It might seem challenging to expand your business in your local market. But things get even trickier when you take your business abroad. You have to keep cultural, financial, and legal considerations in mind. However, the most challenging might be to overcome language barriers when expanding a business.
Without the linguistic know-how to communicate with your global customers, your brand will not grow. Although it won’t be easy at first, it’s essential to overcome the language barrier if you want to expand abroad. Here are some tips to help you master it!
Tips to Overcome Language Barriers When Expanding Abroad
Start Learning About the Local Language
There are many countries where they speak multiple languages. South Africa, for example, has 11 official languages. Switzerland has 4. When you know which languages they speak in your target market, you can learn some phrases to start a marketing campaign in the official language. By using your customer’s local language, you demonstrate respect and admiration since you’ve done your homework on their customs.
Work With a Native Language Interpreter
Before you expand into a new market, you need to translate your content into the native language. This includes any training materials required for new employees in the target country. When you translate your documents before expansion, it makes it easier to communicate. Always work with professional translators for this as there’s a big difference between literal and culturally-accurate translations.
It’s essential to work with someone you can trust to help you break through the language barrier. Professional interpreters, like the team at Day Interpreting, can help prevent any embarrassing miscommunication issues.
You can also download the Day Interpreting App which gives you access to professional interpreters on demand. The app is free to download and doesn’t require you to subscribe to a service. Getting an interpreter when you need it most is as easy as logging into your dashboard and submitting a request.
Use Tech to Your Advantage
Machine translations might not always be accurate when it comes to breaking through linguistic and cultural barriers. However, tools like Google Translate are still great online resources that can help you translate short messages.
Don’t Use Slang, Idioms, or Jargon
Avoid using any idioms, jargon, and slang words when you work with international markets and different languages. The slang you are used to from your own culture might be offensive or inappropriate on a local level. It’s always better to steer clear of language that won’t be recognized in other parts of the world. Oh, and it won’t hurt to slow down your speech when you talk to locals either.
Wrapping Up
You don’t necessarily have to be fluent in the language before you expand your business to a new demographic region and begin effective marketing campaigns. But it’s always beneficial to learn a few language basics like greetings and common phrases.
Getting comfortable with the local culture and language will help ensure that you’re better able to understand and communicate with your target market. It’s not uncommon to face a variety of linguistic, cultural, and regional nuances in international business dealings.
But you can avoid these problems with the assistance of reliable interpretation and translation services providers. They’ll assist you with seamless communication with global employees and customers while keeping everyone involved on the same page to facilitate expansion!
Alejandra is Day Translations Marketing Manager. She is a polyglot writer, traveling and living all around the globe, writing about Business, Lifestyle and Culture.
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