For many small businesses, the combination of reliable worldwide communication via the internet and a huge potential market means that doing business internationally has become a viable proposition. Small businesses in Australia can advertise their products worldwide and sell them in a way that would have become impossible not that long ago.
There are of course challenges for new small businesses that might not occur if they only concentrated on a local market. The challenges do not have so much to do with freight, and certainly not payment. The main challenge is how to market a new product to potential customers who do not speak the same language. This is where the skills of a translator or translation agency come in useful. Keep reading for translation tips for start-ups and small businesses!
Tip #1: When start-ups should invest in translation
There are two main reasons for investing in translation. The first is when the start-up is operating in a country where more than one language is spoken. For example, Belgian start-ups, even if they never dream of expanding their business outside of Belgium, are confronted with operating in a multilingual country. The second reason is that the startup is ready to market its products outside of its own borders and in places where other languages are spoken. To try and market a new product in a single language reduces the size of the potential market, allowing a savvier competitor to fill the gap.
Tip #2: Prioritise the content that should be translated
Here are the essential things that a small business should translate:
- the business’s website;
- reviews of the product;
- support instructions and information;
- an operating manual, if this is required;
- patents and licences in the country where the product is to be sold.
It is also worth considering your branding and social media presence as both need to effectively communicate your message to your target audience. Look for gaps in the current market; are there messages your competitors are not using or problems that you may be able to help solve? It’s also worth considering involving your translation provider in establishing your content plan, as you’ll need to be mindful of different cultural tastes, social media platform usage and how holidays differ in various markets.
Tip #3: Set a budget for translations
The budget for business translations varies. Aspects that should be taken into consideration include text complexity, how niche the industry or subject matter is, and what volume of content requires translation. As start-ups and small businesses are naturally budget-conscious, it is advisable to prioritise if the budget is unlikely to cover all the translations you may potentially require. Mission-critical items that are required by law such as documents for employees, contracts, or financial information should always take priority.
Translation isn’t cheap. The most common mistakes that some start-ups make are to short-cut the cost of professional translation and use a friend or a free translation program like Google Translate. However attractive this proposition might be at first, the mistakes and amateurish appearance of content that has been translated in this manner may deter potential customers.
Tip #4: Find the right translation company
Not all translators are capable of translating marketing content for a small business. Translators tend to specialise in various niches. So, there are legal translators, literary translators, medical and scientific translators, and so on, together with a subset of translators who specialise in business marketing. Of course, you need a translator who can fluently translate from your own language to a target language as well as have some grounding in the place where your prospective market is. You may need to have your content ‘localised’. This is a step past translation itself and adapts the content to suit the specific nuances of the target market you are aiming your products at.
Tip #5: Set a reasonable time frame
As soon as you have decided to grow your business by offering your products to an overseas market you should set a time frame to complete the translation project so that your website is ready to go live with your product information and marketing material. This helps to ensure you get a return from your investment in translations as soon as possible.
Tip #6: Avoid online translation tools
Online translation tools have their place but should only really be used for individual words or short phrases. These tools are not able to offer creative flair or discretion as a translator would, so should be used with caution for business purposes. Translators often need a solid knowledge of a particular market to understand cultural influences and make sure translations make sense and do not offend. They will also need industry expertise to be able to translate industry-specific terms and jargon. These are all factors a translation tool cannot realistically consider.
Conclusion
If you are intending to start up a small business in a multilingual environment, you will have to include how to get your content translated as part of your business plan. Set aside a budget and research translation agencies to find the right assistant that can accurately translate your content for your target audiences.
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