In a globally networked world, cultural communication is becoming a strategic success factor for companies that operate worldwide. While there are countless methods of translation, the central goal always remains to convey content accurately and engagingly to the target audience.
Translation should therefore be seen as an integral part of a comprehensive localization strategy and not as an isolated process. But what exactly are translations, what types are there and what factors are important in localization translation?
What is translation?
Translation is the process of transmitting text or spoken language from one language to another while preserving the original meaning, tone and intent as accurately as possible. Translation requires not only a comprehensive understanding of the source and target languages, but also in-depth cultural knowledge to correctly capture nuances and idiomatic expressions. It therefore goes far beyond a literal translation and aims to render the content authentically and comprehensibly in the new language context.
Why are translations so important for international companies
For global companies, localization translation is essential to overcome language barriers and effectively address customers in their own language. Professional translations promote customer loyalty and market acceptance, while inaccurate translations can jeopardize a company's reputation and cause costly misunderstandings.
Through professional translations, companies have the opportunity to present their products, services and brand messages clearly and persuasively in different languages to build trust and loyalty among international customers.
In addition, a good translation ensures that cultural nuances and regional characteristics are taken into account to avoid misunderstandings and increase credibility.
In areas such as marketing, the drafting of legal documents or the development of technical manuals, an accurate and culturally appropriate translation must always be available to avoid errors and ensure the international success and image of the company.
What are the different types of localization translation?
There are different types of translation, each tailored to specific needs and content. These include the following:
Specialist translation
Specialist translations are specialized in certain subject areas such as medicine, law, technology or business. They require a deep understanding of the specialist language and terminology to ensure accurate and error-free translations.
Business translation
The term business translation covers the transfer of content between two languages that supports international business activities. This includes various documents, marketing materials and digital resources.
Document translation
Document translation involves the creation of business translations, business correspondence, internal communications, manuals, contracts, technical specifications and other important documents. The challenges here often lie in the large volume and fragmented structure of the documents, as well as the need to maintain consistent terminology throughout the text.
Literary translation
This is the translation of books, poems and other literary works. The aim is to preserve not only the meaning, but also the style, tone and cultural nuances of the original.
Legal translation
Whether contracts, deeds, patents or other legal documents, legal translations place high demands on the translator. As these are binding, they must be accurate and comply with the legal standards of both countries. Translations of court and legal documentation are another sub-category of this specialty area.
Arrest warrants, registrations, certificates, declarations, affidavits, patents, trademarks, proceedings, lawsuits, decrees, contracts and insurance policies are just a few examples of legal documents that need to be translated.
Marketing and advertisement translation
Marketing and advertising translation often requires a creative translation that adapts the message to the cultural and emotional expectations of the target audience. The translation should achieve the same feeling and effect as the original.
Medical translation
Medical translation is subject to strict requirements and includes clinical trial protocols, patient information, regulatory documents and other critical texts. Due to the potentially vital consequences, this type of translation requires specialized expertise, the utmost precision and special attention to detail.
E-commerce translation
In global e-commerce, multilingualism is important to appeal to customers in different markets. Landing pages, product descriptions, customer reviews and blog articles must be translated into the respective target market language. It is important to find a balance between precision and SEO optimization and to take cultural nuances into account.
Technical translation
This includes translations of technical documents such as manuals, instructions and technical specifications. Accurate, clear and comprehensible terminology is particularly important here to ensure that products are used correctly.
Localization translation
Localization involves the comprehensive adaptation of a product or service to the cultural and linguistic conditions of a target market. This form of translation is often used for software, websites or games and takes regional characteristics into account.
What factors play a role in localization translation?
Let's take a closer look at localization translation and take a closer look at this type of translation. Several important factors are required to ensure that the content is not only linguistically but also culturally adapted to the target market.
- Localization translation goes beyond mere translation and takes into account cultural characteristics such as regional holidays, country-specific symbols, colors and images, which can have different meanings depending on the culture.
- The language is adapted to local dialects, language variants and idioms in order to sound authentic and understandable. This is particularly important in order to address the target group at eye level and create a personal connection.
- Content must be adapted to the legal requirements of the target market, especially for legal documents, product descriptions and data protection guidelines, to ensure compliance.
- Information such as currencies, units of measurement (e.g. inches instead of centimeters) and date formats (e.g. day, month, year) need to be converted to avoid misunderstandings and create a familiar user experience.
- The tone and style of the translation should be adapted to the expectations of the target audience. For example, a more formal approach may be preferred in some countries, while other markets may expect more casual, informal language.
- For software and websites, technical adaptations play a role, such as supporting different characters, text lengths and layout changes to ensure the application displays correctly on all devices and platforms in the target market.
- For digital content, it is important to adapt keywords to local search terms in order to remain visible in search engines. Localization therefore also includes optimization for the respective language and region.
- Images, symbols and graphics should be adapted to cultural expectations. An image that evokes positive associations in one region could be interpreted differently or even be perceived as inappropriate in another region.
How can translations be implemented?
Localization translations can be implemented through a combination of strategies and technologies that together ensure that the content is translated into the target languages in an accurate and culturally appropriate way. The first step is to find and select professional translators or specialized translation agencies who have the necessary expertise and understanding of the target culture. The experts then produce an initial translation. To increase efficiency, modern translation tools such as translation management systems are usually used, which store previously translated segments and reuse them as required.
This maintains consistency and speeds up the translation process considerably. Other core tools include CAT tools (computer-aided translation), which help translators to translate content even more accurately through automation. Key functions of CAT tools include
- Translation memory: saves segments for consistent reuse to save working time.
- Glossaries: Allow the management of terminological specifications to ensure consistent terms.
- Quality assurance: Automated checks detect errors and promote accuracy.
A translation management system (TMS) extends these functions even further and usually includes additional project and workflow management. It therefore facilitates the coordination of complex projects and can be linked to CMS, CRM or e-commerce platforms. In this way, TMS platforms support companies in efficiently integrating their translations into existing business processes and ensuring the quality of international communication.
However, experienced localization experts or specialized tools are essential for localization, i.e. adapting to cultural peculiarities. They not only translate, but also adapt the content to the cultural and legal requirements of the target market.
The growing importance of speech-to-text technology in the translation industry is highlighted by Microsoft's announcement of a standalone app for speech-to-text.
Machine translation vs. human translation: which is better?
Machine translation and human translation each have their strengths and are suitable for different requirements. The choice between the two depends heavily on factors such as quality, speed, cost and the required understanding of cultural nuances.
Machine translation is useful when large volumes of text need to be translated quickly and rough comprehensibility is sufficient. Modern machine translations, supported by artificial intelligence, offer high speed and are often more cost-effective than human translations. They are well suited to simple or standardized texts, such as simple manuals or internal documents, where the risk of misunderstandings is low. However, machines often reach their limits with creative, emotional or culturally sensitive texts. Nuances, wordplay or contextual subtleties are difficult or even impossible to translate correctly.
Human translation, on the other hand, is particularly superior for demanding, creative or culturally complex texts. Professional translators have a deep understanding of the subtleties and cultural context of a language, which is crucial for high-quality, authentic and emotionally appealing translations. This enables them to accurately convey not only the meaning, but also the intention and style of the original. For marketing materials, literary texts and legal documents, these differences are simply indispensable.
In many cases, however, a combination of the two is also useful: machine translations can be created as a first version and then checked and adapted by human translators. This approach, known as “post-editing”, utilizes the speed of the machine while ensuring quality through human sensitivity. Do you need a high-quality and fast translation of your documents in order to grow internationally? We would be happy to support you.
➡️ Register for our Translation Management System here.