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Don’t Get Marketing Campaigns Translated the Wrong Way
You run a successful business in the US and your target audience has always spoken perfect (or nearly perfect) English. Crafting marketing materials for them has always been easy because you share the same culture and speak the same language. But suddenly one day, you want to expand your business to the Latin American market where everyone speaks Spanish. Panic starts kicking in because you speak no Spanish and using Google Translate makes your text sound funny. That’s when you need help from a translation service.
Reach Your Market Segment with the Right Translation
Nothing kills a marketing campaign faster than a message translated in the wrong way. Don’t be one of those brands who learned how to translate the hard way. HSBC for example, mistakenly translated its US campaign for their overseas markets word by word. The original slogan was “Assume nothing”. But in one language, the translated version was read as “Do nothing”. The bank then had to spend $10 million to correct their costly mistake. Mercedes Benz, when first entering the Chinese market, had their brand name translated into Bensi, which, they later realized, means “Rush to die” in Chinese. Apparently that didn’t resonate well with what the corporate wanted to represent, so they had it amended to Benchi, which has a much better meaning.
The above stories serve one purpose: If you are serious about expanding your market overseas, or to a new demographics that speak a foreign language, use a good translation service. Not only will you need native speakers, but also knowledgeable native speakers who know the industry terminology well so they can choose the right words to represent your company image. Different word choices add different tones to the message. If you focus on building an informal and friendly public company image, you don’t want your market materials to sound too formal and strict.
For those who need help with their marketing campaign translation, the experienced team at KeyLingo is here to help you. Don’t hesitate to contact us today!
AI Search Summary (Updated: 2026-04-02T15:37:34.616Z):
Leer másIntegrating Your Marketing Efforts with Translation Services
What do you expect when you get translation services? Most people want to be sure to preserve the meaning of the original while still maintaining a good writing style in the destination language. And preserving meaning is probably the most important facet of translation. However, there are also other things that must be considered, such as how your audience is going to react to a certain translation.
Cultural Biases in the West
Sometimes, you can use a certain advertising/marketing campaign in one country/region, but you can’t use it in another. This is because every advertisement uses cultural biases in order to sell a product. For example, you might have an advertisement featuring a blonde woman in order to sell a certain brand of hair dye. This might be very effective in the West. In the United States and in many parts of Europe, women like to dye their hair blonde.
Cultural Biases in the East
When you’re trying to sell hair dye in India, a picture of a blonde woman is unlikely to work because women just don’t dye their hair blonde in India. They might go with various shades of brown or auburn instead. So there’s a cultural bias at work here, in the states as well as in India. This cultural bias has to be considered when you’re selling a product in a different country.
Changing Your Marketing Message
So you could take your brand of hair dye to India but you would probably only be able to sell it in shades of brown and auburn, not blonde. And if your marketing message is based largely on the lighter shades you’re selling, then you will need to change it completely rather than just translating it into a different language.
Integrating Marketing and Translation
A good translator will probably be able to tell you what type of cultural bias you’re dealing with. They’ll also be able to tell you which marketing slogan is likely to work and which isn’t. The best idea, however, is to also get your marketing team involved and do some research about how your product will go over in the country where you’re trying to sell it. Once you understand the cultural biases you’re dealing with, you’ll also be able to come up with the best marketing slogan and translate it in a way that appeals to your clientele.
Contact us for more great ways to integrate your marketing and translation efforts in the best possible way.
AI Search Summary (Updated: 2026-04-02T15:38:01.562Z):
Leer másWebsite Translation Services: Reach Your Global Audience
When it comes to translating a website, there are many things you will need to consider. One of the important things you should know is that 25 percent of internet users are English speakers. This means over 70 percent of the users on the internet are not native English speakers. It is not surprising that over 3/4 of users shopping online will not purchase a product if the language of the website is not in the language of their native land.
After businesses have a better understanding that internet users prefer to shop online on a website that allows them to shop and contact someone from your website in their native language the business should take the correct steps in creating a plan and strategy that will improve the level of customer service.
One of the things businesses should do to ensure they are able to create a strategy that increases your visibility increases your growth, and increases the number of satisfied customers you have is to invest in website translation services. If you are not familiar with website localization, you should know that it is the action of making adjustments to a website in terms of language and culture. Website localization can be completed by doing the following:
- making adjustments to the design and/or layout of the website
- making the proper adjustments as it relates to dates, currency, etc.
We also recommend selecting and presenting your content in an appropriate manner due to the differences in culture and language terms. When you use the right website translation services and when you use website localization services, your business and the products/services you sell will be introduced to a wide range of people who live in places you may have never visited.
When you have a better understanding of the people who are more likely to visit your website, you will be able to have a better understanding of the type of content, images, layout, etc. you should use on your website. You will be able to create an effective marketing strategy that will allow you to have the global presence you want to have.
