Releasing your product and/or services internationally is a must if you want to see increased profitability and gain the competitive edge over other companies. However, it must be done correctly with professional translation and localization services or else there can be some costly and interesting consequences. Below are 3 examples showcasing why internationalizing your product with the help of a professional translation agency is absolutely necessary.
KFC’s Professional Translation And Localization Mistake
America’s beloved KFC franchise wanted to expand to China in the 1980s. When KFC’s first restaurant opened up in Beijing, China, it was expected to be very successful. It might have been more successful with the use of the best translation services, as KFC’s slogan “Finger-lickin’ good” was translated to “Eat your fingers off” in Chinese.This not very appetizing slogan serves as a perfect example of why professional translation and localization is essential.
Braniff Airlines’ Costly Localization Mistake
In 1987, Braniff Airlines attempted to promote its new leather seats. When expanding into Latin America, Braniff airlines translated their English campaign, “Fly in Leather”, into “Vuelo en Cuero.” Much of Latin America was fine with the slogan; however, Mexico was not too thrilled by Braniff Airlines. Without proper localization and translation services, Braniff Airlines were not aware that in Mexico “Vuelo en Cuero” also means “Fly naked.” Clearly, there are many nuances in languages and dialectal differences that can be identified by investing in professional business translation services.
Ford’s Professional Translation And Localization Mistake
Even Ford’s name was tainted in Europe when they attempted to begin selling cars across the continent. Ford’s tagline “Every car has a high-quality body” was translated into a number of different European languages to “Every car has a high-quality corpse”, scaring off many potential buyers. If Ford had paid careful attention to accurate translation, professional translation and localization providers could have taken their tagline and translated it in a creative way to ensure a fun, catchy tagline for all languages. No matter the translation costs, going global in the proper way is well worth the investment.
Professional Translation And Localization From L.C.
Making translation mistakes like the ones listed above is not only embarrassing, but can potentially shatter a company’s reputation and credibility. Professional translations should consist of multiple rounds of quality assurance checks by industry expert linguists. Highly-skilled linguists can provide you with certified translation of slogans, marketing campaign taglines and more. Luckily, Language Connections has a pool of highly-qualified, industry-expert linguists in over 200+ languages. Contact us today for professional translation and interpreting services for your business.
About Language Connections:
Language Connections is one of the top language service companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, we’ve focused on providing the best business translation services, interpreting services, as well as interpreter training and customized language training programs. In addition to top-tier corporate language training, we offer certified corporate interpreters and professional business translation services in 200+ languages. Our network includes linguists with backgrounds in all major industries. They’re ready to meet your needs, whether they’re for technical translation services, legal translation, government translation services, international development translation services, education translation services, life sciences translation, or something else. Reach out to us today for a free quote on our cost-efficient and timely translation services, interpreters, or other linguistic services.
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