Checklist for good marketing translations

Translating a marketing text is only marginally different from writing an original text. In both cases, the same considerations have to be made and the tone and content of the text chosen carefully. In this chapter, we'll provide a useful checklist of all the things you should consider if you want to have texts translated for a marketing campaign. Getting this information right will help you successfully brief translators and copywriters, and ensure the best results.

Who is the target audience?

Knowing who buys your product is the first thing you need to know when having a marketing text written or translated. In other words, you need to know your target audience. To do this, it’s best to use a persona, an archetype of a fictitious buyer, based on the traits of the established target audience. It’s the personalisation of your ideal customer, created on the basis of age, gender, family situation and personal preferences. Usually a persona is linked to a specific product, so companies often use multiple personas. If you use an external text or translation agency for your marketing texts, it’s a good idea to include these personas in your briefing. Then they’ll know precisely who the target audience for the text is.

What's the medium?

Also indicate very specifically in which medium the text will be published, as this determines the content and structure of the text. If you advertise in a magazine for young adults, the tone will be different to that used in a trade journal for managers in the agricultural sector. The length and wording of the text also depends on the medium. As the internet affects our attention span, and people are prone to click away when confronted by a lengthy text, website texts should be powerful and concise.

What image do you want your company to project?

The decisions you make shouldn’t only be influenced by target audiences and the medium itself, but by the image you wish to project as a company. Because although your brand is largely determined by the level of service you provide, the way you present yourself also plays a vital role. Think about your mission, core values and tone of voice, and also your corporate identity when it comes to logos and recognisable fonts. So share this information with copywriters and translators so they can factor this into the process.

What terminology do you use?

Vocabulary and other jargon are often very specific, this is probably the case at your company too. That’s why you want to consistently use the same terminology to ensure that everyone in and outside your organisation knows precisely what you mean. There may also be terms in your text that don't need to be translated, for example if the English term is more common. So make a glossary for the translators, who can then add the preferred terms to their translation software. Don’t forget to include so called ‘forbidden words', i.e. terms that evoke negative connotations for your company or target group, and that you will always want to avoid. A list of mandatory and forbidden terms ensures that the correct terminology will be used for all your marketing translations.

Do you take planning into account?

It goes without saying, but sending a 5,000 word document to a translation agency, and demanding it will be ready the next day, is an unreasonable proposition. And even if there’s a translator readily available, the chances are that the resulting rush job will leave a lot to be desired. So leave translators with enough time to do their work, and factor in the feedback process too. This way, you can read the translation at your leisure and inform the translation agency of any changes. Plan your translation efficiently and on time.

Which keywords are important to you?

When placing a text online, your keyword strategy is also vital to your success. This is known as SEO. Search engine optimisation. If you use the right keywords, and to the right extent in your text, you can guarantee that your text will be ranked highly in Google search results. You can provide these keywords yourself, but professional text and translation agencies usually employ specialists who can do this for you.

Have your texts translated and localised

If you require multilingual text translation, it’s important that they are adapted to suit the local situation. This means that you not only have to have them translated into different languages, but also take into account cultural differences, customs, currencies, norms and values. That’s why translation agencies like AgroLingua employ native speakers: professional translators who know exactly how to address your target group in a specific country. This is very important because if you fail to pay attention to this, you can get it completely wrong. A joke or a play on words can, for instance, work very well for the target audience in one country, but be considered insulting in another. It’s highly possible that when you ask for a text to be translated into ten languages, you’ll receive ten translations that are each very different in content and style.

Want to know more about marketing translation services? Then get in touch with the translation and localisation specialists at AgroLingua!