On a blog appropriately called “The Translation Blog, ” E-ging took a look at cross-cultural business communication.
We focused on three common examples of cultural mistakes: mistranslations, cultural incompatibility and bad associations with the way a brand, product or company name sounds.
You can read the full blog post here.
Some excerpts and paraphrases follow:
Cross-cultural business communications such as websites, documents, advertisements and product launches need thorough attention to details that are easy to get wrong.
Some of the most noteworthy concerns are translation mistakes, cultural incompatibility and bad associations with the way a brand or product name sounds.
Translation Mistakes
Translation mistakes are always good for a laugh (unless you’re the source of the joke). Not only do they literally send the wrong message, but they also imply you made a half-hearted effort to communicate properly and all you really want is their money.
Here are just a few examples of mistakes that convey the wrong message and undermine your credibility and professionalism:
A telecommunications executive once told me their translator rendered “ground wire” as “earth wire.” This tends to happen when the translator doesn’t know specialized terms of a technical industry and turns to a dictionary for help.
“Ladies are requested to not have children in the bar” – cocktail lounge sign in Norway
“Our wines leave you nothing to hope for” – Swiss restaurant menu
Cultural Incompatibility
Brands and products have been introduced into other countries without knowing they’re incompatible with the culture. When Clairol’s Mist Stick curling iron was introduced to Germany, they didn’t know mist is slang for manure – not a very good ingredient for hairstyling!
How It Sounds
It can be notoriously difficult to bring brand and product names into other countries because of associations with embarrassing words and phrases. Consider the “Fartfull,” a children’s desk from IKEA. The word means speedy in Swedish, while the connotation in English is apparent.
Conclusion
Culture is a powerful force that can’t be separated from any international communication. Translation mistakes, cultural incompatibility and association with undesirable phrases can have a very damaging impact on your credibility and that of your company, brand, product or service. Culture is here to stay so be sure your product, marketing and translation teams treat it with the detail it requires.