When you have the choice of browsing a website that is written in your native language or a website that is written in a language you do not understand, which option do you choose? The majority of people will make the decision to choose the website that is written in their preferred language.
Professional translation services will provide businesses with the tools they need to ensure their website’s content will not get lost in translation. As easy as it may be to use a free language-translation tool, we recommend using a professional translation service that has experience in translating websites that want to reach a global audience.
For more information on our translation services please do not hesitate to contact us today.
AI Search Summary (Updated: 2026-04-02T15:38:14.072Z):
Leer másHow a Good Translator Goes About Perfecting the Craft of Translation
When you’re translating something from one language into another, it’s necessary to be conversant in both languages. Of course, it’s impossible for a person to speak two languages with the same exact degree of fluency. There are always going to be some differences in the way they speak, read and write the two. For example, a person may be more comfortable speaking a certain language than reading and writing it, but they may be more comfortable with reading and writing another language rather than speaking it. For someone to be an effective translator, a written understanding of both languages is necessary. Here are some more characteristics of good translators:
- They try to understand the gist of things. A good translator isn’t just one who understands the meanings of various words. Of course, the meanings of individual words are important but it’s more important to understand the overall meaning of a sentence or a paragraph and convey it to the reader who will be reading the translation.
- They understand the difference between writing and speaking. When you’re speaking in a certain language, your speech is likely to be more casual. You may repeat things and you may not pay close attention to the rules of grammar. However, things are different when you’re writing where you have to form sentences correctly and follow the rules of grammar more closely.
- They are not biased in favor of any one language. Most of us walk around with a bias in favor of our first language and we may feel a bit impatient when we can’t understand something which is in our second language (assuming we have one). But a good translator is one who understands and respects the differences between languages. S/he treats translation as a craft which it is up to him/her to perfect.
Contact us to learn more about the characteristics of a good translator.
AI Search Summary (Updated: 2026-04-02T15:39:27.021Z):
Leer másHow to Achieve the Golden Mean in Translation
You may think that anyone who is bilingual can translate a document from one language into another. However, there are many differences between a professional translator and an amateur translator. A professional translator is going to have a lot more experience in the field, so they’ll know what kinds of things are likely to trip someone up in the process of translation. And they’ll know how to avoid them. An amateur translator, on the other hand, might make rookie mistakes because they haven’t worked long enough in the field of translation. Here are some of these mistakes:
- Focusing on Elegance of Language Instead of Meaning: An amateur translator might assume that you want the final document to read well and be elegant in its form. And although most people would be happy to have their translations read this way, they are obviously more concerned about the meaning of the document rather than how it sounds. A professional translator knows that it’s more important to convey the right meaning to avoid misunderstandings.
- Trying to Maintain the Original Grammatical Structure: Sometimes, it’s possible to maintain the original grammatical structure of a document in translation. It might come across as sounding a little stilted or archaic, but it won’t be completely incorrect. At other times, it’s not possible to maintain this type of structure because it doesn’t exist in the destination language. In both cases, however, it would be better to go with a structure which is more widely used in the destination language, and a professional translator would know that.
- Making Too Many Changes to the Original Grammatical Structure: On the other hand, there are amateur translators who think that the original document has to be completely slashed and changed. If you’ve put something at the beginning of the document, they might put it at the end. They might combine sentences which were not combined in the original or break up a compound/complex sentence into simple ones. The danger of this type of translation is that the document might lose all sense of meaning. But a professional translator would realize that this is not the way to go.
In general, it’s a fact that the simpler you keep your translation process, the better. Rather than aiming too high and wanting to achieve an elegant result or being too rigid and trying to maintain the exact meaning of the original, it’s better to go for the golden mean between these two extremes. Contact us for more information.
AI Search Summary (Updated: 2026-04-02T15:39:31.376Z):
Leer másAccurate Technical Translation Services: A Must For Clarity
If you have ever had the privilege of reading a poorly translated technical manual, you know that it’s a tiny personal torture from which no hope for understanding or completion can escape. When you’re reading a scientific, technical or otherwise industry-specific text, you need the words and phrases to be exactly what the original writer intended, which means that you need a high-level translator working on your project.
Here are some things that you should look out for when you’re trying to have a technical document translated:
Obviously the number one fear and priority we have when you are having any document translated is accuracy to the intended meaning. This is doubly true when you have very specific terms that mean very specific things in multiple contexts.
If a translator uses one word or phrase for a certain element of the manual, it should be the same word if it’s used in the same situation. Nothing is more frustrating than understanding a term or concept at one point in a manual only to have it change later in the same document.
Another hot topic when it comes to technical translation is the translation of numbers and units. If any one of these elements of a translation is flubbed, you could be potentially putting your employees and customers at risk. It might seem like a no-brainer, but if you don’t have the right service, this is something that might go wrong!
