The Fine Line: Differentiating Localisation and Translation
Modern communications and technologies have made it possible for companies to reach people at larger scales than before. In this way, they’ve made that engaging with potential clients from around the world becomes a fact. But to do this, language and cultural differences demand businesses to be flexible enough to adapt to local needs. This means adapting your company’s content to your new target audiences considering all the nuances of this new potential market.
But how can you appeal to global audiences and establish an international presence? You may be thinking that just hiring any translation partner may be enough. But the thing is, you should go beyond and embrace the challenge of localising your materials to make them suitable for new contexts.
This may sound a little funny to you because the terms localisation and translation are often used interchangeably to refer to the adaptation of a text from one language to another. But these two words refer to two quite different approaches, although closely connected to each other. Let’s have a closer look.
What’s Translation?
Translation is a part of localisation. Here’re some highlights:
- It means replacing words in one language with equivalent ones in the target language.
- The aim is to convey the same meaning.
- It focuses heavily on grammar and syntax.
- It can encompass various forms of content, including literary works, documents, websites, marketing materials, legal texts, and more.
And what’s the translators’ process? They analyse the source text, understand its intended purpose, and recreate it in the target language to ensure effective communication between different linguistic and cultural communities. In other words, the content is adapted, but only at the linguistic level and typically preserves the foreign feel of the original text.
It may sound half-baked, but rest assured that it’s not. Translating your content is the first step towards reaching a global audience. However, simply translating your content may harm the chances your original intentions have of reaching your target audience. While it may sound innocuous, this has signified expensive problems for many brands. For example, some time ago, the HSBC bank had to launch a 10 million USD rebranding campaign to repair the damage done when its catchphrase “Assume Nothing” was mistranslated as “Do Nothing” in various languages.
Read about other famous translation fails.
What’s Localisation?
Localisation, on the other hand, encompasses translation—and a lot more. Find below some details:
- Localisation is about polishing your message and adapting it.
- The aim is to meet the target audience’s cultural, functional, and linguistic requirements.
- It focuses mainly on cultural nuances.
- Professional localisations also focus on delivering your original idea.
- It can mean changes to—not just texts—but also metaphors, names, jargon, and more.
A professional localisation process is a complex job that involves reshaping a product to meet the needs of a specific regional market. The goal of localisation in translation is to offer a product or service that gives the audience the impression that it was specifically created for them. This, as a result, builds trust and enhances the chances of creating meaningful relationships with international customers and audiences.
Consider the translation of an eCommerce website. To make published content feel familiar to new users, language isn’t the only thing that needs to be adapted. For this reason, elements such as dates, currencies, measurements, and even images are localised. Also, the texts from the FAQ section should be adapted, especially if they include examples or cite brands (e.g. delivery providers.) Not everyone has the same concerns or asks the same way. But everyone has the same right to clear and accessible information.
Learn more about best practices for international eCommerce.
#OptimationalTip: It’s crucial to localise all your business content before entering foreign markets. This will ensure good communication with your clients from the very beginning.
Localisation and Translation: What Brands Need to Understand
Brands must be able to communicate with their audiences effectively to stay relevant. This means translating, yes, but also offering a product that is suitable for the tastes, culture, and humour of the new market they’re targeting. This is where professional localisation in translation comes into play. Your company needs to communicate with potential customers in a way that sounds familiar to them for your message to succeed.
Every culture has its own way of interpreting and expressing ideas. Colours, for example, have different meanings across cultures. For instance, the colour green is forbidden in certain parts of Indonesia but represents good luck in the Middle East. Aside from content translation, your company will need to consider the cultural dimension to expand overseas successfully.
#OptimationalTip: Let’s not forget about SEO! If you want to make your website global, you’ll need multilingual SEO services that employ localisation best practices.
Other Important Differences Between Localisation and Translation
Localisation in translation also plays a role when dealing with countries that speak the same language. British and American English, for example, have different spellings for certain words. If a company publishes an ad on an American platform using British spelling, viewers of this ad may think that this company was so careless as to leave a typo in their copy.
The same goes for Spanish when it comes to Spain and Latin America. Several perfectly common words in one variant can have quite different meanings in another region. And that’s not to mention the diversity of jargon between the different countries that make up LATAM…
Aside from terminological differences, there’re also significant differences in tone, usage, grammar, and even pronunciation. Making these kinds of mistakes can make your audience feel disconnected from your product. In turn, this will negatively affect your brand image. Companies that implement localisation marketing strategies are best prepared to adapt their content to their customer’s habits and customs, as well as their language and traditions. Simply put: To their way.
#OptimationalTip: It’s best to work with professional localisation and translation experts that understand the culture and traditions of your target audience. This will help ensure that your message is properly understood.
Final Thoughts
Expanding your business to new markets is the right step towards growth and success. However, content translation alone will not help you reach your target audience. Your communications need to speak to the expressions and mannerisms of your potential customers. In short, they need to reflect these seemingly small differences that add up. To do this, it’s crucial to work with a professional linguistic partner that will definitely understand the needs of the new people you’re addressing. This will help better fulfil their expectations.
If you want to discover the potential that localisation has to offer your business, contact us today. We can co-design a translation solution to suit your needs.
