02/08/2019

Language skills open up market opportunities. However, error-free communication is not always easy on the international stage due to cultural, social and linguistic differences. oneword sales expert Angela Krolo explains the importance of multilingual sales communication and the expectations of many customers today, and gives tips on how to successfully implement international language localisation.

Those who want to be successful internationally should not only be able to express themselves flawlessly in their local market and on the original market.

Angela, why are professional translations into several languages a must for international sales today?

Language skills open up market opportunities. Today, we have over 62 nations with two or more official languages and over 690 “locales”, i.e. unique market regions that have a particular combination of culture, politics and language, and therefore need to be addressed in a highly individualised manner. Today, with 14 languages, you can reach 90 percent of economically-relevant online target groups. What’s more, there are around 7.6 billion people on this planet who do not buy anything they cannot read or understand.

Today more than ever, consumers are in a position of power thanks to global competition: they can compare offers from Switzerland, China, the USA or Germany at the click of a mouse, are making more conscious decisions and have become more demanding in their purchasing decisions. On average, people make fewer impulse purchases, compare prices online and hunt for bargains, simply because the world market is now almost fully accessible to individual consumers around the clock. Language indicates quality. Language is a strong way to influence a purchasing decision where online market platforms do not allow customers to physically examine companies and products. There is therefore a huge demand for professional translations.

Keyword: expectations What do customers today expect from a company when they contact it?

Consumers today expect fast communication tailored to their needs. Nowadays, live chats, comments on social media, newsletters, etc. should all contain individualised, customised content. In addition, there are various informational materials that customers will read and expect throughout the product’s lifecycle. And this is the crux of the matter. Many companies today automatically design standardised content in large quantities from a central location as part of their global content management process, and then reuse it with great synergistic effect. However, they must bear in mind that there is no point in making a habit of providing vast amounts of information at each customer touchpoint if it’s not geared to the local needs of the customers. We often find that many companies today still attach great importance to their home market and make every effort to create a wide range of communication materials. Translation and cultural adaptation (localisation) are then seen as annoying intermediary steps that are often neglected when preparing communication materials for foreign markets. Yet investing in these steps is actually what gives companies a competitive advantage.

So does that mean that using English as an important business language, and other languages that I use to sell my products, is no longer enough?

As a lingua franca, English is the language used for business and negotiation in many countries. However: if you really want to score points with your international audience and build up trust with your counterparts, you should also have a flawless command of their national language. Flawless communication in the local language creates rapport and builds trust. The consumer feels “closer” to the company and also uses language to generally assess the credibility of the company. This means: the more unknown my brand is, for example when entering a new market, the more important it is to use high-quality language to overcome the general scepticism the target group has about new things. If there are no technical experts in your company who are also native speakers of the target-market language, you can rely on professionals. ISO 17100-certified translation service providers, with their network of native speakers, experienced native-language professional translators, academically trained project managers, intelligent translation tools and translation memory systems, ensure that you will be able to communicate effectively in any language.

1. Be precise when choosing your corporate language, address your customers individually and determine quality standards and levels!
2. Respect the linguistic identity of the target country, but also remain true to your distinctive corporate language!
3. Be aware of the cultural conditions and current trends.
4. Only offer live communication channels if you have the resources to do so.
5. Be visible online!
6. Don’t just think in languages – think in regions as well.

Learn more about individual tips from our Sales Manager in the next blog post.