The effective translation of business communications is often hard to achieve. Beechwood have been in the business of marketing campaign localisation for over 21 years and share their tips for successful translations.

1. Seven Simple Steps to Better Translations A Beechwood Guide to Translation

2. “ Translation is the interpreting of the meaning of a text and the subsequent production of an equivalent text, likewise called a "translation," that communicates the same message in another language. ” Definition from Wikipedia

3. Bad translations are often amusing. However, unless humour was intended, we don’t want our carefully crafted words being the butt of the joke due to poor translation.

4. Source: www.webshots.com (a collection of pictures of billboards) Swedish firm Electrolux launched this ad in America...

5. There are websites dedicated to highlighting bad and funny translations.

6. Over the last 21 years Beechwood have commissioned millions of words of translations. If you want to avoid the pitfalls of translation, then please continue reading our seven point plan.

8. “ A Dutchman in perfect English suggested to me, that the first meeting between potential business partners was like ‘two dogs sniffing each other’ . A concept I understood, but found his terminology unfortunate. ” Chris Caffyn, Managing Director, Beechwood

10. Hot Tip! In translation projects, bottlenecks typically occur during the review process. Some companies establish Service Level Agreements internally with their reviewers or make an additional payment if reviewing is extraordinary work.

12. Translation via machine may be quick and cheap, but if you are serious about quality, don’t consider anything other than human translation. La traduction via la machine peut être rapide et bon marché, mais si vous êtes sérieux de la qualité, ne pas considérer autrement que la traduction humaine. The translation through the machine can be quick and inexpensive, but if you are serious of the quality, not to consider otherwise that the human translation English to French ...and back to English

17. “ Transcreation is the translation and adaptation of sales, marketing and advertising copy into a target language, tailoring brand messages to fit local culture and business practices . ”

20. Hot Tip! Identify a selection of suitable translators for a piece of work and ask them to provide sample translations. Pass these samples to your local reviewer for their preference. This method builds an emotional tie-in between the reviewer and their chosen vendor and limits future criticism.

22. Hot Tip! If the reviewer continues to have complaints regarding the quality of the translation, then it can be very helpful to have the translation reviewed by a third-party to assess the validity of the complaint.

23. And Finally... • For 21 years Beechwood have been leading brands to success across EMEA. • The development of international marketing campaigns and their subsequent localisation is what we do. • We can help you find the best translator, not just for your industry, but for your company – someone who will speak your brand voice .

24. Hot Offer! Free 1,000 words of translation from Beechwood* Offer applies to the translation of a single document, from English into a European language of your choice. Simply email your request to: [email_address] *Offer is valid until 31 st March 2009 and subject to availability.

25. For more information: +44 (0)20 8547 4229 [email_address] www.beechwood.uk.com Emma Large  Beechwood 2009