Translation Tips for Direct Marketers - Globalization Partners International

“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning bug and lightning bolt.” Mark Twain – US humorist, novelist, short story author, & wit (1835 – 1910)

Although you might not think of Mark Twain as a polyglot or linguist, supposedly he spoke French and German. If he owned a translation company today I am sure it would have a reputation for providing quality translation services, and would have a distinguished client list among direct marketing and interactive agencies. His quote about “the right word versus the almost right word” shows great insight into the primary challenge with translation, whether he intended to or not.

Let’s honor Twain with a list of translation tips for those seeking to use the “right word”, and not “the almost right word”.

Translation Tips

It takes more than just translation – Copywriting + Translation = Transcreation
Do not only translate but also “localize” (adapt) for international audiences
Review content for, and learn about the cultural differences of your audience
Translations should contain no grammar, typing or spelling mistakes
Proofread, proofread, proofread
Don’t forget to include keywords in your copy (SEO). You need to be found to be read
Develop a glossary of key terms before you start transcreating to ensure accuracy and consistency
Decide how you will handle brand names in all global markets
BEFORE launching a campaign, use trusted content reviewers in the target country to check translations
When developing your headline, slogan or tagline, remember that alliteration, puns, double entendre and humor should be avoided as they may not work in the target languages
Review the images/graphics for cultural appropriateness. Some images may be offensive in certain markets
Avoid complex sentence structure and vocabulary as this may not translate well or be received well
Make sure that metric or currency conversions are consistent and correct
Colors have different meanings in different countries (e.g. white means holy in the US and mourning in China)
Check that terminology and style are consistent and appropriate throughout the translated documentation
Standard/Recurring phrases (e.g. Warning, Click on,) should be consistently translated throughout a document
Ensure that capitalization and punctuation, particularly in numbered and bulleted lists, are applied consistently
Quotation marks are formatted according to the target language standards (for example “” or «»)
Phone numbers and office addresses are correct for the target audience
Date/Time format and use of different calendars are appropriate for the target audience
Leave plenty of white space. Non-English languages can, on average, take up 30% more space than English
Use standard fonts that can handle all the characters of your possible target languages
Bidirectional languages like Arabic and Hebrew need special layout consideration: they should be oriented in a right-to-left direction, including text, graphics, logos, special marks, etc.

Translation Tips

Further GPI Resources on Document Translation Topics