Zombies, Diarrhea, Lactation and Marketing Translation

We live in a world which is constantly becoming smaller because of better means of communication. People all over the world are now exposed to the same forms of media. Anyone with an internet connection has access to tons of information. So we find that Americans are going crazy about Korean rappers while their own movies are being dubbed in various languages and shown around the world.

Even though we all now have access to the same movies, TV programs, books and internet-generated material, the fact remains that we still speak different languages in different parts of the world. Even in the same part of the world, there can be a great deal of diversity which makes translation necessary.

Domestic and International Diversity

In the city of New York, you’ll find Little Italy, Chinatown, Koreatown and an Indian district in Queens. Made up of first and second generation immigrants, these areas are still populated by people who are more comfortable speaking languages other than English. If you run a business in any of these areas, you definitely need to have translation services so that you can give your potential clients all the information that they need.

There are also many reasons why you might need to take your business abroad. Sometimes, businesses get their products made in different countries. If you plan to do this, you’ll need an effective method of communication with the people you’re working with. At other times, businesses choose to go abroad because this will help them to find a bigger market for their products. This makes it even more necessary to communicate effectively with potential clients.

Marketing Translation

If you’re planning to start a marketing or advertising campaign in a different country, you’ll need to get good translation services so that your slogans are correctly translated. There have been some funny mistranslations in the history of marketing translation. For example KFC’s “Finger-lickin good” was translated into “We’ll eat your fingers off” in Chinese! Coors beer’s “Turn it loose” unfortunately became “Suffer from diarrhea” in Spanish. The American Dairy Association’s “Got Milk?” became “Are you lactating?” in Spanish. Pepsi’s “We bring you back to life” turned into “We bring your ancestors back from the grave” in Chinese.

Apart from the hilarious results arising from mistranslation, you need to consider the fact that getting good translation services shows people from other cultures that you respect their customs and value their business. Contact us for translations that take the human element into account.