What do I mean by “making the connection”? Very simply, just ensuring that Spanish language communications holds true to peoples' emotional “hot buttons” in order to create a “win-win” situation for the communicator and Spanish language dominant consumers in the U.S. and the rest of the Spanish- speaking world. I’ll never forget a verbatim that repeated itself time and time again during my in-home visits with consumers: “The only things companies care about is making money, they don’t really care about us.”
That said, English language websites, for example, which include Spanish language translations reveal a world of missed opportunities to “making the connection.” Being fully bicultural, my expectation is that if you write it effectively in English, the same thorough effort should be made when translating into Spanish. In many instances, those efforts are being overshadowed by less than effective articulation of the Spanish message. An interesting finding is that most foreign language translation companies I researched erroneously assume that work based solely on translating and localizing is sufficient. Within that "philosophy", the "connection" misses the mark. To put it in context, outlined below is a hypothetical exercise showing my point:
Company A says...“To sell in foreign markets you need to speak their language”:
TSLC Responds...“Speaking their language is not enough, feeling their language is the winning ticket."
Company B says...“Our translators ensure all the content is localized.”
TSLC Responds...“Just because the word peanut in Mexico is “cacahuate” and in Venezuela “maní”, doesn’t mean it guarantees an emotional connection.”
Company C says...“We know the local customers and will ensure that your translated website really speaks to your target country.”
TSLC Responds...“More than localized, the language should be adjusted to wants, desires and needs of the people of a country, not just to the country.”
Conclusion: Please be aware that just because certified translators speak and write perfect Spanish does not guarantee the cultural sensitivity to "selling" a good connection.
That said, English language websites, for example, which include Spanish language translations reveal a world of missed opportunities to “making the connection.” Being fully bicultural, my expectation is that if you write it effectively in English, the same thorough effort should be made when translating into Spanish. In many instances, those efforts are being overshadowed by less than effective articulation of the Spanish message. An interesting finding is that most foreign language translation companies I researched erroneously assume that work based solely on translating and localizing is sufficient. Within that "philosophy", the "connection" misses the mark. To put it in context, outlined below is a hypothetical exercise showing my point:
Company A says...“To sell in foreign markets you need to speak their language”:
TSLC Responds...“Speaking their language is not enough, feeling their language is the winning ticket."
Company B says...“Our translators ensure all the content is localized.”
TSLC Responds...“Just because the word peanut in Mexico is “cacahuate” and in Venezuela “maní”, doesn’t mean it guarantees an emotional connection.”
Company C says...“We know the local customers and will ensure that your translated website really speaks to your target country.”
TSLC Responds...“More than localized, the language should be adjusted to wants, desires and needs of the people of a country, not just to the country.”
Conclusion: Please be aware that just because certified translators speak and write perfect Spanish does not guarantee the cultural sensitivity to "selling" a good connection.
No comments:
Post a Comment