fortunately not.
What is necessary is to optimise the available resources, gain the right amount of exposure, and overcome the language barriers. And to make that all happen, you will need to count on the right professional advice and tailored services.
Do you run an international business or aspire to do so? Then keep up, it is about to get juicy.
Why You Need Business Document Translation Services
First things first, it is necessary to clarify why you need a translation company as a partner working alongside you.
The truth is, the global marketplace offers thousands of opportunities and the competition knows it too. According to Statista, there are 333.34 million companies globally, which is up from 328 million back in 2019 (pre-pandemic times.)
The conclusion seems clear: The benefits are great, the opportunities are endless, and the competition is fierce. That is why your brand must become a benchmark of its kind and make a difference.
By hiring business document translation services, you ensure that, on the one hand, you have all your collaborators on the same page. They will receive all the necessary directives and information to fulfil their duties efficiently—no matter where they are.
On the other hand, you project a brand image that is ready to jump on the international bandwagon. A brand that cares about its customers and their UX. A company that seeks prospects based on trust, transparency, and outstanding customer service.
Are there other options apart from professional translation? There are, of course, but with great limitations and risks. For instance, making a mistake or omitting important information from your documents can lead to financial and legal problems, damage your brand reputation, and the list goes on.
#OptimationalTip: The costs of translating are not as high as you might think and will bring you a valuable ROI. So, consider it an investment that can also enable you to scale your content as you need to in a more cost-effective way.
Different Types of Translation
We already know that website translation is essential to achieving global success—regardless of the business type. But is the website the only content that needs translation? Is there only one way of doing so?
Here is the thing: There is no one-size-fits-all type of translation for business. The approaches are diverse, as are the methods to follow because the companies are also quite different.
An eCommerce company is not the same as a pharmaceutical or automotive one. And all of these entities require business document translation services for a wide range of different content, for example, technical manuals, training material, or marketing campaigns.
Here is a closer look into the different types of translation.
Legal Translation
It is one of the most complex translation services due to all sorts of implications that legal texts can entail. Legal translation includes all types of official documents, of which the following are just a few examples:
- Birth or death certificates
- Marriage certificates
- Agreements
- Last wills and testaments
- Work permits
In order to ensure the high quality of the translation as well as compliance with regulations, experienced translators should undertake the linguistic transfer. These professionals must take into account legal, political, and socio-cultural aspects. In addition, they must be regionally licensed to offer their services (accreditation requirements may vary depending on the location.)
Finance Translation
As for finance company translation, it occasionally shares ground with the legal field, as there may be content that intertwines with both. However, finance deals with other types of materials, such as the following:
- White papers
- Statements
- Stock market reports
- Audit reports
- And more!
Nowadays, cryptocurrency translation is becoming like a sub-speciality for finance, as it also requires knowledge of digital currencies and blockchain, among others.
#OptimationalTip: Choose the business document translation services you need carefully. If it is for finance, make sure you rely on language partners with proven experience. For legal translation, also make sure they hold accreditation for this type of service.
Training and Education Translation
As the world’s population has become more interconnected, the education sector has expanded and adapted its learning materials to reach new regions and make content globally more accessible.
By education, we mean:
- Content from public and private institutions that provide formal instruction, such as schools or universities.
- Work training material for onboarding processes, workshops, etc.
- Content that is not within the framework of an institution, but is designed to help people improve, such as educational videos on YouTube.
So, what kind of materials are included in educational translation? A bit of everything: manuals, PDFs, PowerPoint slides, etc. It can also entail transcription of videos, subtitles and CC, and more.
Here are a few international business tips if you need this type of service:
- Include the average age of the target audience in your translation order.
- Include their level of education or subject matter knowledge.
- Include the target locations to determine if localisation can be a better approach.
Technical Translation
Technical translation focuses on providing texts completely intelligible to their intended target audience. In fact, sometimes to the point of sounding redundant or too detailed, but with the aim of leaving no room for ambiguity or difficulty in interpretation.
Within this speciality of business document translation services, some materials you can find are the following:
- User manuals
- Business memorandums
- Instructional brochures
- Patient information leaflets
- Clerical notes
The industries in which technical material often requires translation are electronics, mechanical, IT, and pharmaceutical; although, it is not limited to them.
#OptimationalTip: Technical documents may have a specific lifespan, so it is necessary to make clear which tool or product they specifically refer to. Also, for which territory it is applicable. As a company, you should ensure that such materials are always up-to-date—and make them available, e.g. through your website.
Scientific, Medical, and Healthcare Translation
This includes texts related to medicine, patient care, and wellness.
Note that we consider it a different type of translation, but due to the nature of its materials, it sometimes shares characteristics with technical translation.
Some typical pieces of content are the following:
- Instructions for patients
- Product labelling
- Specialised software
- QA certificates
- Clinical trial paperwork
Here is another international business tip: Team up with translators who have an excellent command of this field, vast experience, and an outstanding QA procedure. These are all necessary since, as with legal translation, the implications are serious; they can compromise life quality and, sometimes, become a matter of life and death.
Marketing Translation and SEO Localisation
We can safely affirm that most companies, both large and small, have a kind of digital marketing strategy. From social media to setting up a website, with the ultimate goal of getting the most out of the internet through a fine-tuned SEO approach.
Marketing translation focuses on achieving content tailored to each market and local tastes. As for multilingual SEO, it also serves to adapt the website’s positioning strategy, so that it keeps its effectiveness in multiple languages.
What types of content are included? An interesting mix, here is a sample:
- Printed brochures
- Web ads
- Blogs and articles
- Social media posts
- Email campaigns
Videos and podcasts also play a key role here (AVT services are more than welcome.) And let us not forget how layout and design are the main characters, which is why, fortunately for you, multilingual DTP exists.
#OptimationalTip: Marketing translation is a hot topic, so here are some tips to build a global brand with a multilingual marketing strategy.
Last Thoughts: Finding What Your Company Needs
As we have seen, there is no single type of business document translation service. It all depends on the industry to which the company belongs, the kind of goods it offers, and the unique corporate needs.
However, we can say that there are language service providers that are fully prepared to provide solutions for business, as they work with a team of professionals specialised in different areas and with varied experience. In addition, they have organised and meticulous processes in place to ensure that the deliverables are according to expectations and requirements. Most importantly, they know that focusing on the receiver people is vital to ensure they can make appropriate use of the translated content and feel duly addressed.
If you are looking for savvy language services to boost your company’s growth, feel free to contact us today.
