AAA Translation - We'll Take You Global

A new blog monthly articles series from AAA Translation’s Susanne Evens, My Neighbor Next Door is from… aims to expand multi-cultural knowledge and break down divides by letting readers get to know immigrants from various countries…one neighbor, friend and/or business colleague at a time.

Valentine’s Day isn't just a U.S. holiday. Couples all over the world celebrate this love holiday by collectively spending millions of dollars, yen, euros and other currencies on February 14.

From Saudia Arabia (where the holiday is banned) to Japan (where only women give chocolate gifts) to the U.K. (where cards are sent anonymously), the traditions can vary significantly. Here are a few examples:

Japan
Japan’s tradition actually stems from a mistranslation in the 1950s, when chocolate companies began encouraging people to celebrate Valentine’s Day there. An incorrect translation from one company gave Japanese consumers the idea that it was customary for women to give chocolate to men on the holiday. And that has become the tradition! Now the chocolate companies in Japan sell more than half of their annual sales during the week before Valentine’s Day. Men are supposed to return gifts to women on a day called “White Day” (March 14), a Japanese creation.

Italy
In Italy, Valentine’s Day was originally celebrated as the Spring Festival, where people (usually young people) gathered outside in gardens and tree arbors to enjoy poetry readings and music before taking a stroll with their beloved. Today, Italians prefer having romantic dinners and exchanging gifts. Chocolate is a favorite gift, and the bigger the chocolate, as the belief goes, the stronger the love you will have.

Saudi Arabia
Valentine’s Day is actually BANNED in Saudi Arabia. In 2008, Saudi officials told florists and gift shops to remove all red items until after Valentine’s Day, calling the celebration a sin as it “encourages immoral relations between unmarried men and women.”

France
It’s often claimed that the first Valentine’s Day card originated in France when Charles, Duke of Orleans, sent love letters to his wife while imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1415. Today, card giving is not as popular as it used to be. Instead, the French celebrate with delicious cuisine, making restaurants popular and busy. February 14 in France is also considered the best time for a marriage proposal.

United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, it’s tradition to send Valentine’s Days cards anonymously, a custom dating back to Victorian times. Different parts of the country have their own unique traditions as well: in Norfolk, a mysterious Jack Valentine knocks on people’s doors and vanishes, leaving sweets for children. In Wales, Valentine’s Day comes just a few weeks after St Dwynwen’s (January 25), named after the Welsh patron saint of lovers.

Estonia
Valentine’s Day celebrations in Estonia have their own twist: February 14 is called “Friend’s Day,” so single people don’t feel left out. Gifts are typically given between friends and family members. Single people also get the chance to take a ride on a special “love bus” where they can meet others looking for love. This doesn’t mean there’s no romance for couples -- shops, restaurants and even streets are decorated with hearts and other symbols of love.

China
In China, the Valentine's Day festival is quite different than elsewhere in the world. The Chinese Valentine's Day falls on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month in the Chinese Calendar, so the day is also called ‘Festival of the Double Sevens' or Qi Xi - ‘The Night of Sevens'. Other popular names are ‘Seven Sister's Festival' and ‘Daughter's Festival'. There are specific and colorful rituals for the day, in addition to the usual exchange of flowers, cards and chocolates as tokens of love between lovers. Following the tradition, lovers visit the Temple of Matchmaker on the Chinese Valentine's Day and pray for their love and happiness and their possible marriage. Singles also visit to ask for luck in love.

India
Valentine's Day is a recent custom in India but has caught on quickly. Though some see it as a western import and hesitate to celebrate, a growing number of people participate in the day. Especially to the Indian youth, February 14 signifies love - a day when people express their affection for others. Just as several other countries, people in India also celebrate the day by exchanging cards and gifts.

60% of global marketers have no strategy for multilingual content marketing, according to a 2013 survey by Cloudworks. Rather than plan ahead, most delay thinking about translation and localization until after their content is produced. This approach, unfortunately, can create a painful, slow and expensive process that increases your chances of missing out on opportunities in emerging markets.

For those tasked with a company’s content marketing, it’s a challenge to produce and deliver all the content required in ONE language…let alone translating blogs, reports, collateral, websites and more into multiple languages. But those who do -- and approach multilingual content marketing with forward thinking and planning -- have a distinct advantage in the global marketplace, which is expected to grow significantly over the next ten years. By 2025, the number of global consumers in emerging economies is expected to reach 4.2 billion, with consumption reaching $30 trillion (McKinsey & Company). And these consumers will want and need information in their own language that also reflects their culture.

Tips for Success

1) First, define clear objectives for your content marketing strategy – overall and for each multilingual market.
2) Consult with your translation provider at the beginning of the planning process to avoid localization pitfalls and save time and money.
3) Create style guides to ensure brand consistency across the multiple languages and cultures. Global brands must not only speak to the different target cultures, but also must ensure a consistent brand message across them.
4) Approach graphic design with localization in mind. Select fonts that are compatible with the translated language and ensure that the graphics are designed with enough space for language expansion across various languages. The same phrase or sentence in one language can be shorter or longer in another when translated; you don’t want to have to recreate every graphic element for each foreign market. For example, Spanish text can grow by 30% in size and Asian text will shrink when translated.
5) Establish a clear review, editing and approval process for translated, localized content.
6) Select appropriate channels. Consumers in different countries use different channels. Google, for example, is far from the dominant search engine in China, Russia or South Korea. Similarly, dominant social media channels are different from region to region.

Need help localizing and translating your multilingual marketing content? We can help you through the jungle!  AAA Translation, now celebrating its 20th year, works with clients around the world in more than 150 languages. Contact us at toll-free at 844.293.3519 or learn more at www.aaatranslation.com.

by Susanne Evens

Just like bad translation work can hurt your company and reputation, so can hiring a bad interpreter. A recent and very public example of this is the sign language interpreter at Nelson Mandela’s funeral who stunned the world and embarrassed event organizers in South Africa.

On the flip side, the movie Lost in Translation gives us a funny illustration of the role of a foreign language interpreter…and how much can get lost. This is one of my favorite scenes:



How do you select a good, legitimate, experienced interpreter for your event, presentation, meeting or other needs?

Here are a few suggestions:

1. Be skeptical. A certain amount of skepticism is healthy when it comes to hiring an interpreter. Be sure to ask plenty of questions and check references.

2. Plan for backups. It’s best to work with an experienced company that carefully vets their interpreters and has qualified backup options should there be an emergency that prevents your original interpreter to work the project.

3. Make sure that the interpreter is proficient in both languages involved. Proficiency in BOTH languages involved is a must.

4. Be sure the interpreter has a vocabulary for your topic or industry. Proficiency in both languages is critical; so is familiarity and experience with the vocabulary required for your subject matter (especially if it’s highly technical).

5. Make sure they are familiar with the different cultures involved. Do they understand cultural nuances, colors not to wear, customs and other key cultural factors that may be important?

6. Make sure they are experienced. Interpreting is a unique skill that goes beyond knowing languages, cultures and vocabularies – it requires experience. Make sure that your interpreter has plenty of it.

7. Ensure that all time required is included in your pricing quote. Most companies provide reference materials at least one week prior to the assignment so the interpreters have enough preparation and research time. All this time should be included in the rate quoted for interpreting.

Want more advice or to learn about AAA Translation’s interpreting services? Contact us at toll-free at 844.293.3519 or learn more at www.aaatranslation.com.