Many businesses thrive in their home countries but fail to translate that success when they expand into international markets. Sales drop, engagement dwindles, and the audience connection seems to vanish. This communication gap is no coincidence.
Often, it happens when translations miss the mark because they alter the meaning of the brand’s original message. Without accurate translation, even the best products and services struggle to gain traction with target consumers, underscoring the importance of this process in any global expansion strategy. So, what does translation mean for international sales?
In this guide, we’ll lay out a translation definition, explain what’s translation versus localization, explore the different types of translation, and cover various approaches to translating content so it lands with its target audience.
What is translation?
Translation is the conversion of text, audio, and other messaging from one language to another while preserving the original meaning and intent. However, not all translations are the same. Different methods serve distinct purposes, each with its own approach and application.
Here’s a closer look at the most common types of translation and how they work:
1. General translation: An all-purpose method
General translation is the simplest type of translation. It focuses on converting text from one language to another without diving into industry-specific jargon or cultural nuances. This method works well for basic content like personal documents, general correspondence, or simple instructions. In these instances, word-for-word translation is typically adequate; precision and cultural adaptation aren’t crucial priorities. This approach is a good starting point if your business seeks to communicate across different regions, but more advanced methods are necessary to maximize impact.
2. Transcreation transforms content
Transcreation takes translation a step further, adapting content to align with the cultural and emotional nuances of the target audience. Rather than providing a word-for-word translation of text between languages, it paraphrases the message to make it culturally relevant and appealing while maintaining the original intent.
Transcreation is valuable in marketing and advertising, where tone, humor, and emotional resonance play a significant role in connecting with the target audience. For example, fuel company Esso’s original slogan, “Put a tiger in your tank,” was transcreated into Italian as “Metti una tigre nel motore,” which translates to “Put a tiger in the engine.” This adaptation preserved the alliteration and added a cultural touch that appealed to Italian consumers.
Consider using transcreation services in your global marketing strategy to convey the proper meaning when translating for international audiences.
3. Localization hits the spot
Localization ensures your content feels native to a specific region by considering cultural preferences, language nuances, and local norms. This process overcomes language barriers by adapting idioms, tone, and voice to a particular target audience’s linguistic and cultural context. It even considers design aspects like color and orientation to align with the target audience’s expectations. Localizing content prevents literal translations of your text that impart confusing or offensive cultural references.
Netflix provides an excellent example of localization in its advertising. To promote the fourth season of Black Mirror, Netflix created region-specific ads featuring public figures familiar to each audience (e.g., Donald Trump and Theresa May for English-speaking countries versus Mariano Rajoy and Nicolás Maduro for Spain). This strategy made the content more relatable and engaging for each market.
4. Globalization and thinking big
If your company aspires to establish a strong international presence, translation must be flawlessly executed at every level and region. Globalization involves the linguistic and cultural translation of business operations—not just customer-facing elements. From operations management and social media to digital strategy, every translated message must align with the new language to ensure effective communication with the target audience.
Globalization requires the whole gamut of translation services. A comprehensive translation solution creates streamlined, globalized software that unifies your organization across different markets.
5. Simplify software translation with internationalization
Internationalization involves designing software applications to support multiple languages and cultural norms without significant code changes. By separating language-specific elements from the core code, developers can create applications that easily adapt to various locales, accommodating different character sets, date formats, and other regional specifics.
Implementing internationalization into your product from the beginning makes the localization process easier and faster, allowing your business to efficiently overcome language barriers.
What are Translation Management Systems (TMS)?
To fully capitalize on internationalization, you need a Translation Management System (TMS) to handle the complexities of translating and localizing content. A TMS is a centralized software program that automates many aspects of translation, making it easy to manage multilingual content at scale.
A TMS is often used alongside AI translation software, such as neural machine translation (NMT). This technology allows businesses to translate more content, faster and more cost-effectively than traditional translation methods.
Smartling’s TMS is an effective translation solution for organizations looking to scale their global presence. The platform makes it easy to translate content in any language while maintaining a unique brand voice. Glossaries, style guides, and automated quality checks ensure content maintains alignment with an organization’s identity, no matter the language or market.
Smartling also offers a range of AI translation solutions that can improve the speed and cost-efficiency of translation workflows. For high-volume, low-visibility content, Smartling’s AI Translation solution delivers cost-effective translations instantly, to maximize budgets and save time. For high-visibility content, our AI-powered Human Translation solution combines AI efficiency with professional translator review to achieve polished translations at scale.
