International Marketing

Translation Agencies’ Narrow Vision

by on 7 August, 2008

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Translation For International Sales

iconcaticm Translation Agencies Narrow Vision I have a translation widget on Get International Clients which is becoming popular and also generating some response from… translation agencies.

The translation agencies obviously want to keep their bread buttered. But I sometimes wonder if the translators that get all huffy over a translation widget live in the real world.

  • The sheer quantity of translations needed for international business means that businesses will never give every single translation job to an agency.
  • There are translation needs and translation needs.  When a company is just beginning to enter an new foreign market, they need huge quantities of market research.  An intelligent use of free translation tools saves them both time and money.  Large quantities of time and money.

Lack Of Marketing Savvy

Why don’t I ever run across an article from a translation agency on how and when to use free translation tools?

Of course, all international businesses need translators and better still, native language professionals.

What’s my first choice in getting something translated when I need it?

I hunt down a native professional whose real world job includes writing what I need. Yes, translators can do a great job. A real professional, working and living in the country does it better. It’s worth the extra effort and money to get culture-customized sales competitive communication when and where you need it.

Software Limitations

Of course you should not expect a free software translation to give you an error free translation.

  • Above all, never use this type of translation for any sales materials.

I write about this extensively both here and on Get International Clients.

But you are living in the dark ages if you think every company is going to pay a translator or hire full time staff, for all of their translation needs throughout all of their progression as an international business.

Keep Up-To-Date With Progress

The fact is that software translation has progressed in leaping bounds. There are real companies, with enormous needs in translation and large budgets to find the translation solutions they need today.

  • Not only is human translation too expensive for such large quantities. But it is far too slow!

These are the companies that are investing into the research and development of professional translation software. This is why there continue to be regular improvements in the free software, despite the fact that everyone agrees that human translations will always be superior and obligatory for all sales related content.

International Marketing Needs Today

Now, the development of professional translation software is not my specialty. I’m interested in marketing and business development. Today. Small businesses come to me for help and advice on international business development.

These are often online businesses. What they need first is market research. The free translation widgets are great for this.

Of course there are limitations.

  • You have to know how to use them for optimum results.
  • You also need to read them as software translations.

But the free software translations can help you tremendously in your international market research. They can give you guidelines, trends and information to follow up with the phone research.  And phone research, or in person research, is critical.

Successful international business development will always require professional writing in foreign languages for all communication with your international clients.

Out-Of-Date Responses

Translators with narrow vision seem to go hand in hand with the business owners I meet who never take action. These business owners usually come back to me with two excuses:

  • They lack the funds to develop their company the way people did 20 years ago and are not willing to try new methods.
  • They think there is too much risk involved.

Free software translation tools, when used correctly for the first phase of extensive international market research, play a significant role in reducing these two excuses into something more manageable.

Further Musings

After completing the series on web tools for different cultural behaviors on Get International Clients, I find it amusing that most of the comments showing resistance to using free translation tools come from cultures that are traditionally unfriendly to change.

It is a pity that these translation companies are the loudest. Companies need translators that work with them.  There is a much bigger opportunity for them if they change their song.

More on Translation For International Sales:

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Tagged as: free translation tools, international market research, International Web Marketing

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"Cindy is a real authority on all things international marketing.
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