International market expansions are a daunting task for any organization, no matter the size of the business or how established they are in the domestic marketplace. Language and cultural barriers present one of the biggest challenges, aside from the logistics. To ease the transition and ensure that your organization is presented successfully to a new market, document translation and localization services are essential. Discover 7 benefits of investing in these services for your organization:
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1. Reach a Wider Audience with Document Translation and Localization Services
Penetrating new markets presents an organization with unlimited growth potential. They must effectively communicate with their new target audiences to make the most of the newfound opportunity. Even well-established brands, products, or services in the United States economy may be completely unknown, or unrecognizable in a new market.
It is important to keep this in mind as you introduce your organization to any market. By translating and localizing everything from product descriptions to marketing materials, and legal documents, you are speaking to consumers in their own language. This makes them more likely to feel connected to the brand and more likely to purchase services or products.
2. Maintain Brand Consistency Across All Markets to Improve Trust
Translating and localizing your documents ensures that your brand message is consistent across all markets from local, domestic markets to international ones. This aids in preserving your brand identity and core values as an organization, even when communicating with a new audience. Remaining authentic and consistent is critical for building trust and loyalty among all customers, but it is particularly important when expanding into foreign markets that may be less familiar with your organization, product, or services.
3. Ensure Local Regulation Compliance with Legal Document Translation and Localization Services
Local regulations require compliance whether you are expanding from one state to another, or from one country to the next. Because local laws and business requirements vary significantly—even within the domestic market itself—having a good understanding of the laws of the land is imperative. Failing to do so could result in hefty lawsuits, revocation of business licenses, and a plethora of other undesirable outcomes. Document translation and localization services aid with this huge undertaking.
By translating legal documents, like contracts, terms and conditions, privacy policies, employment contracts, and countless other agreements, you are protecting your business’s reputation and future. Despite this, legal document translations cannot be undertaken by anyone who speaks the language of the land. They must also have a good understanding of the local laws within the market, along with a vocabulary that is stacked with legal industry terminology—a legal subject matter expert. This is the best way to ensure that all legal documents remain airtight across international markets.
4. Improve Customer Experience by Offering Support in Customers’ Native Languages
When an organization offers information and support in a customer’s native language, it significantly enhances the customer experience. This is because they are more likely to engage with a business that speaks their language. Likewise, it makes it simpler for consumers to address any concerns or receive answers to their questions so that they have a positive interaction with the organization. In turn, they are more likely to become repeat customers when their needs are met or even exceeded. Satisfied, repeat customers are also likely to recommend your products or services to others, which greatly helps establish a loyal customer base in all markets.
5. Increase Sales and Annual Revenue by Considering Consumer Behaviors
According to studies conducted on consumer buying behaviors, 76% of online shoppers prefer to make a purchase when the information regarding a product or service is presented in their native language. This means that document translation and localization services may be the key to quickly increasing sales and annual revenue.
With millions of people in the United States speaking a language other than English at home, this is also a useful implementation even if your organization plans to remain solely in the domestic market. Whether you offer product descriptions in English and Spanish or offer your marketing materials in an array of languages, this is a simple way to expand your customer base.
6. Enhance Cultural Sensitivity with Corporate Document Translation and Localization Services
When a document is translated using technology, like Google Translate, nothing is taken into consideration other than attempting to express the definition of words between languages. This has an immense number of pitfalls in and of itself, but the biggest problem is that cultural differences are utterly ignored. Simply put, different cultures express sentiments in different ways. Those who are not familiar with both cultures have no way of knowing this information.
An expert linguist and translator who is able to expertly communicate in both languages; however, is familiar with more than just the vocabulary. They are highly aware of the cultures. This means that they take even the smallest nuances into account to suit the cultural norms and preferences of consumers. For businesses, this means that there are no misunderstandings or faux pas which can be immensely damaging to an organization’s reputation and overall success in a new market.
7. Gain a Competitive Edge in Any Market
Offering business documents, legal contracts, or even internal communications in multiple languages is not a liberty that all organizations take advantage of. While most wait for the need to arise, such as international expansions, others invest in the name of inclusivity, diversity, and accessibility. This is often part of their core values, but it gives them a competitive advantage in many aspects, among employees and consumers. Businesses that fail to adapt run the risk of being left behind while others move toward the future.
Interested in learning more about document translation and localization services offered by ASTA-USA’s expert translators, linguists, and subject matter experts? Inquire now or call 1.866.446.1860 to discuss your organization’s needs.