What are the key approaches to translating content?
Translation services may employ a variety of translation methods. Your preferred method will depend on your goals, audience, and budget. Many organizations combine numerous tools to get the best results.
Here are a few leading translation methods, plus their pros and cons:
- Human translation: With human translation, professional translators adapt your content into another language, considering cultural and contextual nuances along the way. Although translators may use tools like computer-assisted translation (CAT) software to help, the final product relies on their expertise. This approach yields impeccable accuracy, but often requires a large investment of time and money.
- AI translation: While AI translation technology has quickly evolved over the past few years, Machine Translation (MT), or the automated translation of text from its source language to another via computer software, has been around since 1949. Most of today’s translation solutions leverage a more recent MT development, Neural Machine Translation (NMT), which uses a machine learning method that functions similar to how a human brain learns, by passing data through several interconnected nodes. Combined with another new advancement in AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), this technology can translate content faster, more accurately, more affordably than ever before. Smartling’s AI Translation solution blends the power of NMT and LLMs to provide human-quality translations for half the price, twice as fast.
- Machine translation post-editing (MTPE): You can also combine machine translation with human post-editing for the best of both worlds. MTPE provides a hybrid approach; First, text is run through machine translation to save time. Then, a professional translator refines the output word for word to ensure cultural relevance and accuracy.
With the proper translation approach, you can tailor your content to meet the needs of your global audience. Smartling offers translation services and a wide range of localization solutions, including advanced AI approaches, ensuring you deliver high-quality translations that resonate across languages and cultures. With Smartling, you can easily and efficiently translate your content into German, Turkish, Spanish, Japanese, French, and more.
What are the main types of translation services?
Various translation services exist to match your specific needs. Here’s a breakdown of common types of translation services:
1. Literary translation
Literary translation involves translating creative works like novels, poems, and plays. The goal is to preserve the original language’s artistic style and emotional impact. Translators must capture idioms, cultural references, and the author’s voice to maintain the work’s integrity.
2. Technical translation
This translation type focuses on translating documents with specialized terminology, such as user manuals, product specifications, and scientific papers. Accuracy in technical translations is vital, as errors can lead to financial losses or safety issues. Translators often have expertise in the relevant field to ensure word-for-word precision.
3. Legal translation
Legal translation covers contracts, agreements, patents, and other legal documents. It’s important to convey the exact meaning, as paraphrasing can alter the meaning of precisely worded or industry-specific terms, exposing companies to legal and civil liability. Translators must understand legal terminology and the legal systems in both the source and target languages.
4. Medical translation
Medical translation includes translating medical records, clinical trial documents, and pharmaceutical information. Accuracy is equally critical here to ensure patient safety and regulatory compliance. Translators often have a medical background or specialized training to interpret medical texts without error.
5. Financial translation
Financial translation handles financial reports, audits, and banking information. Precision is needed to maintain clarity and trust in the translated text. Translators should be familiar with translating financial terminology and practices.
6. Website and software localization
Website and software localization ensures digital platforms are fully adapted to the cultural and linguistic needs of the target audience. Localization is more than just translating text. It tailors every aspect of your website or application, from currency formats and date displays to images and user interface design.
7. Certified translation
Certified translations are official documents, such as birth certificates, diplomas, or immigration papers, that have been translated and certified for accuracy. Authorities often require a translator’s signature or notarization to accept them.
8. Business translation
Business translation encompasses corporate documents, including business correspondence, reports, and marketing materials. It aims to convey the company’s message clearly and professionally across different languages.
9. Multimedia translation
Multimedia translation involves translating audiovisual content, like videos, podcasts, and e-learning materials. It may include subtitling, dubbing, or voice-over services to make content accessible to a global audience.
Make Smartling your translation partner
Choosing the right translation solution depends on several factors and the type of translation service you need. By understanding the key features to look for—speed, accuracy, integration of translation software, and cultural adaptability—you ensure your translations feel natural to your target audience.
If you’re ready to achieve high-performing translations, download our free guide, “What to Look for in a Translation Solution: A Buyer’s Guide,” and discover how to select the best translation tools and strategies for your business. You’ll get practical tips, expert advice, and actionable steps to take your global communication to the next level.
