The best translation services are not simply foreign tongue transfers – they should involve three skilful steps of native interpretation, followed by editing, and, finally, native proofreading to ensure the perfect balance of language accuracy, local context, and the client’s objectives.

YOUR MARKETING MESSAGE IS TOO IMPORTANT TO GET LOST IN TRANSLATION

If you are reading this article, chances are you already have some idea of how poor marketing translation can be disastrous for communications with a foreign audience. Yet massive organisations have made unfortunate localisation blunders. Take Pepsi, for instance, whose “Come alive with the Pepsi generation” was interpreted in Chinese as “Pepsi brings your relatives back from the dead”. No one wanted that. And while it’s well-known in the West knows that KFC is “Finger-lickin’ good”, this slogan was once translated in other parts of the world telling customers to “Eat your fingers off”. Oops!

These old but well-known examples show exactly how weak, word-for-word translation can not only ruin a good marketing campaign but also damage brand identity and reputation. Modern globalisation demands digital marketing that translates seamlessly through language and cultural borders and still drives home your message.

THE VALUE OF SPECIALIST TRANSLATION SERVICES

In the Middle East, whether your communications showcase a global retail brand or inform communities about essential government services or legal requirements, the translation from English to Arabic or Arabic to English presents unique challenges of innovative, creative adaptation if it is to reach intended audiences. The benefits of ensuring your communications are well translated and localised include:

• Enhanced reputation of cross-cultural professionalism
• Increased trust and connection with global customers
• Brand consistency across diverse markets
• Improved SEO to better local search results
• Access to wider audiences

In a country like the UAE, where the local and ex-pat community is a unique conglomeration of not just different languages but also diverse backgrounds and beliefs, there is no way that marketing communications can be entrusted to software-style translators. We can all Google the recipe for a fancy dessert, but that certainly doesn’t put it on your plate.

FIVE FEATURES OF A HIGH-QUALITY OUTSOURCED TRANSLATION

• ACCURATE – Meaning and facts of the source text must be fully conveyed in the new language.
• CONTEXTUAL – Professional translators will know or research the target audience and market and ensure the same impact.
• IDIOMATIC – Words and phrases should sound natural to native speakers and readers.
• CLEAR, LOGICAL AND EASY TO FOLLOW
• DELIVERY SHOULD BE FAST AND RELIABLE

It’s best to choose a full-scope agency that can offer you so much more than translation services. Qualified and experienced creative professionals don’t work in isolation but pool their talents to include localisation, transcreation, multilingual copywriting and editing, among other skills. If the company has the creative resources to help you extend your message locally – through videos, social media posts, emailers and other marketing tools – you have the benefits of a local one-stop marketing partner!

At 7G Media translation agency in Dubai, for example, our professional services involve a team of in-house professionals. Our client executive is tasked with accepting and fully understanding the brief, including clear information about the client, its objectives, tone of voice and the target audience. The text will be given to one of our qualified and highly experienced translators… who will pass the new version on to an editor for language cross-checking … and, finally, to a native proofreader, whose critical eye will make sure the work is absolutely typo-free, with no grammatical or stylistic errors and with a polished reading flow. See? From one culture to another, with no room for misinterpretation or error!

To ensure your marketing and business communications fulfill their potential across the UAE and the Middle East, look for a professional translation partner that expertly localises all your digital content. In the hands of experienced native Arabic-English-Arabic translators and editors, like those at 7G Media – top digital marketing agency in Dubai, you can be sure your messages will be fluently and accurately adapted to ensure they reach the widest target audience.