Lost in Translation

Walmart Employee: "Hello 'dis Walmarts, how can I help you?"
Suzanne: " I would like to order a cake for a going away party this week."
Walmart Employee: "What you want on the cake?"
Suzanne: "Best Wishes Suzanne" and underneath that "We will miss you".

(Source: email from a friend)

I could not stop laughing when I read that dialog and saw the picture! :)

Have you heard about the phrase "Lost in Translation"? Well, if this "lost in translation" occurs between people who are communicating with each other using the same language (in this case English), just pause for a second and imagine all that may get "lost in translation" in a message when there's an actual translation from one language to another (for instance, from English to Spanish or vice versa)!

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How many times or cases have we seen or heard when the translation does not properly address the target market? To remedy this situation, when translating your English website to Spanish, choose a partner that has expertise on that business. Otherwise, the added sales and profits from a Spanish language website could be lost.

Having your English website translated to Spanish requires the consideration of colloquial phrases and grammatical interpretation that is unique to an area. Many machine translation services will produce a generic result that gives the basic idea but misses the finer points. By using a language translation website that provides personalized service with individuals who look at each word and phrase, the smaller details are considered and the translation is focused on the targeted market. Spanish idiomatic expressions are not consistent across Latin America. Sometimes a small misinterpreted phrase or message can cause a potential customer to reconsider completing a business transaction.

So remember, as a small business owner who gains sales through the Internet, a good question to ask is whether translating your English website to Spanish will increase your sales potential. Most likely the answer will be yes particularly if the services offered by a reliable language translation website are employed.

For more information: Identifying your audience and delivering localized web content

Reach Spanish-speaking Markets with Website Translations

For business owners, doctors, and other professionals, the importance of an interactive internet presence has become an indispensable way to attract and keep customers. As changes in market trends inevitable occur, businesses are able to easily adjust their marketing plans to successfully expand into growing market segments with websites often leading the marketing effort. One valuable emerging market trend is the growth of the Hispanic market in the United States which provides marketers with incredible insights and incentives to attract Spanish-speaking customers.

In the United States, the growing Spanish-speaking market which numbered 44.3 million US Hispanics in 2006, is expected to be as large as 60 million by next year with 55% of adult US Hispanics using the internet. Furthermore, with purchasing power projected to reach $1 trillion in 2010, businesses have a greater incentive to reach this large market segment to promote their products and services. In addition to their numbers, US Hispanics who use the internet are generally among the most educated and affluent out of the greater Hispanic population.

The challenge for businesses, especially those who generally operate locally like lawyers, doctors, and other professionals, is how to reach a large and profitable market that includes individuals who speak Spanish. With website translations, local doctors and other professionals, for example, will be able to attract clients through Spanish content that can be found easily on a search engine. The process of website translations is not nearly as daunting as it seems and can be effective in small doses. For instance, an efficient way to attract the Spanish-speaking market is to provide a landing or entry page carefully crafted in Spanish and optimized with key words that can drive website traffic and promote products and services as well. Alternatively, an FAQ page in Spanish, also optimized for web searches, can link to the landing page and provide another channel of communication and interaction with US Hispanics and a Spanish speaking audience. A good website translation will therefore serve promotional ends and will also achieve a certain degree of cultural marketing by speaking the language of a potential client.

In addition to the potential financial benefits of marketing to Spanish speakers, doctors and other professionals have the advantage of tapping into this market early enough to start work towards securing market share. Securing market share, of course, is largely dependent on ensuring that potential customers can find your website in the first place. In addition, the ensuing word of mouth effect can serve as a marketing multiplier as information is passed on to a customer’s peers who may not have access to the internet.

Clearly, the changing paradigms of marketing, largely driven by the internet, are developing into far more valuable and engaging tools like website translations to expand into Spanish-speaking markets. As a result of this ongoing sophistication in marketing, a successful business website is no longer a static collection of pictures and text but a fully interactive experience that should also engage the profitable US Hispanic market.

Please contact Hispanic Market Advisors for a free consultation on your English to Spanish website translation.