Translation Services: Does Your Business Need Them Now?
Last updated on June 16th, 2023 at 06:30 pm
Translation services can be a significant investment, but they are also the cost of opportunity to do business abroad, to be in compliance, and to communicate appropriately with business partners, employees, and clients. As a translation company, we understand this well and make it our mission to develop translation solutions that provide the greatest return on each client’s investment. However, during this time of crisis you may be wondering – are translation services a real necessity for my business right now?
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, careful budgeting and resource allocation will continue to be a top priority for businesses large and small. As companies do their best to operate with a reduced workforce in an uncertain economy, decisions must be made concerning global communication in an increasingly globalized world. This has lead to mass cancellation of on-site language interpretation to limit the person to person contact. Yet, this pandemic has also propelled the need for specific types of translation services in various industries and sectors of the economy.
In a previous blog post titled Translation and Interpretation Services in a Crisis, we focused primarily on language services that directly concern the management of the pandemic including medical translation services and HR translation for workplace safety. In this blog, we shift the focus to translation services that fall outside of that spectrum, but are just as important to helping individuals and businesses function.
The critical role of electronic commerce has multiplied as more people rely on online shopping or purchasing for their daily necessities. This rapid shift has resulted in a growing demand for multilingual communication that is both accurate and timely. Such communication requires information to be easily accessible to online visitors and updated in real-time. Now that necessities are selling out at a high rate, it is the company’s responsibility to update its website accordingly and non-English speakers need to be kept informed in their native language. This requires website translation and localization, which can include any of or a combination of the following:
Localization is an important component that makes translation services for e-commerce effective. The localization process consists of adapting the language and appearance of web content to make them accessible and suitable to a foreign audience. The original meaning of the content is retained. Elements that are localized include imagery, units of measurement, date formats, and currency, all of which must be handled with accuracy to prevent misinformation. Inaccuracies and untranslated content creates frustration which is only amplified in times of crisis. Companies that maintain a website and/or app must translate, localize, and frequently update the translated content to help all of their customers, vendors, and distributors keep up with the fast-changing situation.
Technology serves a significant role during a crisis. People often need to rely on new products they might never have used before, like software facilitating remote work and learning. In order for these products to be helpful to everyone, their instructions must be available multilingually. Technical translation provided by professional technical translators is the solution that ensures the instructions are completely and accurately translated, with no room for error.
For eLearning software, multilingual options need to be available for non-English users who are participating in employee training programs or completing a required college curriculum. These users should be able to follow the instructions with as much ease as an English speaker would, from the installation phase to implementation/usage. For physical products, translation of user guides and operating manuals are necessary to not only instruct but also protect all consumers.
Elearning translation into Spanish and Chinese is a request that we see on the rise, due to new regulations and norms for protection in plants and manufacturing environments.
We also received requests for video training translation into multiple languages in the area of IT and telecommunications.
The types of technical translation needed vary in size and complexity, spanning a wide range of industries. Besides product instructions, translations will also be needed concerning new technologies that are continuously in development. Such translations include engineering specifications, labels, patents, and technical proposals. The more technical a document is, the more challenging the translation task. With professional technical translation services, the most complex content will be useful to both users and developers of technology.
When the economy becomes unstable due to a crisis, those involved with financial activity get dealt a heavy burden. All participants including banks, accounting firms, and insurance providers need to be able to communicate effectively with their clients and associates. With the finance sector being highly regulated, financial document translations must be done with complete accuracy and in compliance with country laws, regulations, policies, and rules.
Financial translation services are necessary on both an international and domestic scale. Within the US, there’s a growing population of non-native English speakers who need to understand and be updated on critical details concerning their bank accounts, insurance policies, investment portfolios, and more. All financial documents must be translated by a professional translator who has had direct experience working in the financial industry, and is experienced with documents including the following:
The impact of this pandemic has highlighted the critical role that multilingual content has in our daily lives and business operations. In times of crisis, translation services are a critical necessity for helping companies communicate effectively with customers, stakeholders, and employees. Everyone needs to be kept informed and up to date on matters pertaining to their health, financial status, academic studies, and daily necessities to lead a normal life.
At JR Language, our goal is to make communication between language groups easy and accurate. If you are in need of translation services for your financial content, e-commerce material, and technical documents, contact us today.