A translation and copywriting in the local language is two very different things. If you spent time and enery crafting your original text to entice, attract and convince you probably understand the value of copywriting.
In the best of worlds, you should be able to send that text to a translation agency for translation to one or more additional languages. I have done it myself, multiple times. I have also written in English and later sent that text off to be translationed into my native language, Swedish. When the Swedish translation came back I was devastated. Not only was the industry specific terminology wrong – that can be corrected – but the phrasing and tone of voice was completely off.
Why is this? Well, to keep prices competitive and in order to avoid excessive manual work, all translators use tools and systems that automate their work to a certain extent. This makes sense in many cases where you simply wish to make yourself understood, like for a manual och installation instruction, maybe also when it comes to regulations, standards and policy documents.
How translation can destroy your copy
For copy text, the same process can wind up destroying everything you worked for – or paid for – in the original text. One of the main reasons for this is that translators and their systems work word by word and sentence by sentence. Words are translated individually, then put into gramatically correct sentences. The systems used will store sentences in a translation memory so that they can be matched and reused if the same sentence is used elsewhere. This is all good and dandy, since it will save you money and provide consistency over time.
Or so you think, until you come across a translation into a language you know and understand well. My main languages are Swedish and English. At this point I can tell within seconds if a text in Swedish was translated from English or vice versa. The give-away is in the way the sentences are structured and how paragraphs are divided into sentences.
Swedish and English are very different languages, and a sentence that is perfect in Swedish will be far from perfect if it is barely translated into English using the same basic phrasing – as will be the case whenever a text is sent to a translation agency. I admit that this may not always be a problem. For copy text, written to entice, attract, convince or convert, however, it can severely impact how effective your text will be. You can lose not only your tone of voice, but also potential prospects and customers.
Copy-translation – for translation of marketing texts
The solution, when it comes to marketing texts, is to hire a native copywriter that can translate and localize your texts for the local market. A copywriter understands the intricaties of crafting a text with the explicit purpose to influence, and they will be able re-write that text in the local language to reflect your intentions with the source text.
When I do ”translations”, whether it is English to Swedish or Swedish to English, I usually work in whole paragraphs at a time to make sure the content is covered and the same message is conveyed, that the associations are as intended and that the texts flows naturally. One English sentence may become two in Swedish or four Swedish sentences becomes three in English. It does not matter! What matters is that the same message is delivered with the same sentiment and with the same type of associations.
Localization – when things are different
But wait – this is also not always true! Sometimes the same message is not the right message. What was written for a Finnish target group may not suit the corresponding Swedish target group. Apart from obvious (or not so obvious) differences such as different laws and regulations to relate to, or different traditions and public beliefs, a ”copy-translator” will make sure that any reference to statistics or data is updated to reflect numbers from your target market. Sometimes whole paragraphs must be omitted or additional information added to adapt the text to the local market and target group. This is what we refer to as localization.
Partner up with a local copywriter
My best recommendation to anyone looking for efficient local texts for market communications, is to not rely on translation agencies for any important texts, but rather try to find a native copywriter to manage translation and localization as well as any creation of new text content that you may need. Over time they will learn your business so well that you no longer have to leave instructions on how to adapt for product ranges, support or tools that may not be available for that specific target market, or ordering and support processes that differ from your main market. This will make your work life a bit easier.
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Ring 070-852 07 55 eller mejla ingrid@digdo.se.
