Fortunately, a quick proof usually makes mistakes simple to spot and change. However, when an English-speaking typesetter works with a translated document, the potential for embarrassing problems is increased. Your graphic designer, typically an English speaker, cannot identify inconsistencies such as omissions, extra letters, missing accent marks,
inappropriate hyphenation or capitalization in your foreign language copy.

Unfortunately, your marketing department is just as unqualified to proof foreign language text. The result is often embarrassing, causing your company to look American-centric at best - and illiterate at worst - overseas. Your translation firm is the only group who can accurately proof your document, finding those errors you don't want printed. Typesetting errors become especially dangerous with foreign language biomedical translations or pharmaceutical translations. An unclear carton label - or a mistranslated TL (technical leaflet) can cause widespread consumer confusion. In the case of pharmaceutical brochures and product labels, any confusion can cause illness or even death.

Why not be absolutely certain your US-based vendors have perfectly typeset your meticulously translated text? Protect your investment by having your translation firm proof your typesetter's work. You'll have the peace-of-mind knowing that your document is error-free, clear and concise and your end readers will clearly understand your document's original meaning.

Learn more about how our language translation firm can help you produce perfectly translated, error-free documents. Contact our language translation firm today with your document translation requirements.

Planning to promote your product overseas? Watch out for your labeling - or you could be putting your buyers at risk.

Translating from English into practically any other language is tricky. Typically, language translations require more words than the original English document to communicate the exact same detail. This concept, called the "expansion factor," means that your original 250-word brochure may be 400 words after it's translated. And that can cause some issues if your design doesn't accommodate the additional verbiage.

Marketing departments of pharmaceutical, consumer products and biomedical firms must be particularly sensitive to the language expansion factor. Product and packaging labels are typically created for American English demographics, without thought to any language translation issues. When an Americanized product label is too small for the translated text, compromises happen.

"On packaging, where space is at a premium, one of two things happen when instructions are translated: the font gets smaller or the text gets edited," complains Mireille Messier, in her 2003 Globe and Mail article, Thinking on the side of the box: Zut alors! If your international customers can't understand your product packaging - or fail to follow your easy-to-follow directions, you'll frustrate them. And lose their loyalty to your brand.

Edited translations can be more than confusing - they can also be deadly. Biomedical and pharmaceutical packaging must be completely comprehensible, free from confusing translation discrepancies, tiny text or edited copy. When unclear labeling can cause product misuse, illness or death, why take a chance with white space? It's best to design your labels for translated text, accommodating the extra words.

What's your solution for a successful product label translation experience? Discuss any preliminary designs with your translation company. Your translation company will review your layout and help you determine how much white space you'll need. When you've planned a design to accommodate your global market, you'll have the peace-of-mind knowing you have an accurate, easy-to-read label in any language - free from embarrassing (or potentially dangerous) language translation issues.

Does your company require product label translation services? Contact our foreign language translation company today for more information about the "language expansion factor" and what it means for your organization.