If you are a business owner thinking about venturing into international markets and approaching a global audience, then this article is for you!
Trademarks are registered visual elements, taglines, and brand names exclusive to a company. Besides legally protecting a business’s profile and reputation, trademarks also communicate your unique selling proposition to the target audience.
When expanding globally, employing translation agencies or professional translators to overcome linguistic and cultural barriers can be integral to a brand’s success within a foreign target market. A trademark is a significant component of your company’s identity, so it is essential to localise it to resonate with your target market carefully.
This article highlights the importance of certified translation services for a business and explains how professional translations can help you to establish a customer-centric brand identity.
How Do Certified Translation Services Scale Your Business?
Professional, legally sworn and certified translation services are today vital for multinational business growth. To look into this in more detail, we spoke with a senior language expert from TS24, a leading UK translation agency specialising in certified and sworn translation services in London. They told us that: “The number of businesses which require certified translations is growing rapidly. This is a trend that we can see across practically all business sectors and industries. With globalisation, the demand for professional language translations is also clear to see in the private sector, where individual clients often translate documents such as certificates, passports and official applications.”
Better Connection with Target Audience
A marketing campaign is always tailored to foster better relationships with the target audience to build a loyal consumer base.
A 2020 survey shows that 76% of people prefer buying products that sell in their local language. Similarly, Harvard Business Review also reports that 72.1% of consumers spend time on websites that share information in the language they are fluent in.
Since local SEO rules are designed to cater to the search intent, translating and optimising a website’s content naturally improves its visibility. This increases your reach and drives organic traffic from target customers.
Guaranteed Increase in ROI
Return On Investment, or ROI, is an essential indicator of your company’s success. In the past few years, localising online content has remarkably multiplied ROI.
For example, Ahrefs, the leading SEO software company, experienced a 65% increase in traffic after translating its app and website. This naturally led them to more sales and better ROI.
The phenomenal success of the UK-based clothing brand Burberry in China is another fascinating case highlighting the significance of translation in businesses.
Given that more than 99% of the Chinese population is entirely unfamiliar with English, it is difficult for foreign companies to adapt and succeed in the country.
However, by localising their business, Burberry now runs over 57 stores in China, which generate significant revenue for the franchise.
Access to Local Talent Pool
Hiring locals holds multifaceted benefits for a business. Firstly, it provides job opportunities to natives, which reflects positively on the brand’s reputation. The impact extends beyond cultivating customer trust, as investors are also generally inclined towards supporting businesses that employ local people.
Secondly, companies save much money, otherwise spent on expats’ work visas and other expenses.
Additionally, natives understand the culture and can easily network with your target audience, consequently generating more sales.
Translation agencies help build a good brand image. It is encouraged to make the best of partnering with a reputable translation company such as Language Reach. You can then put together a competitive and diverse team to strengthen your business.
What Do Trademark Translation Services Entail?
Your company’s registered trademark in the country of origin is not valid worldwide. Since there is no system to have one global trademark, you need to file applications in all the countries you want to expand into.
While the Madrid System can simplify and streamline the application process, you still have to make necessary adjustments to your trademark to get it approved by the local authorities. This is where trademark translation services come in.
These translation agencies are well-versed in marketing, SEO, and the local language and regulations. Here’s what their services entail:
Transliteration
Transliteration implies changing a word’s alphabet from one language to another.
Some countries do not officially allow the registration of English names, and international brands are bound to use local characters in the trademark.
However, even without legal obligations, using local alphabets on the packaging sits well with the customers, which is why most companies transliterate their brand names. For example, Coca-Cola operates as Кока-Кола (reads Koka-Kola) in Russia.
Translation
Sometimes, specific phrases have different meanings in different languages, and transliteration often fails in these circumstances. In order to get this right, it’s paramount to work with professional agencies or official translators, for example, registered with the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL).
An interesting, related case is the establishment of Coca-Cola within the Asian market. In China, tgoohe company discovered that the phrase Coca-Cola actually means ‘bite the wax tadpole’ in the Chinese language, and as a result, the beverage is now sold as 可口可乐 (reads ke-kou-ke-le). This new name loosely translates to ‘tasty fun,’ which reflects the brand’s identity.
Incorporation of Cultural Elements
People naturally buy products and services from international brands that understand and appreciate their customs.
To appeal to their international audience, everyone, from small businesses to corporate giants, banks are using cultural aesthetics in their trademarks and marketing campaigns. For instance, Google regularly adds doodles and themes to its logo to celebrate local festivals.
Adjusting to Cultural Nuances
Sometimes, visual elements used in a logo are offensive in some countries. Adjusting to these cultural nuances is also an essential component of trademark translation services.
How Do Trademark Translation Services Protect Your Brand’s Identity?
Trademarks are the face of a brand. Your company legally reserves the exclusive rights to use its specific trademark, which ensures no other brand in the market can pass their products off as yours.
Since a trademark is used in marketing, the target audience associates it with your products and, by extension, their quality. This makes trademarks an influential factor in customer trust and loyalty.
Certified translation service providers help you modify the trademark, ensuring it is well-adjusted to local policies while also accurately representing your products and global brand profile.
Final Words
In the past few years, the language industry has shown an unreal boom, which is eminent from its worth that is estimated to reach a whopping $73.6 billion by 2025.
As more and more businesses strive to enter the international market, the demand for certified translation services has significantly increased. Trademark translation is considered highly important to create a locally appropriate brand identity that aligns with its global image.
So, if you are a business looking to expand beyond borders, hire a translation agency and get started today!
