Wherever you are in the world, it is likely that you will find menu mistakes and all manner of other humorous English translation errors. It seems unfair to laugh, but in reality even the tiniest of errors in a business translation service can completely shift the meaning, and indeed often make a marketing campaign more detrimental than promotional.
Sometimes just one letter in the wrong place can be a recipe for disaster, such as in the case of the unappetisingly titled; “Steamed Red Crap with Ginger”. Now, it seems rude to laugh at such a minor mistake, but often the consequences can be bigger than the crime itself.
Although most people would probably be able to figure out for themselves that ‘crap’ was of course supposed to be ‘crab’, it doesn’t do much for the professional integrity of a restaurant, and this very clearly illustrates why a professional business translation service is important.
It is not only restaurants, but all manner of sectors and industries that require a professional business translation service in order to communicate to a global audience, and they too don’t always manage to achieve the desired results.
There are numerous examples of business translation errors that have resulted in a product or service simply not appealing. Such examples include; a ‘stool loosening’ beer, a Pepsi drink that ‘brings ancestors back from the grave’, and a Clairol ‘manure stick’ to curl your hair.
It’s also not only errors in content that can have negative implications. In South-East Asia, Pepsi lost a huge market share after they changed the colour of their vending machines from dark blue to light blue, which is viewed culturally as a symbol of death and mourning. This is why a completely localised translation service would too focus on design elements.
Sometimes, translation errors can have even more serious consequences, especially within the health sector. In one example, prostate cancer patients in France were given an overdose of radiation treatment after the English-language software was translated in-house incorrectly. This led to four deaths and a dozen other more minor issues, and again shows us why a professional business translation service is so vital.
Away From the Toilet Humour
These examples, of course, happen only in a minority of cases and usually minor mistakes don’t have quite such dire consequences. It is still crucial, however, to fully localise any business translation, by using professional human translation experts, and too ensuring the most beneficial combination of knowledge, skills and expertise, with regards to language, culture and sector.
One professional online translation service, ComTranslations, has even gone to the lengths of developing unique software, which matches a specific translation project with the most suitable team of translation experts to ensure quality results every time. This is just one further example of the increasing importance placed upon quality.
The Importance of Quality
With regards to any business marketing, quality is, of course, always crucial. This need has, however, become intensified with regards to online content as a result of recent developments relating to Google Algorithm tools, namely Panda and Penguin.
Such regulatory tools have been designed specifically to enhance the quality of websites appearing high up on Google searches, and in doing so try to remove spamming as a method of marketing. Although this may seem more directly related to general content creation than translation, it also highlights the necessity to maintain this quality when adapting to different languages.
Not only will quality translations be able to replicate the use of appropriate keywords, communicate a message clearly and concisely and maintain a company’s style and tone, but too they ensure that the design elements are maintained, which is another factor used by algorithm tools.
Universally too, translated marketing materials require an increased level of quality due to the increased level of competition. It is not enough to have your materials understood by individuals using a different language, but rather they need to connect with them. In short, the same amount of effort and expertise that you used in your original campaign too needs to be committed to the translation process.
In Conclusion
Although we can laugh at the presence of ‘Gordon Blue’ and ‘herpes’ on restaurant menus, and even give a wry snigger towards failed marketing slogans, when it is our own business in question, quality translation is crucial.
Not only can these help to avoid some of the above mentioned detriments, but too can truly assist you in appealing to a wider market, and in essence attract more clients and customers, helping your business to grow within a global context.