When you’re expanding into an international market, translating your marketing material specifically might not be top of your agenda.

We get it. There’s a lot to think about when you’re taking on such a huge project, and there are a lot of conflicting priorities to contend with.

But translating your marketing material should definitely be one of your top priorities.

Read on to find out why marketing material translation is an integral part of international expansion, and how it can help your business succeed in a new marketplace.

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What is marketing material translation?

Put simply, marketing material translation is the process of translating your marketing material into another language.

When we talk about marketing material, we’re referring to all of the collateral that’s used to communicate your marketing.

This can be anything from print marketing (such as brochures, infographics, and even billboards), to digital marketing assets (like your website, for example).

Why is marketing material translation essential?

Unlike simple word-for-word translation, marketing translation requires more thought and consideration. You need to be aware of how your choice of language will be perceived by an entirely new audience with a different cultural background.

And with this mind, let’s take a look at why marketing material translation is pivotal for the success of your business in an international market.

Engage your audience

We’ve got a question for you.

Would you engage with a brand if their marketing collateral was in a different language?

We’re guessing that the answer’s probably no.

A recent survey shows that 40% of consumers won’t even bother buying from a company that’s advertising in another language than their own. That’s almost half of consumers ruled out straight away.

Put yourself in the consumer’s shoes. You come across a new brand you’ve never heard of before, but not all the content is in your language, or perhaps it’s been poorly translated into broken English, so it’s still pretty tricky to understand.

How would this impact the way you view the brand? Would you still consider buying from them?

Failing to translate your marketing materials, or translating them poorly, will create a negative impression for your customer's first touchpoint with your brand.

But taking the time to translate your marketing collateral will definitely resonate better with a new, international audience. As a result, you’ve got a much better chance of actually engaging with that audience.

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Understand cultural nuances

Translating your marketing materials also means adapting your content to incorporate cultural nuances. This process — known as localisation — makes sure that all your marketing materials are tailored to the cultural expectations of the target marketplace.

Effective localisation evaluates the local traditions and cultural characteristics of the target market to ensure that all collateral is appropriate for that audience. So by translating your marketing materials, you’re learning to understand your audience better and figuring out how best to appeal to them.

But localisation is a professional skill that almost always requires the expertise of a professional translator who understands local customs. This is where Wolfestone can help.

Our expert translators are native to the country that you are aiming to expand into. This means they have insight and understanding of cultural nuances and customs that shape the way marketing materials should be translated.

Find out more about our localisation services.

Comply with legal regulations

That’s right — legally, you might be required to translate certain items on your product packaging. For example, the FSA requires food products in the UK to include certain information by law, all of which must be easy to see and be clearly legible.

This is something you need to be aware of when it comes to translating your marketing materials. Particularly if there are legal requirements around what must be featured on your product packaging.

After all, the last thing you want is to be pulled up by the authorities for failing to clearly translate your packaging, and even face financial or legal consequences.

You will want to consider outsourcing this to a professional translation company — like Wolfestone. We’ll take care of all the translations to ensure that your marketing materials are fully compliant with any local regulations.

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So – is marketing material translation essential for international expansion?

It’ll be challenging – if not verging on impossible – to successfully launch your business in an international market without giving some serious thought to translation. You need to make sure that your new audience will engage with your brand – and the way to do that is by speaking to them in their own language.

To really maximise your efforts, you might want to think about using a professional translation service to take care of the marketing translation for you specifically. And that leads us very nicely into our next section...

Using Wolfestone to translate your marketing materials

Let’s be honest – we’re all looking for ways we can save money. But when it comes to marketing translation, you simply don’t want to cut corners. Failing to translate your marketing materials efficiently could be the difference between successful international expansion and a failed attempt.

And that’s where we can help.

Partnering with a professional translation agency like Wolfestone is an investment worth making.

Our team of translators are dedicated, knowledgeable, and have over 14 years of experience localising and translating marketing material. So when it comes to international expansion, make sure you do it right.

Get in touch with the team at Wolfestone to get a free quote, and let us take care of the rest.