How Professional German Translations can Maximize Success in the Automotive Industry

Let’s start with a lightning round. What’s the first thing that pops into your head when you think of Germany? The phrase German engineering, along with individual car makers like Mercedes-Benz, Audi, or Volkswagen, likely come to mind.

Over the past twenty years, these car makers have done a great job marketing their vehicles as high-quality and luxury brands in the United States. As a result, their demand has skyrocketed, and German car sales in the US continue at an all time high.

When something goes wrong, of course, the impact on American markets is tangible. Think Volkswagen, whose sales in the US dropped drastically following an emissions scandal last year.

All of those above scenarios and facts have one thing in common: German car sales in the United States rely on effective and professional translation. Marketing and selling German cars, as well as managing crises, require a seamless transition between German and American markets for success. It should be no surprise, then, that the same is true in reverse. Professional German translations make just as much of an impact if you help the production by delivering technology for the automotive industry and manufacturing efforts.

The Economic Environment

Trade agreements have received negative headlines lately as encouraging globalization and job outsourcing. But within the automotive industry, they have been responsible for changes that may directly impact your job and employer.

In 2010, Germany produced 5.5 million cars, twice as much as the United States that year. But that production did not all occur in Germany. Instead, many of the individual parts come from manufacturers from around the world. BMW, for example, receives parts from Japan, England, and the United States to build its cars in Bavaria, Germany.

In other words, single-country car makers are increasingly becoming a myth. Thanks to the global economic environment, building a car requires seamless interplay between multiple, global corporations involved in the process.

How German Translations Can Bridge Automotive Gaps

That economic situation, in turn, is what makes translation services so crucial in the global workforce. Delivering automotive parts to German car manufacturers by necessity means communicating effectively with the workers who will be handling the parts, and the management of the car makers to iron out the details of the partnership.

Especially if you build complex parts, such as cooling systems, workers in Germany will need to know just how the systems can be integrated into the car they’re building. Properly installed equipment is only possible through thorough and accurate instructions, translated by someone with in-depth knowledge of both the auto industry and the German language.

If you’re not convinced you need professional services to translate these types of auto industry instructional sheets, consider the alternative. Car makers like BMW and Audi have a reputation to uphold, especially in foreign markets. Improperly installed parts will damage that reputation, and ultimately decrease brand perceptions.

Finally, professional translation is necessary for high-level communication between manufacturing partners. A long-term partnership between parts manufacturer and car maker requires contracts and other legal documents, which will need to be equally accurate and convey the same message in both English and German. Without it, the partnership could fail, threatening both sides to suffer in the process.

A global, interconnected economy does not function without communication that crosses language barriers. The auto industry, which relies so much on cooperation across a variety of cultures and languages, is the perfect example of that truth. As you work with German auto manufacturers, translation services by professionals who understand both languages and their cultural context should be an integral part of your business strategy. Contact us to find translation partners happy to help you achieve just that.