This article explains some of the choices you must consider when translating for some countries with multiple languages and into some languages that are used in multiple countries. I will make some generalizations, but especially if you are taking products into different countries, do seek advice from your local subsidiary or distributor – and be aware that a consumer-oriented environment is likely to be more sensitive to language variants than business to business. Most countries have multiple languages and some languages are spoken in many countries.

My native United Kingdom counts as native languages English, Welsh, Gaelic (Scottish and Irish), Cornish (in part of the southwest), Manx (on the Isle of Man between England, Scotland and Ireland) and others. However, English is the dominant language understood by just about the entire population and although the Welsh and Scots may disagree, there is little need in business to translate into other UK languages. There is a caveat – since 2011, Welsh is an officially recognized language within Wales (the Western part of Great Britain) and as far as is reasonable and practicable, both English and Welsh should be treated equally in the public sector.

Belgium is a relatively new country formed from the Netherlands in 1830. Dutch (Flemish) is spoken in the north, and French in the south. Although I have worked for a company that translated into Belgian French and Dutch separately from the standard French and Dutch varieties, Belgians understand their neighbors’ languages. Belgian Dutch tends to retain traditional Dutch words whereas the more liberal Netherlands Dutch more readily adopts English words. Belgian French and ‘standard’ French are very similar to each other and standard French (for France) serves both.

Switzerland has four languages: German (spoken by the majority), then French, then Italian and about 1% Romansh. Although the spoken Swiss-German is quite different from that spoken in Germany and Austria, it has no written equivalent and the variants of all languages for Germany, France and Italy work fine in Switzerland; there is no need to generate separate Swiss variants.

Some languages are common to many countries, especially English, Spanish, Portuguese and French. To be culturally sensitive, especially at a consumer level, British and American English should be treated as separate locales. However, if you are going to pick just one, American English would be the variant of choice as Brits and most English speakers worldwide are more used to American English spelling and terminology and can understand and generally accept it (sometimes through gritted teeth!). However, Americans do have more difficulty understanding some of the colloquial expressions used by non-Americans – another reason why American English is more universally understood. Canada probably has a preference for British English, but is more used to American than their transatlantic counterparts. Other English-speaking countries such as Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa also probably have a preference for British English, but American English will be understood and generally accepted.

European French differs from Canadian French in terms of some terminology and stylistic preferences, however the more technical the subject matter, the fewer the differences. European French also tends to more readily adopt certain English words than Canadian French. If your product or service target markets are Québec and France, it would be advisable to localize your product into the appropriate language for each market (Canadian French for Québec and “standard” French for France). The similarity between them lends them to being “make-from” languages: once content has been translated into one, it is feasible to edit the translation in order to be acceptable in the alternate geography (as opposed to translating from scratch).

Spanish needs additional consideration. Each Spanish-speaking country has its own variant and use of words. So Spain is different from Mexico is different from Peru is different from Argentina is different from – well you get the picture! However, especially at a business level, it is possible to translate into “Latin American Spanish” that will be generally accepted throughout Central and South America. European Spanish is your choice if your target is Spain. We can also translate into a “Universal Spanish” that is generally acceptable worldwide. However, there will be some compromises the “higher” you go, especially between Europe and Latin America, and if you are targeting just one or two countries, and have no plans in the near term to expand elsewhere, you would be generally advised to pick the Spanish that most closely matches your target audience.

Portuguese is a different story! Brazilian and European Portuguese have drifted far enough away from each other that you should translate for one or the other; there is no “Universal Portuguese”. If you are targeting Brazil and Europe, you require two separate Portuguese translations. Spelling reform started a few years ago to rationalize the spelling differences between Brazilian and European Portuguese, but this reform applies only to spelling, and not to grammar, vocabulary, or pronunciation.

China has numerous spoken languages and dialects, Mandarin being the most universal and common. However, there are just two modern written versions of Chinese: Traditional and Simplified. Traditional Chinese was the written Chinese prior to the formation of the People’s Republic of China (a.k.a. PRC or Mainland China) in 1949. Simplified Chinese was derived from Traditional Chinese by the PRC in the early 50’s in order to simplify many of the ideographic characters and (successfully) promote literacy.

Traditional Chinese is used in the Republic of China (Taiwan). Even though the dialect spoken in Hong Kong and Macau is Cantonese, Traditional Chinese is used for print media, but with a few differences as Cantonese requires a few characters that are not used in Mandarin. Singapore has adopted Simplified Chinese and although Hong Kong has seen more Simplified Chinese since its re-incorporation into PRC in 1997, Traditional Chinese still dominates.

Simplified and Traditional Chinese have many similarities, and those accustomed to Traditional Chinese can read Simplified Chinese more easily than the other way around. However, for the People’s Republic of China, translations should be done into Simplified Chinese. Although a PRC native may be able to read Traditional Chinese, they most likely would not be able to write it as well. Thus, the traditional axiom of using a native translator of the target language still applies.

Somewhat strangely you may think, it is easier to translate English into both Simplified and Traditional Chinese than it is translating one into the other. There is a character set issue (Simplified and Traditional Chinese characters do not co-exist in most computer codepages) and translators generally find it easier using English as the source.

So, if your target is PRC (Mainland China) or Singapore, Simplified Chinese is your language of choice. Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau require Traditional Chinese (with a few differences for Hong Kong and Macau).

I apologize that I have to some extent over-generalized and oversimplified some cultural issues and I am not suggesting that language variants (Belgian French and Dutch) and less common languages (Welsh, Gaelic) are unimportant or insignificant! I have tried to take a practical approach to the localization effort required to take products internationally, and while the Belgian French might prefer their French, they would prefer standard French to English!

The post Which Country, Which Language? Understanding Your Target Market appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.

