Language barriers are among the biggest trials to overcome when you are amidst an overseas business. If you can communicate accordingly with a supplier, client and buyers, that will be a plus factor, but that doesn’t happen often times. If you will let your business proposal slip away because of poor translation, it can restrict the growth, it can harm the relationships or it can confuse your clients. One instance is the word GIFT. For Germans, the world gift means poison. If you are to open a gift shop and you want to go global, you must overcome language barriers first before you can persuade Germans to take a peek at your gift products.
Ways to overcome the language barriers
Check your future partners
As an owner, you need to be sure your future partners in the country you are trying to expand are reliable. Checking on feedback from the internet can be a pain if you don’t know the language, but it’s something that must be done before contacting them to propose a partnership. A translator may be able to help you to overcome the language barriers, but you can also use a free online translator like Google Translate in this case.
Have your documents translated
Before you hire a translator, make sure the person who is going to translate your marketing materials is a native speaker of the target language and knows the local culture and customs. Getting a translation agency to help you with all your translations is a great idea as you’re sure the translators put on the job fit your requirements and it could lower the cost of translation in the long run.
Perspective
Often times, even though the translation is right, the context may still constrain the message from being taken accordingly. With someone who will understand cultural distinctions, that may possible prevent embarrassment.
Translate your website
The clients you are trying to reach may speak English, but if your website is in Dutch, you won’t be able to sell much on the international market. Even if it’s in English, your customers will trust it more if your website speaks their language.
Study the language
It may be simple and easy, yet it will take much of your time to learn the language. But this can truly be an advantage on your part. Even though, you do not have so much time to learn how to be fluent in speaking the language, the fact that you took time to study some phrases will help you earn trust, admiration and respect as well, because the people will see how you tried to overcome language barriers. This is truly effective in some countries like the Netherlands, Japan as well as France.
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