10 Dos and Don’ts of Translating Marketing Content

Within the translation world, there are multiple specialities and disciplines, each with its own complexities. But all of them have as their main premise to be functional for the source text—or the translation commission, if different. Translating marketing content is no exception to this rule and presents a great and sometimes underestimated challenge.

One of the primary goals of marketing is to get and persuade potential customers, but are we sure we can reach people in different places in the same way? In this field, the translator has to master a wide range of skills: Being knowledgeable about various communication styles, knowing how to write and re-create, and, especially, realising that what we need to convey is not a text, but an idea.

It is not about selling products or services, but about selling what people can do and achieve with them. We offer security, confidence, comfort, and status, and therefore, the message needs to change to suit cultural expectations, which are as diverse as there are countries in the world.

Translating Marketing Materials: Why?

Good marketing campaigns are remembered over time. Unfortunately, so are the bad ones. We are not talking about vague or creative ideas but the ones that provoke uncomfortable or embarrassing reactions at the expense of a brand’s reputation.

If not, just think back to the old American Airlines campaign to promote its new luxury leather seats. With the intention of offering status, they translated their slogan “Fly in leather” to the Spanish-speaking market. The result was a literal and hilarious “Vuela en cueros”, which we hope no one took literally because it would have meant a lot of people travelling a bit undressed—not to say almost naked.

That is how complex translating marketing content can be if you disregard the huge importance of the cultural component. Here are some tips on what to do and what not to do, to prevent you from going through the “Fly naked” experience.

#OptimationalTip: Translators are not necessarily copywriters, so to help them translate your multilingual content marketing efficiently, make sure you provide them with as much contextual information as possible.

 Translating Marketing Content: The Dos

• Do research: Each audience has its own needs and interests that your content should reflect. Hence, it is vital to do research on them and their culture, current context and, if the content aims for SEO, keywords and their online behaviours and search intents. Learn more about multilingual keyword research.
• Keep it simple: Translating marketing materials may require creativity, but you should use it in a natural way. Employ clear phrases and avoid reinventing the wheel when there are linguistic conventions that can be more advisable.
• Work with native linguists: You can choose to work with them for the whole process or only for the editing and proofreading stage. Native speakers know more than anyone else about the linguistic conventions of a given place and share a cultural background to deliver compelling messages.

#OptimationalTip: The style and tone of the brand must be consistent across all types of multilingual content marketing. It might be a good idea to set up a style guide.

 Translating Marketing Content: The Don’ts

• Forgetting about localisation: This is the most important aspect. Overlooking localisation can result in poor empathy, confusion, or simply lack of appeal. You should localise all types of content: Titles, menu bars, buttons and CTA, subtitles (or closed captions) of videos, currencies, etc. Find out more about content localisation tips.
• Over-reliance on technology: The translation machine can be tempting: Immediate results for free. However, translating marketing content is no child’s play. To see which linguistic conventions you can play with, you first need to know the game’s rules. Moreover, the machine does not understand context, tone and intentionality, nor does it know the voice of your brand or your buyer persona.
• Neglecting the buyer persona: Who are you aiming at with your multilingual content marketing strategy? Or better said, who will read your content? The decision to target a specific audience depends on objectives + previous campaigns’ results. If you change your goals or methods, this may lead to changes in your audiences’ behaviours.

#OptimationalTip: A complete and coherent localisation goes beyond translating marketing materials. You should also consider symbols, colours, images and so on. Consider this to work closely with your design specialists.

Final Thoughts: Translating Marketing Content Can Be a Seamless Experience

When producing marketing content, the purpose is always to speak to the prospects’ hearts. And, the translation of such content serves the same goal, only now looking at audiences with different ways of conceiving life and their experiences.

We told you it is a daunting task, but it does not need to be a nightmare. In fact, it can be enjoyable if you entrust it to professionals who know best how to handle it. 

Consider two critical aspects: Find a team with the necessary expertise to partner with and proactively put together your plan for translating marketing content. Getting your brand known for good campaigns is entirely possible.

Unsure how to get started? Book a meeting with us today! So we can plan together the multilingual strategy your business needs.