Most of the time, companies don’t see in languages more than a communication medium. They need to translate their website or documents in French because they target French-speaking countries. Very often, they don’t pay too much attention about the actual quality of the texts they receive. Partly because they often don’t speak the language, but also because they don’t measure the value an optimized translation can bring to their business.
If you carefully choose your translators and initiate a real partnership with them, they’ll bring real value to your business and you’ll shortly see improvements and results. Let see why.
A professional translation advertises a good image of your brand
First and most important, your translator is your company’s voice to carry out your message abroad. Your clients will get to know your products/services through what the translation says. It is crucial for your translators to know both your company and your products well so that they can promote them to your target audience abroad. That cannot be achieved if you order translation services from agencies. Very often, those will assign the project to the first translator available without any guarantee that you’ll be working with the same person each and every time. On the contrary, if you work always with the same translator, you can be assured that s/he will know your products/services in their smallest details and will be able to write a good and convincing copy as if they were part of your development team.
Then, the translator is there to offer a consulting service on how to prepare your communication to fit the target culture. S/he is the best person to ask how to adapt your marketing material and how to prepare your campaigns so that you can speak to your target client’s heart. S/he will help you save time and money in explaining if some sections of a document are not relevant to your target markets or if some other must be rewritten. This way, you’ll translate just what is necessary.
Working with a professional translator, a valuable partnership
If you are having a real partnership with your translator, s/he’ll also be very helpful to assist in improving the quality of your original documents. When you translate, you must be very attentive both to the details but also to the meaning of the text. It is very often that translators can spot mistakes or inconsistencies in your document. Not only does your translator’s feedback help you produce typo-free documents, but s/he can also draw your attention on passages that are unclear or could be optimized. That is so true that some companies never go to print without having their translators’ feedback.
If you decide to initiate a real partnership with your translator, s/he will not only translate your documents, but s/he will be by your side every time you need advice or help to understand better your foreign clients’ culture.
If you are interested in how we could work together, get in touch! I’ll be happy to answer your questions if you have some, and help you grow your business on the French-speaking markets.