Does your business signage reflect the diversity of your community?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In cities across America, they\u2019re more and more becoming melting pots of many cultures. Even in places where you\u2019d least expect it, people are communicating I many different languages besides English and Spanish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Oregon, for instance, is home to over 120 languages<\/a>. About 25,000 people there speak Vietnamese, and 21,000 speak Russian. About half of these folks are fluent in English.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to attract as many customers to your business as possible. In order to do so, your business signage can be a useful tool to help customers relate to your business right away. They\u2019ll trust you as long as you get the translations right. Otherwise, you\u2019ll look foolish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read on to find out how your business signage translations can help your business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n The whole purpose behind having business signs in multiple languages is to attract more customers to your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have you ever been to an ethnic restaurant and they get the translations on the menu wrong? They may have the best of intentions, but it doesn\u2019t quite work. Since you have much stronger experience with the English language, they may come across as uneducated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The same way we have negative perceptions of people who speak with foreign accents<\/a>, we have negative perceptions of people who can\u2019t get the written language right. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s true across languages. In other words, you don\u2019t get the translation right, you\u2019ll create the wrong impression of your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What does that mean for your business? You could be instead of gaining them because your business signage didn\u2019t translate into big business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Business is truly international. There are companies that have a presence throughout the world. With that global presence comes the need to integrate their company within their new culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the 1980s, China began to open its doors to American businesses. One of the first businesses to wade into the Chinese market was KFC. While KFC\u2019s product might be Finger Lickin\u2019 Good, it didn\u2019t translate that well in Chinese. Instead, it was \u201cWe\u2019ll eat your fingers off.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coors Brewing made a lasting impression when it launched in Spain. In the U.S. it had a popular advertising campaign with the tag line \u201cTurn it Loose.\u201d Turn it loose doesn\u2019t really have a direct translation in Spanish and convey the same meaning. The closest the folks at Coors could get was \u201cSuffer from diarrhea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Who can forget Frank Purdue\u2019s face on TV screens saying it takes a tough man to make a tender chicken. Well, someone didn\u2019t get that point across when they launched a similar ad campaign in Mexico. Apparently, that translates to \u201cIt takes a hard man to make a chicken aroused.\u201d Another version of the translation was \u201cIt takes a virile man to make a chicken pregnant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n While it\u2019s reassuring to know that even the mightiest companies with millions in marketing budgets get it wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, these fails emphasize the need to get the business translations on your signs right. You don\u2019t want to be the laughing stock of your neighborhood!<\/p>\n\n\n\n You might think that Google Translate will solve those problems. It will help translate some things correctly, but it doesn\u2019t understand the nuances of languages. Let\u2019s put it this way, there\u2019s a hashtag for Google fails<\/a> for a reason. It\u2019s #GoogleTranslateFails if you want a good laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How do you translate your business signage? Before you do anything, you have to take a few things into consideration. Translating business signage is another form of marketing. You\u2019re simply communicating a message about your company and why people should work with your business instead of someone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With that in mind, you want to treat this like creating a marketing plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first thing is to understand who you\u2019re translating for. That\u2019s your target audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll need to revisit what your business is about. In other words, what\u2019s the mission and vision of your business? You need to communicate why your business is unique from your competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Does your business reflect the values of the culture you\u2019re targeting? The most successful businesses that work with a diverse population are able to build a brand across cultures. There are some things that are universal \u2013 love, happiness, and family are just a few examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can easily communicate those values over time and on your business signage, too. When people have shared values, it creates a stronger connection to your business. That will turn into customers that last a lifetime.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s Important to Get Translations Right<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Massive Business Translation Fails<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Finger Lickin\u2019 Good?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What Does That Beer Do?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How Does a Chicken Get Pregnant?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to Get Your Business Signage Translations Right<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Reflect the Values of Your Audience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n