|
|
TIPS FOR CLIENTS
|
|
tip
1 - Write your documents with
your specific target audience
in mind.
|
When is a
sports pun not effective? When
you use it in every other country
outside of the United States.
Creating copy for international
clients means special care must
be taken with every word. Acronyms,
plays on words and national
contexts sound stellar in an
American-based brochure - but
lose all impact when translated.
Your company can avoid cultural
confusion by following certain
guidelines during your copy
creation process. After your
text is created, we will then
confidently translate your carefully
constructed prose for your target
audience. Your result will be
persuasive, concise and accurate
documents that communicate your
every nuance - clearly.
|
|
|
Implement these language translation
guidelines during your writing process:
|
|
Move
away from metaphors
Think your
overseas brochure is a "home
run?" Think again. Metaphors
- especially sports-based metaphors,
can cause confusion in other cultures.
The term "play ball" or
"strike out" may sound
powerful and compelling in U.S.-based
copy - but it will surely "strike
out" overseas. Additionally,
your overseas readers will notice
that the text is not targeted for
their cultural sensitivities - and
your carefully planned brochure
will seem extremely exclusionary
and frustrating.
|
|
Puns aren't " punny"
overseas:
Sure, your puns are funny in your
U.S.-based brochure, but take note:
Plays on words become unfathomable
when translated. Remember that appreciating
a pun requires a certain mastery
of the language. If a non-native
speaker is faced with a play on
words, the nuance will be lost -
and the result will be confusing.
If you find puns, delete them from
your text.
|
|
Remember that
not everyone in the world lives
in the United States
Why spend valuable white space printing
your 800 numbers in your French-language
brochure when an 800 number only
works within the US? Or mentioning
that you're on Pacific Standard
Time in a brochure targeted for
an Australian audience? Target your
text to reflect your audience's
local time and list phone numbers
that your audience can actually
access.
|
|
Make sure you
measure up
Exporting
to Europe? The European Union is
requiring all businesses to use
the metric system for their European
products by 2010. Companies exporting
to Asia already face labeling guidelines.
For guaranteed accuracy, all conversions
should be made before you present
your text to your translation company.
According to an article in Export
America, "Many non-metric U.S.
products are not readily exportable
to certain markets. More importantly,
customers in other nations have
lifelong experience with the metric
system and expect products made
to metric measures." Converting
to country-standard measurements
helps allay any confusion - and
makes the packaging more attractive
to consumers.
|
|
Beware the
alphabet soup caused by acronyms
Is your
brochure TTYM (targeted towards
your market)? Or, is it TAC (totally
American-centric)? Depending on
its context and the industry it's
used in, an acronym could mean
many different things.
For instance, think about the
acronym WCD. Does it mean Work
Center Description? Working Construction
Drawings? Weapons of Catastrophic
Destruction? Don't expect your
international readers to "guess"
the meaning based on the context.
Instead, spell out and clearly
define all industry- and product-specific
acronyms within your copy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|