Mistakes happen. But when it comes to advertising in other countries, mistakes can be costly. That’s why it is extremely important to hire a reputable language services provider for culturally-accurate translations.
This piece will take a look at some funny, yet tragic, advertising translation fails that happened to higher-profile brands.
Ford’s “Every car has a high-quality corpse” slogan
After making the decision to expand to Belgium, Ford Motor Company began an ad campaign in Dutch.
What was supposed to be, “Every car has a high-quality body,” actually translated to “Every car has a high-quality corpse.”
KFC’s “Eat your fingers off” slogan
Kentucky Fried Chicken created an advertisement in China that was supposed to promote their “Finger lickin’ good” slogan. However, due to a mistranslation with the Mandarin, the slogan read as “Eat your fingers off” — not quite the appetizing message.
Fortunately for KFC, the branding in China was small enough that the company was able to recover from the mistake.
Pepsi’s “bring your ancestors back to life”
Running an ad campaign in China, Pepsi inadvertently mistranslated its “Come alive with Pepsi” to say “Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the grave.”
Definitely a bold commitment.
Dairy association’s “Are you lactating?” ad
Most English speakers know the American Dairy Association’s catchy slogan, “Got Milk?” But when the organization decided to do a campaign in Mexico, that wasn’t the phrase that went out.
The literal translation of “got milk” in Spanish is “are you lactating?” Thankfully, the message was caught very early in the process and adjusted.
Coors “You will suffer from diarrhea”
In the early 1980s, Coors started an ad campaign with the slogan, “Turn it loose!” This proved difficult to translate into Spanish.
The phrase translated is actually the slang term for “get diarrhea” in Spanish – not an ideal combination. In full, the tagline translated into “You will suffer from diarrhea!” Oops.
Teneo Linguistic Company’s marketing and transcreation services ensure messaging is accurate and culturally appropriate. Marketing translation is almost always more transcreation than direct translation. A translator will likely need to localize phrases and words within. This will make sure a company delivers the right meaning to the intended audience.
No matter how big or small a marketing translation project is, hiring an expert language services provider is vital to ensure top-notch translations. Get a quote today by visiting www.tlctranslation.com.
Having a language services provider (LSP) should always be a part of any company’s plan when it comes to growth. But how do you determine whether your business should hire an LSP? Here is a closer look at some industries that benefit from professional language services.
• Manufacturing
The manufacturing industry has a diverse workforce and communication is key in managing a manufacturing workforce. Miscommunication within the industry leads to inefficiency — the inability to collaborate effectively and a decline in productivity.
Translation services help employees understand the inner workings of the company, product specifications, and the quality aspects that need to be addressed strictly while manufacturing a product because the information is in their native language.
• Healthcare
Limited English proficient patients who used interpreting services received more inpatient services and office visits. One of the most valuable reasons for healthcare translation services is to provide a way for physicians to effectively communicate with their patients.
In order to deliver the best care possible, doctors cannot be hindered by language barriers. Teneo Linguistics Company utilizes an online platform for on-demand interpreting services to assist in the patient/medical provider relationship.
• Marketing/Digital Marketing
Professional translation is important for marketing agencies/departments because it ensures the original message is as intact as possible in another language. It enables businesses to clearly communicate their message to people from different cultures.
In addition, having a solid multilingual/international search engine optimization (SEO) is beneficial for any company’s website.
• Legal
Whether you are a lawyer or an individual seeking legal services, hiring an LSP is essential in guaranteeing high-quality and accurate results. Some examples of legal translation and interpreting services TLC provides include contractual documentation, expert witness testimony, patent translation, certified translation, interpreting for depositions and meetings, and audio and video transcription. TLC also has its own website dedicated to personal document translation, which covers a variety of licenses and certificates for individuals.
• Training/Education
Translating training and educational content, like manuals and handbooks, is an ideal way to communicate with employees to maximize comprehension. This makes the learning process more accessible and effective for everyone. The TLC team bridges any gaps in understanding and creates and adapts world-class learning solutions.
There are many other industries and departments within companies that benefit from hiring a professional language services provider like TLC. This includes government agencies, software development companies, life sciences, retail and e-commerce companies, banking and finance firms, tourism and travel agencies, and the art and entertainment industry.
TLC provides professional language services the way they should be: Easy, affordable, and tailored to a business’s needs. TLC not only determines a company’s specific requirements but also employs a system for continuous improvement of quality assurance.
To learn more about how TLC can support your company’s language needs, visit www.tlctranslation.com.
Transcreation is the process of adapting a message from one language to another while ensuring its meaning is culturally appropriate for the target audience. Basically put, it’s an artistic interpretation of text rather than translating it precisely.
