Optimising global translation for international brands
A large part of the costs of adapting international brand campaigns to local country markets can be tied up in translating campaign materials. So this is an area where today’s efficiency focussed international marketers can make significant gains using workflow solutions that eliminate the excess costs of an old school approach to translation.
Often international brands have a full locally managed translation team in each country market they operate in, to ensure that the notion of thinking global, acting local is fully deployed and to deliver the brand message in the most culturally relevant and current way to the local audience.
Inevitably, this approach creates duplication of effort; not so much in the translation itself, which we agree needs to remain as locally nuanced as possible, but in the local control and management of the translation process which can be very hands-on and time consuming. And a locally driven solution leads to locally divergent brand expression.
Often the local brand comes to be strongly influenced by a local marketing manager and a local translator. They come to an understanding about tone of voice, style of language and terminology. Frequently we have seen that the local manager finds it hard to let go of translation approval as he or she moves up the structure. This becomes a delay and a duplication of effort as juniors have to get the manager’s input and sign-off before releasing new copy.
However technology for marketing and good practise is offering a more efficient solution. Good workflow systems and tools allow many in-country translators to be managed by a very tight team in a central hub. They can track many jobs, manage quality controls and use translators efficiently with minimal manual administration.
To deliver reliable quality and consistency, all copy to be translated is passed through a central language database where previously translated and approved copy is matched and re-used. Then a Termbase glossary of terms identifies and provides approved on-brand translations and terminology. All this is made available online to the local translator. This helps to guarantee brand standards are adhered to. And because the translator only has to translate unique new copy costs and timings are kept down.
Further savings are made by integrating the translation workflow system with a client’s own CMS (Content Management system) to automate the flow of copy from a master website or document and back into the language versions. And integration with automatic publishing systems cuts out manual studio localisation and allows local clients to view, amend and approve creative files in one online process.
With this type of approach, the need for translation management in each country is greatly reduced, saving considerable costs. Add to this the brand control a management system like this provides and the only issue becomes where can I get one? I can help.
