Marketing and promotional videos are more popular than ever in this age of digital media. It used to be that only big-budget businesses could afford the cost of producing a slick marketing video touting all the advantages of their products or services.
Not anymore.
Today, many organizations have their own in-house video production teams equipped with low-cost but high-quality cameras and editing software that almost anyone with a basic knowledge of computers can use. Even more appealing to cost-conscious marketing managers is the array of social media sites that feature videos produced inexpensively on mobile devices and shared easily across multiple user platforms. A study by Cisco estimates that by 2020, video will account for 75 percent of all mobile data traffic! (Our previous blog highlights more fully the impact and opportunities of video marketing.)
PowerPoint presentations are a critical tool for communicating important messages. Businesses of all shapes and sizes continue to rely on the creative capabilities of PowerPoint to present ideas, shape opinions and spur action. While PowerPoints are easy to produce by just about anyone with a computer, it’s easy to neglect some basic steps if you’re planning to translate your presentation into another language. Since translating PowerPoint presentations is a common request by our clients, we’ve come up with a few suggestions to make the PowerPoint translation process run more smoothly:
Desmond Tutu, the renowned social activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, called South Africa the “Rainbow Nation” to describe its ethnic diversity. In fact, the republic located at the southern-most tip of Africa is considered one of the most multi-cultural countries in the world. Its history of colonialism and immigration has created a nation whose ethnic makeup includes indigenous black peoples, white Europeans, Indians, Indo-Malays and Chinese, among others. It is a popular destination for anyone pursuing business or leisure interests. If you fall into either of those groups, here’s a brief overview of the country’s customs and culture that will help in planning your visit.
Germany is a popular destination for tourists looking for fun and adventure as well as businesses looking to expand their customer base. As the center of Europe from a geographic and economic standpoint, Germany has much to offer. But before you don your lederhosen and head off to Oktoberfest or pack your briefcase for a corporate meeting with potential new business partners, it’s good to know some of the German customs and social protocols you’ll encounter.
We have worked with thousands of clients over our 30 years in business, from small, quick turn-around jobs to complex technical translations that took months to complete. Our
experience has shown that regardless of the scale of a translation project, there are a couple of elementary questions every client should be ready to answer before seeking help from a professional translation agency. If you can answer these questions upfront, the rest of the translation process will go much smoother.
In August, the 2016 Summer Olympics will attract thousands of people from around the world to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s glamorous tourist hub along South America’s Atlantic coast.
For those of you planning to attend the Games, or who may be interested in visiting or doing business there someday, we decided this is the perfect time to feature Brazil as part of our ongoing review of cultural customs and traditions in other countries.
Like the United States, Brazil has been described as a melting pot, reflecting the diverse mixture of cultures, races and nationalities that influenced its evolution over the past few centuries. The Portuguese were the predominant European group that constructed settlements in the country beginning in 1500. Over time, the European influence melded with the various local indigenous tribes to create the eclectic cultural makeup of modern-day Brazil.
More businesses than ever are branching out into multilingual communications as a way to expand their customer base. So the question these days is not so much “Should we translate?” as it is “How should we translate?” The answer is an important one.
After deciding it’s time to target a more global audience, the next step is to determine whether to use internal staff to handle the work or partner with an outside language service provider (LSP). There’s certainly a cost either way, and any budget-conscious business leader should factor that into their analysis. But there are also many other pieces that go into creating and maintaining a successful translation program. That’s why any results-oriented business leader should weigh the pros and cons of both sides.
We put together some things to consider when deliberating the question: in-house translators or outside translation partner?
For more than 30 years, we’ve helped many companies with their translation and interpreting projects. Some of that work targeted customers living in the U.S. who speak another language. Other times it focused on sharing marketing messages and product information with people in other parts of the world.
One thing we continue to emphasize to our clients is that translating or interpreting words is only part of a successful multilingual communication process. Another important piece—whether conducting business outside of the country or entertaining visitors at your company—is to adapt to the cultural, social and business customs of your foreign speaking customers. This means paying close attention not just to the words you use, but also to the images associated with your message, the method used to convey the message, and even the personal interactions you make with clients or customers on their home soil.
Decision, decisions: is it time to employ translation services to grow your business?
For sure, it’s a weighty question. Many leaders at the helm of private businesses and non-profit organizations alike have either not considered using translation services or don’t believe they could benefit from them. The reasons vary widely:
- My customers aren’t located outside the country anyway
- It’s too cumbersome to manage
- It’s too expensive and time-consuming
- I don’t have anything that needs translated
- Software translation tools will suffice
- I have more pressing company needs to focus on
We realize it can seem a little intimidating or overwhelming to think about communicating with people from all around the world. But the beauty of the Internet, social media and shifting demographics means your “international” customers are right in front of you, either physically as Limited English Proficient (LEP) customers here in the U.S. or electronically as someone located on the other side of the globe. You just have to talk to them.
Pretend you’re traveling in a foreign country. You receive an urgent call from the hospital saying your spouse’s heart has been imprisoned. Would you at least feel relieved to learn that he or she won’t fall over?
If you had to rely on machine translation of that country’s language, that’s just what you might hear, or something equally alarming, amusing or confusing.