Do you want to expand your business on an international scale?
Going global is the dream of every business owner. There’s nothing better than becoming a recognized brand across different cultures and ethnicities. It is a tough road ahead to get there, though.
You must have every factor in place to ensure international success. Among these factors are efficient risk management, memorable products or services, and a killer marketing strategy. However, you must prioritize surpassing the language barrier above everything else.
Overcoming language barriers is the most important factor for international success since the previous factors will become irrelevant if you can’t communicate with your new audiences. To ensure your brand’s success overseas, read on and learn the top tips to overcome language barriers. This is important for both inside and outside your business.
1. Build a Multilingual Website
This is the easiest way to ensure your new audience will have no trouble with your brand. A business website is essential nowadays because of the Internet’s influence. Creating a website that has different language options allows others who haven’t learned English to do business with you.
The beauty of this method is that it doesn’t take much to maintain it. You only need to update your website to add new translated versions of your website or to keep it secure.
Offering a multi-language platform under your brand is also a great way to show the effort you’re going through for your new customers. It will make them think of your brand as one that cares about them. Doing this will help with your reputation among them.
It’s also a great way for your new customers to contact you. Having a website in their native language means they won’t have trouble navigating it to give you feedback.
2. Hire Interpreters for Your Brand
This is a good way for your business to establish a reputation on a smaller scale. Small communities in different countries are good places to build your brand’s reputation. Overcoming language barriers here is important to ensure your brand doesn’t fail along the line.
Failing in a small community won’t bode well for your brand. People trust the word of other people more than the guarantees of any foreign brand, which makes it important to hire an interpreter for your branch in the area.
Interpreters can relay any information to the locals in their native language. They’re also better than any automated translation tool you can find online. Online tools lack an understanding of conversational context.
There’s little to no chance of misinformation from a bad translation with interpreters. They’re great for keeping your business functions going because they can help third-party services in a language that they’re more familiar with.
It’s common to have misunderstandings because of the language barrier. However, interpreters will overcome the barrier and ensure smooth business operations.
3. Use Basic Methods of Communication
You need to take a different approach when marketing on a global scale. Despite English being a popular language, many people in different countries don’t understand it. As a result, witty and good slogans are often meaningless to them.
Instead of using words to market your brand, use other visual media. Incorporate symbols, images, or diagrams to explain your service to others. Use creative ways to better advertise your brand, such as viral videos or Pinterest boards.
You can also do this to ensure smooth business operations. Foreign workers may have trouble understanding the usual vocabulary around the workplace. Using hand signs and other basic communication methods will help overcome the barrier.
4. Hire a Reliable Translation Service
If you send and receive files in your business, it’s important to hire a reliable translation service because international offices will have difficulties understanding these files. Some workers will find it difficult to understand instructions if not translated.
Using online tools can be good for short and basic instructions. Complex sentences will have incorrect grammar or bad translations, though.
With a reliable translation service, this won’t become an issue. You will receive perfect translations of the files you send them. These services have real people translating in real-time, and they’ll find the best way to translate complex sentences to the desired language.
When hiring these services, do a background check to ensure they’re worth the investment. TranslateMedia is a great example of a translation service that has it all.
5. Use E-mails for Communication Inside Your Brand
Interpersonal communication is a vital part of a business’s success. As mentioned above, some workers will have a hard time in the workplace because they’re not familiar with the common language spoken in the office.
This can interfere with business operations since translation services will take a while to produce results. You can send instructions or documents through e-mail instead if they’re urgent. Popular websites like Gmail or Yahoo have built-in translating tools.
They can translate emails sent through their platforms for you. The only problem is that they translate in the most basic way and may not translate complex sentences.
However, built-in translating tools are a good option if you need documents translated right away. They’re also helpful if the documents only contain simple words and sentences.
6. Train Your Employees
The best way to overcome language barriers is to train your employees. Providing basic training in simple words and phrases can help overcome the barrier, and it will increase the efficiency in an international workplace.
To do this, it’s best to hire employees proficient in the language of your new audience. They can teach your employees the simplest phrases and words to speak for work, increasing the engagement your audience will have with your employees, too.
Doing this is also great because it helps your employees understand their culture. They will understand what they should respect when interacting with consumers, and it also helps with your cross-cultural onboarding strategy.
Start Overcoming Language Barriers Today
Overcoming language barriers is a task that’s hard and essential. Learn how you can do this today and ensure the international success for your brand!
Want to learn more about the benefits of breaking the language barrier? Check out our posts now for more guides and tips and tricks today!