Offering product information in the local language

We currently sell NOW® product under foreign language labels, the brand says NOW® but the label text may be in Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin, or some other language. Not all countries require that a label be in the local language, but a growing number are.  We also offer product information in over 15 different languages which has proven to be very effective. While many of the people I interact with may speak English, that is not the case for the thousands of consumers that buy and use our products around the world on a daily basis. Therefore, offering product information of any type in the local language is an important part of the sales process. We have partnered with Interpro to handle our translation work.

Because our products can be complex, or formulated for specific purposes, in order for the consumer to understand what the product is for and how to use it, we have to offer the information in a format that the local consumer understands. We have been able to penetrate into markets and build our presence because we can offer information in the local language and Interpro is able to offer translations using a local syntax in many cases, which is an added benefit of working with a professional translation company.  As the brand holder, it is important for us to control the message that is being sent about our products. Rather than have our local distributors translate our materials, we prefer to handle this ourselves and the positive feedback we have gotten from the material we have sent tells me that Interpro takes the time to get it right.

Success in several markets with translations

When we say we can do labels in your language, or that we can send POP (point of purchase) material in your language, this tells my customer that we are interested in their market and we are willing to engage in translation services to help them grow their business. The benefits of translation can be measured which is an important point when speaking with the Finance Department. When you offer translated materials and see growth in sales, there is a correlation. We have had great success in several markets with translations of our quality catalog and other company material. Why? Because we can tell our story to the consumer, in their language. They learn more about us and what we do, which in turn can (and hopefully does) make them more predisposed to choose my product over someone else’s.

Think global and act local, let your customers get to know you by telling them who you are in their language.

The post Reaching Global Audiences: The Importance of Translation appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.

Strozza, CEO and founder of InterPro Translation Solutions, recently made a second donation of SDL Trados Studio licenses for the Foreign Language Learning Center. Strozza donated the first version of Trados in 2004.

“Ten computers in our Language Learning Center now have the newest version installed,” said foreign language chair Katharina Barbe.

Strozza, an alumnus in French, Spanish and marketing, said the foreign language department helped develop his critical thinking and broadened his horizons.

“Our foreign language department is first rate and our faculty is world class,” Strozza said. “They have the pedigree and skills to give NIU students what they need to succeed in their careers.”

Barbe said the translation software is used by “over 190,000 professional translators,” and that very few universities have access to this software.

“What’s so exciting for us is that we are preparing students to go out and be proficient in its use,” Barbe said. “This is only possible because of Ralph’s generous donation.”

The software builds a memory as a translator inputs content. The translator can access this information for future translations.

“When the translator receives a new text, [they] can feed this text through the software and many items will then be translated automatically and thus save a lot of time,” Barbe said.

Strozza also created the InterPro Translation Solutions Foreign Language Residence Program Study Abroad Fund for students in the program.

“He’s very dedicated to the foreign language instruction,” said program Director Greg Ross. “He’s inspirational for what students with a foreign language major can do.”

Strozza said the Foreign Language Department and the Foreign Language Residence Program don’t get enough financial support compared to other programs at NIU.

As an alumnus, Strozza tries to combat that by helping NIU students whenever and however he can.

“[Barbe and Ross] are very open-minded and appreciative of everything that we as alumni do to assist them and their students,” Strozza said. “They make me want to help even more.”

The post Giving Back to the Community: Interpro CEO Helps Establish NIU Language Center appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.

At many Chinese restaurants, there are choices between different regional cuisines such as Sichuan and Cantonese. Knowing, for example, that Sichuan food tends to be spicier and that Cantonese food tends to be milder can help you pick out the best entrée suited to your tastes. Just like Chinese regional cuisine, there are different varieties in the way Chinese is spoken – and written.

Having studied Mandarin in college, lived and traveled extensively in Asia, and worked in the translation and localization industry for nearly six years, I have learned a great deal about Chinese speaking markets. In short, when it comes to localization services, there are three key things to know when you want to “order” the right kind of Chinese localization to suit your target audience.

1. Which Chinese localization is best suited for my business?

As many companies are looking to Mainland China (and Singapore) for sources of new business, Simplified Chinese is what most customers request for translation. Simplified Chinese is the character set used in these two countries. If you are targeting Taiwan or Hong Kong, you would use Traditional Chinese.

2. What is the main difference between Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese?

Compared with the Traditional Chinese character set, Simplified Chinese characters have a fewer number of “strokes” per character. Strokes are just that – the number of pen strokes needed to write a Chinese character.  Simplified Chinese could almost be compared to “shorthand” and was developed to increase literacy in China as it is quicker to write and easier to memorize.

The chart below shows a few examples of differences between Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese.

3. Should I choose Mandarin or Cantonese for voice-over projects?

For voice-over projects – when it comes to speaking Chinese, Mandarin is spoken in Mainland China, Singapore, and Taiwan. With so many dialects of Chinese, Mandarin is the “unifier” and is mainly used when people from different regions of China speak to each other, the same way that Indians from different regions of India use English to communicate. Cantonese is spoken in Hong Kong, Macau, and Mainland China’s Guangdong (Canton) province and is the main Chinese dialect spoken in most overseas Chinatowns.

For example, people in Taiwan can read a Hong Kong newspaper and vice versa. However, there are some characters used in each others’ scripts that are different, in which case a Cantonese native speaker (translator) or a Mandarin native speaker (translator) would be necessary to translate content targeted to Hong Kong and Taiwan audiences, respectively.

With over one billion native Chinese speakers worldwide, Chinese localization will give you the competitive edge needed to target some of the world’s fastest growing economies.

For more help in deciding which Chinese is best suited for you, contact Interpro and a consultant will provide you with the information you need to take the next steps to assist you in your Chinese translation project.

The post How to Order Chinese Localization: A Step-by-Step Guide appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.