Globalisation and the advent of the internet have seen an increasing number of UK businesses capitalise on a new opportunity to sell their products and services overseas. The exact number of UK businesses that currently sell their products to Europe differs depending on where you look, but the general consensus is that between 5 and 11 percent of the UK’s 5.4 million businesses currently export to the EU.
Success in this international market relies on, among other things, a business’s ability to reach its audience in their language. We have previously discussed the preference of international consumers for buying goods and services in their own language, with 56.2 percent admitting that local language content is even more important than price.
Clearly then, whether it’s marketing videos, global patent filing or certified legal translation, a rigorous translation that allows you to reach an international customer base in their language is a must. Here are three examples of business translation services that are central to your overseas success…
1. Certified legal translations
The legal hoops you need to jump through in the UK can be difficult enough to understand, so when you’re expanding overseas, you need to make sure you have a legal translation team on your side to remove the additional complication of language.
Without accurate translation, cross-cultural miscommunication and misunderstandings are a real risk, and when dealing with the law, they could prove to be very costly mistakes. Employing a certified translation team from the start that can translate audio and text documents on your behalf will ensure the accuracy of legal documents. That will reduce the risk of lost revenue, reputational damage and legal proceedings that could result from linguistic errors or oversights.
2. Video translations
Video is becoming an increasingly popular and effective method of communicating with customers, whether it’s other businesses or consumers. Product demonstrations, how-to tutorials, adverts and educational videos can all play an important role in attracting, engaging and converting international customers, as long as they are in the local language.
Subtitling services and audio translation are both crucial to adapting English-speaking assets for local audiences. If your videos are translated and localised appropriately, you can increase the ROI of the original video and bring it to a whole new audience at very little extra cost.
3. Patent applications
One of the most important aspects of any business is safeguarding its products so they cannot be replicated by other organisations. If you have a product or service that can be patented, then putting the necessary protection in place is highly advisable, particularly if you plan to enter multiple markets.
Patent applications require exact wording and a thorough understanding of the language they are to be granted in. The slightest mistake could end up with the necessary protection not being provided and that could make or break your success overseas. With the costs of making a mistake so high, it’s essential your patent application translation is word perfect first time around, which is where our business translation services can help.
How can we help?
Around half of all online buyers will purchase products from businesses in other countries by 2020. Is that a market you can afford to miss out on? Get in touch with Linguistica International to see how our business translation services can help you put your best foot forward overseas.