These days a new debate is developing between geologists, marine scientists and curious people.
A continent contiguous to New Zealand could soon join the good old list of seven continents that we have grown up remembering so far. It would be fascinating in the context of global contours, as well as from the perspective of land mass and mountain range evolution. But what will not affect too much is this: the business atlas.
The world has already grown from seven continents to one, the global village, with rapidly dissolving trade borders. Geography is no longer a determining factor in the success or failure of a business. But, curiously and ironically, languages within borders greatly affect the destiny of a company. That’s where the role of translation comes into the picture, be it a translation from Dutch to English or from any language to any other language.
Thus, a brand can catapult its anchors into distant lands without any concern today, thanks to the ever-increasing impact of technology, new geopolitical currents, and the ever-growing taste buds of customers. But while a brand can set foot in new arenas without worrying about the entry, things are not so sure when it comes to the exit part.
Language continues to be a key ingredient in approaching and engaging clients on new shores. A Dutch brand can go international, but not until it can translate from Dutch to English across its entire range of communication and content pillars. Whether it is software localization, website translation, automatic app updates, branding material, advertisements, official correspondence, or even rectification of complaints, the Dutch brand would have to translate into English and beyond the surface layer. The translation exercise has to be continuous, consistent, in real time, deep, empathetic and really nuanced if the brand wants to make a real connection with people beyond the Dutch-speaking countries.
Similarly, for someone who is well established as a global brand, but wants to penetrate European markets in a much deeper way than before, there would be a compelling need to undertake translation by tapping the entire gamut of content that targets the new. audience. For a brand, no matter how successful it is in the UK, for example, there wouldn’t be much attraction in a foreign market like Spain, if it didn’t translate properly from English to Spanish to connect and interact with people in Spain.
It will be a very costly area of neglect if any seemingly small detail is left off the translation radar. A Spanish-speaking user would not support an application alert or FAQ in English, especially since other brands are ready and well equipped to serve this user in the language they understand and prefer.
A poorly executed or shallow translation would not have the place to create a real impact and connection with people in a new place. Loss of translation, leaks, errors, and syntactic alignment are factors that may seem not overly strategic, but when handled carelessly, they can inflict irreparable damage to a brand’s image.
For a brand, which aspires to touch new segments and stretch its life cycle, as well as its adoption footprint; translation takes on the appeal of a rather important tool that cannot be done at the last minute. The entire process and perimeter of one’s content and marketing must be redone with the eyes and ears of the new segment and therefore the new language in question. What works for software may not work for an application, if the proxy is good for a passive website, it may work adversely for a dynamic one. What works for the Netherlands can completely bounce back in Barcelona; and so on.
Zealandia or not Zealandia, don’t jump to new continents without studying the topography well and without that gear called translation.
The world is one, but the language holds the keys to navigating business.