The term comes from the words “translation” and “creation,” but where is this process used most? Transcreation is typically considered when translating material for a global audience. It is most often used in marketing and advertising where creative messaging need adaptation. It is also utilized during the translation of art, like books.
While a translator still adjusts messaging to be culturally appropriate, transcreation is likely necessary for the adaptation of creative projects. Transcreation requires multiple skill sets — quality translation, copywriting, and copyediting.
Marketing translation is almost always more transcreation than direct translation. A translator has to localize phrases and words within the cultural and linguistic context to deliver the same meaning to the intended audience. This is just one of many reasons why human translators trump machine/online translators. A machine/online translator will not understand the context, emotion, and tone of certain messages and end up mistranslating the piece.
An example of marketing transcreation is a campaign that was done for the Apple iPods. Apple decided to transcreate its slogans in order to expand its reach globally.
But transcreation isn’t just used in marketing, it can be beneficial in other fields like entertainment, law, literature, and healthcare. And while it is not a familiar word to many, the term transcreation has been around since the 1960s and is an important technique that is far-reaching.
At Teneo Linguistics Company, expert linguists will be able to determine whether a project needs transcreation in order to move forward. And a company will be informed every step of the way. Learn more about how TLC can assist a business/organization or get a quote at www.tlctranslation.com.
Strategic localization is the key to success for companies expanding their business internationally, and it is far from easy. Mastering the localization process takes thorough research, intelligent partnerships, project planning, and adaptability.
Here are 4 key elements to a successful localization strategy to aid you in your international endeavor.
1. Protect Your Brand
Your company’s brand identity is at the core of what you stand for and needs to be protected across all chosen markets. It is not easy to adapt your messaging to an international market. The market research team must learn everything they can about target consumers in the new market.
What is their value system? How would your product/service fulfill their needs? What are their demographics? Take the time to meet with your team and collaborate on ideas on how your product is the innovative solution, and the best way to communicate that in the target culture.
Depending on the answers, your company may need to alter their brand statements & possibly the brand name itself through translation or transliteration. If you do choose to change your brand name for a specific market, be sure to research and purchase the trademark for it in the target country. This way, your company will avoid legal ramifications related to trademarks.
Also, research how your competitors implement localization in the same market. How do they engage with customers? How did they design their website to appeal to the new culture? What do they do that is successful in the new market and how can you apply it to your unique strategy?
2. Partner with a Language Services Provider
Businesses that involve a language services provider (LSP) as early as filing for a trademark or official establishment of one’s business presence in another country get the best results. If those steps are already behind you, consider involving an LSP as soon as a marketing and sales strategy is being developed. Writing content with translation in mind is hugely helpful to the service provider and will result in decreased costs for you.
Search for an LSP experienced in localization and that uses language professionals who are native to the target country/region. You may also need local interpreters for any on-site business dealings.
Ask the LSP what is their process for quality control, what technology they use, and whether or not they are able to ramp capacity up or tone it down depending on your needs. You are looking for quick, flexible responses that still produce predictable results. Click HERE for more valuable questions to ask LSPs.
Lastly, look for a true partnership where the LSP has one goal in mind: your success and growth. They should get to know you well and always treat you like you are their only client. It pays to have one LSP for all your language needs, so it is important you make the best choice you can.
3. Decide What Needs to be Done & When
If you are in a regulated industry, such as medical devices, pharma, or food, there will likely be a host of requirements to comply to in terms of paperwork and filing. This will determine what needs to be done first to enter the market.
Aside from any compliance issues, you also need to decide what your short, medium and long-term goals are and how to tackle them. Some companies start with translating a website while others start by going to trade shows and handing out printed materials. Deciding what needs to be done at what stage to address your local audience will determine your budget.
Examples of things that will also need to be determined will include localization elements such as using local currencies, using proper formats for date and time, addresses, phone numbers, the choice of colors, etc. These will aim at recognizing local sensitivities, avoiding conflict with local culture, language, customs, and common habits.
Not everything on your wish list needs to be done to full extent on day one. For example, a lot of companies avoid translating their entire website right away. Instead, they create a local summary version that is shorter and more agile, which they can build on later. An experienced LSP will be able to prepare a summary that will include important points to consider.
4. Set KPI’s & Measure Results
You will never know how effective your localization strategy is unless you get measurable results. These may include sales/profits in the target market, engagement on your website or local social media, interactions with customer service, positive reviews, etc.
Your company’s KPIs, or key performance indicators, will likely be different for each stage of your localization strategy. If you will be working with an LSP, you can also include this KPI: decreasing translation cost over time.
If your LSP works with the latest technology, it will allow them to reuse previously translated content, so you do not have to be charged full price for any repetitions. This also helps them maintain consistency and work faster.
Keep an eye on the results from your KPIs and adjust your strategy accordingly. Expanding internationally almost always brings surprises that are difficult to predict.
