The Importance of Cultural Competence in Translation

Are you expanding your business overseas? Creating content for a specific audience? Or are you just trying to make valuable connections with those who speak a different language? If so, you’ll need to rely on a foreign language translation service at some point.

Of course, it’s tempting to think that you don’t even need a professional translation these days. Why pay someone when you can just use Google or AI?

Well, relying on algorithms and software can be a very costly error. It is one that completely neglects the importance of translation in business settings, where context and cultural competence are key.

With that in mind, read on to find out exactly why cultural competence is an essential requirement for any translation services you use, and why a machine is simply not up to the task.

Foreign Language Translation That Feels Real and Resonates

If you want to truly resonate with your audience, you’ll need to make sure your business translation offers an authentic experience.

Literal translations will miss the thousands of nuances that make up a language. Your foreign-language content will risk coming off as robotic, or as if it was written by a child.

When you use professional translators that understand the cultural differences that affect language, you can ensure that your brand has the authenticity factor that is essential for resonating with any literate audience.

The Importance of Translation in Business Cultures

Your overseas business growth will depend on your ability to communicate with businesspeople in cultures that are different from your own. This will require translation that takes the unique business etiquette and language of different cultures into account.

Every country is different, and each has business phrases, terms, and manners that are essential for cementing deals and making connections.

An AI translator simply cannot factor these in. This is why cultural competence is a key ingredient for your business expansion overseas.

Professional Translation Can Avoid Offending Your Audience

The last thing you want to do is get off on the wrong foot. If you are not aware of the subtle cultural nuances of language, you risk doing just that.

It is all too easy to offend when you don’t know which words have double meanings, or which words are outdated and have an offensive connotation in 2023.

The only way to make sure your foreign-language content does not make this mistake is by using translators with strong cultural competencies.

This is not just about avoiding offense. This is about making a great impression and building strong relationships.

Increasing Sales

It’s never enough to use the same sales pitch in every country. What works in the US will likely have zero resonance in Spain or Bulgaria.

You need to adjust your language so that it considers the latest slang words, trending terms, or relevant tone of voice. Literal translations will always fail to achieve this.

By including cultural competence in your translation criteria, you can ensure that all of your foreign language content is geared towards increasing sales with your exact target audience, no matter where they are.

Building Lasting Relationships

Language is not just a means of communication. It is the foundation for any relationship. It indicates shared values. It is a way of showing empathy with your audience.

It is how you signal that you are a trustworthy partner. The only way to do all of these things with your language is to prioritize cultural competence.

With the right cultural knowledge, you can ensure your language always demonstrates that you understand your audience’s cultural beliefs and values.

It shows that you have done the work and are willing to meet them at their level. By doing this, you can turn leads in any country into lifelong, loyal customers.

Avoid a Legal Minefield

This one relates back to the importance of not offending your audience. One small misstep with your translations can easily cause a scandal. Even worse, it can cause a legal nightmare that could take years to resolve.

Using the wrong word in the wrong context could be interpreted as discriminatory language.

It could even fall afoul of local laws around hate speech or misinformation. In today’s ever-changing legal environment, this is a very real threat to international businesses everywhere.

This is why cultural competency in your translations is not only a nice-to-have, it’s a legal imperative.

Strengthen Your Brand Image

We’ve already talked about the importance of the authenticity factor. Building on this, it’s worth stressing the role that culturally competent translations can play in building your brand image long-term.

This is one very easy way to show that you understand the cultural sensitivities and nuances in your target market.

In smaller countries especially, this can have a huge positive impact, and provide your brand with some serious cultural capital that could open many doors.

If you’re serious about brand hygiene and the currency of respect, always place cultural competence at the forefront.

Enhance the Customer Experience

Let’s not forget about the customers. If an overseas customer is navigating your website, they will expect that the translated language is accessible and easy for them to follow.

Oftentimes, the only way to ensure this is through culturally competent translations. This will help you avoid literal translations that collapse into business jargon.

It will make your content user-friendly and give it a human touch. This is the secret sauce that will keep your site visitors and email newsletter subscribers coming back for more. The result? Happier, paying customers.

Professional Translation That Always Considers Cultural Differences

Professional translation is not just about communicating information in different languages. It is about making lasting, authentic connections with your target audience.

This is the importance of translation in a business that is culturally competent. For this, we have got you covered.

If you want foreign language translation that gets results, we have got you covered. Check out our pricing list to find out exactly how we can help you.

About LEXIGO

LEXIGO is an award-winning translation services, technology and native language communications agency that enables business, enterprise and government teams to communicate with confidence and boost in-language engagement across 171 languages.

With a commitment to delivering peer-reviewed, culturally-informed communication, LEXIGO harnesses the power of its proprietary cloud technology and advanced AI. This unique approach has earned LEXIGO recognition as one of Australia’s most innovative companies in the Smart100 Index and a place among the Top 10 SMEs in the DELL Business Excellence Awards.

LEXIGO is a triple ISO-certified organisation certified to the following international standards: ISO 9001 for Quality Management, ISO 17100 for Translation Quality and ISO 27001 for Information Security.

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