How do Translation Agencies Help in Business Communication?

Written by Natalie Basiuk, follow her on LinkedIn.

 

Now that we live in an interconnected world, communication is more important than ever for a company to run successfully. In today's global marketplace, companies do business across international boundaries and communicate with clients, partners, and employees in foreign languages. There are challenges as well within this greater international outreach, especially around the ropes of language. Read on to learn about the importance of translation agencies in business communications and the five aspects through which they provide value.

1. Maintain Message Accuracy and Consistency

Translation accuracy is not about syllable-by-syllable translated words like machine translation. Given the very high stakes associated with business communication, even a minor mistranslation can be enough to result in miscommunication or, worse, legal entanglements and/or damaged relationships.

Translation agencies are staffed by professional translators who not only speak the target language fluently but also have experience in your particular industry, one that guarantees correct and consistent terminology across all documentation. Whether translating legal contracts, technical manuals, or marketing materials — the accuracy of language is crucial.

Fun fact: A study by Common Sense Advisory found that businesses choosing professional translation services over other solutions are 1.5 times more likely to boost revenue.

2. Focusing on Cultural Characteristics and Local Tastes

Business communication requires more than translation—it requires localization. Localization is the process of converting the message to be culturally congenial with its audience. Translation agencies truly thrive when hiring native-speaking translators to familiarize themselves with the cultural intricacies of their language. All of these professionals bring the nuances in language to make the content understandable to the target audience and make no cultural mistakes.

Fun fact: According to CSA Research, 75% of consumers report that they would rather buy items in their own language.

3. Enabling Legal and Regulatory Conformity

In international business, we need to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, among other things. Companies need to fulfill the regulations or laws in which they are conducting business. Translation agencies that provide legal translations have a deep understanding of both the legal systems and the involved languages. They ensure the proper translation of all legal documents from one language to another, preserving their original meaning and best practices in a way that is compatible with the laws of the target country.

Fun fact: Some countries require legal documents to be submitted in the official language of that jurisdiction, like, in Quebec, Canada, all public information, including legal documents, must be represented in French.

4. Why multilingual marketing and brand management require support

Your brand is one of the most valuable assets a company has in the global marketplace. Maintaining a consistent brand image while customizing it to match local preferences is a balancing act. Translation agencies translate marketing materials so that businesses can maintain their brand voice while accurately speaking to the local audience. Similarly, professionals at translation agencies assist in the proper handling of multilingual SEO (Search Engine Optimization) campaigns. Translating and localizing such elements as keywords, meta descriptions, and others allows the company to tailor its online presence for a specific language.

Fun fact: Research by Hubspot reveals that 70% of consumers are more likely to click on marketing campaigns with localized content compared to global ones.

5. Improving Customer Service and User Experience

In the digital age, responsive customer support is a key to your customers' hearts. When businesses scale operations internationally, they have to offer customer support in different languages. Translation agencies offer multilingual customer support translation (e.g., FAQs, help desk articles, live chat, etc.). These agencies improve the user experience by allowing companies to speak with customers in their language of choice, thus helping develop better customer relationships. Moreover, translation agencies play an important part in localizing user interfaces (UI) and user experiences (UX) for software, apps, or websites. It includes changes in the design, layout, and functionality of digital products that need to be adapted for the linguistic and cultural preferences of users.

Fun fact: According to a survey by CSA Research, 76 percent of online shoppers want the information to be in their own language, even if they understand other languages.

Conclusion: The True Benefit of Professional Translation Services Today, operating in a globalized and technology-driven world means that companies that are able to keep up with the speed of communication across languages and conceptual divides have an actual advantage. However, for communication, it takes translation agencies quite a lot more than just translating —often, they engage in localization, compliance with local legal norms, managing brand image, and customer support. High-quality translation services are an asset to the overall success of any new or established player, as such companies can better prepare for a complex international business environment and exploit global market opportunities. Find out more about the top translation agencies and how they help in business communication by reviewing our expert-rated list of top translation companies,