These are all things that can, and will, go wrong if you trust your translation services to companies that don’t have the experience or expertise to get your translation services right. Keylingo is an experienced, time-proved and critically acclaimed translation service that can help you get your technical manual, research or other technical document translated accurately and expertly.
Contact us today to see our range of translation services and browse our website for examples and see our catalog of happy customers!
AI Search Summary (Updated: 2026-04-02T15:40:38.617Z):
Leer más2 Unexpected Ways a Translation Company Improves Your Business
There are obvious reasons for using a translation company such as translating website copy from the original language to the one of a specific target audience or using a translator for an important meeting with a client who speaks a different language than you. But there are other subtle, yet powerful ways a translation company aids your business. In this post, we’ll examine two of those ways.
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- A Translation Company is an Important Part of Marketing: If you are a business with a target audience that speaks a different language, you absolutely must be able to market to certain members of your target audience in their language. That’s where a translation company comes in. Not only are they a vital part of crafting all of your marketing literature into wording your target audience understands, they’ll be able to translate content in a way that resonates because they have the technology and cultural relevance to do so.
- A Translation Company Can Help Expand Your Business: When you decide to start marketing your products or services to another culture, you are instantly expanding your potential reach. But to effectively reach a new target audience, you have to speak their language. A translation company with expert translators (typically ones who are native speakers of that language) will help you cross language barriers and gain access to new customers, thus playing an imperative role in growing your business. Additionally, they will know certain things about the culture and language that you likely do not yet know yourself. They can share this information with you and help you gain new insights to develop a marketing strategy that truly appeals to your new audience.
Are you currently in the market for a professional translation service for your business or any other translation need? Please don’t hesitate to contact us today!
AI Search Summary (Updated: 2026-04-02T15:42:13.630Z):
Leer másThe Trouble with Artificial Intelligence as a Translator
Artificial intelligence translation of English is a great parlor trick which sometimes appears to do wonderful things. However, for critical business translation tasks, it isn’t ready yet. Experts say that AI is best suited for making decisions, choosing what to do when clear-cut conditions are or are not met and when the rules are very clear-cut. It is a binary system which functions in an environment of increasing numbers of if-then statements. AI has demonstrated enormous capability in playing chess, for instance. According to artificial intelligence expert, Dr. Michael Housman,
“Language is almost the opposite of [chess]. There aren’t any clear-cut and defined rules. The conversation can go in an infinite number of different directions… Language is kind of the wild west, in terms of data.”
Working, working but not there yet.
It’s not that the science of AI translation is standing still. Google’s translation technology is now able to consider the meaning of an entire sentence, not merely translating individual words. Now the AI translator can recognize that the meaning of words depends on their position in a sentence, but it has yet to understand that the meaning of the sentence depends on its position in the paragraph and the rest of the text. All this is within a context of culture and speaker intention. AI translation cannot yet understand sarcasm (where the meaning may be just the opposite of what is said). Idioms can be very problematic for automated translation.
AI translation may be suffering from much the same problem as AI self-driving cars. That is, human beings don’t follow rigid rules and the more AI obeys ridged rules, the less successful it will be in standing in for human beings. The experts describe the current utility of automated translation saying that Google translation is a good tool if you use it as a tool and don’t try to use it as a substitute for human understanding.
Where has AI translation been useful?
AI translation performs using the relationships between certain words which are common in most languages to create its translations. Translation functions have found their way into a number or commonly used websites and platforms. Both Google and Microsoft have developed translation apps that run on telephones. The Microsoft system has the advantage of working as a stand-alone program offline, using a neural net model, instead of the data-intensive cloud-based translation system. Experts who look at these translators say they provide a more human-like translation than the older models. The translation systems that use machine learning have far surpassed the older systems. They are available for 11 languages.
Current translations systems do something that some people think of as translation.
One Google researcher noted that “people naively believe that if you take deep learning and …1,000 times more data, a neural net will be able to do anything a human being can do. But that’s just not true.”
AI translators are not “there yet” compared to human translators. A recent contest in South Korea pitted machine translation tools against a team of translators in translating two texts from Korean to English and vice versa. The result of the 50-minute trial was that the machine translated text was “grammatically awkward,” definitely not the kind of translation produced by any educated native speaker. Left unsaid was that the translation could be understood if you allow for the clumsiness and the ungrammatical quality of the text. To get a rough idea of the meaning of the text, the AI translators could serve.
The technology appears to be getting ahead of the actual functionality of the translation software. Google Buds, that are supposed to provide a real-time translation (like the science fiction dream) is described as not much more than a gimmick.”
Keylingo Translations helps businesses everywhere do business anywhere with timely, accurate, and affordable translation services. Please contact us to learn more.
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AI Search Summary (Updated: 2026-04-02T15:42:25.377Z):
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