U.S. marketers need to do more than translate the language used on Web pages to expand online marketing internationally. A good understanding of cultural differences and language nuances — or a lack of understanding — can make or break promotions exported from the U.S.
Panelists at an Ad:Tech session on multicultural marketing in the global economy discussed how to successfully expand internationally using the Internet.
Not surprisingly, one of the biggest areas of concern involves language translation. Simply translating a Web page from English to another language is typically at best ineffective. The biggest danger is changing the meaning or garbling the intended message.
Don’t think of translation. Think of “transcreation,” advised Wei-Tai Kwok, managing director of Ion Global, an e-commerce consulting firm.
Be particularly careful of the tone of advertising communications and the sense of familiarity to avoid potential problems, he said. Culturally, Americans are among the most informal in the world.
A U.S. Web site greeting that says something like “Hi Charlie, welcome back,” would for be inappropriate to translate in Japanese and other East Asian nations, which are more formal societies. In Japanese, it would be better to say something like, “‘We are honored by your return visit, Mr. Takahashi,'” said Kwok.
In Latin America call centers are far more important than in the U.S., said Ignacio Hernandez Jr., CEO of iHispanic Marketing Group. Latin American consumers are more likely to place a phone order in response to an online offer, compared to Americans in general.
Latin Americans simply don’t feel as comfortable as U.S. consumers when it comes to making purchases online and many have local, rather than international credit cards. U.S. Hispanics tend to pick up the phone in response to online offers for a different reason. U.S. Hispanics typically have a lower overall credit card penetration rate, compared to the general population.
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