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Translation Plus, Inc.
238 Main St., Ste. 101-111
Hackensack, NJ 07601
Ph. 201-487-8007
Fx. 201-487-8052
www.translationplus.com
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Translation Section of the Multicultural Marketing Source Book (283 KB)
It’s Not What You Say, It’s How You Say It
Elisabete Miranda
President, Translation Plus, Inc.
You have probably heard it before.
While this popular saying is usually
addressing the tone of voice and
body language, it is a truism which
can apply in multicultural marketing
as well. What we say is of course
important, but how we relay information
to those who do not share
our culture and language is critical.
As our communities grow to include
larger percentages of non-native
English speakers, how we speak to
each market segment has to evolve.
American consumers are a far from
homogenous group, acknowledging
and respecting differences in culture
and language isn’t simply a tool of
political correctness, it’s a forwardthinking,
smart business decision.
Language and culture are inextricably
symbiotic. Even within the
same language, there are many
nuances and differences rooted in
culture. For example, Spanish is
spoken in dozens of countries across
nearly every continent, with each
country or region having unique
usage, idiom, dialect and grammar.
The same is true of many, if not all,
languages. Even English spoken in
the US is subtly different from
English spoken in other English
speaking countries such as Australia,
New Zealand or the UK. Acknowledging,
understanding and respecting these differences in language are
critical to successfully marketing to
those diverse consumers.
Marketers strive to understand
how consumers behave and what
motivates them in order to create
messages which
appeal to them.
They have a unique
understanding of
the power of language,
so it’s a natural
jump to apply
the skills and talents
already invested
and leverage this to
address a multicultural
consumer base. Though the
most common path is to translate
the message into other languages,
traditional translation will not do.
The in-language communication
must be culturally competent.
In a perfect world, marketing
campaigns are created “in-language”
from scratch. However, in a difficult
economic climate, we are often faced
with budget constraints. The good
news is that there are viable options.
Some material such as ads should be
created in-language while other
materials such as brochures may be a
good candidate for cultural adaptation
or better yet suited for “transcreation”.
A quality language service provider will advise you on the
best approach to present your message
to your audience while respecting
language and cultural differences
and staying within your budget.
Marketing, at its core, is about
sending a targeted, specific and controlled
message to consumers in the
hopes of influencing their behavior.
Disregarding cultural differences
and lacking cultural sensitivity works
against this goal at every turn.
Careless use of language may result
in inadvertently offending the consumers
with whom a marketer is
attempting to build trust. Reaching
consumers is more than knowing
what they buy; it is knowing how they
live, what they hold most dear and
how they communicate. Businesses
who take the extra steps to effectively
communicate with multicultural
markets as the new “mass market”
will have a clear competitive advantage
over those who do not in gaining
brand loyalty.
American consumers now are
more diverse than any other time in
history. Companies, and by extension
marketers, who acknowledge
and embrace the cultural changes by
cultivating and maintaining a
respectful, sophisticated and mutually
beneficial relationship with multicultural
audiences will be rewarded
with a growing consumer base with
steadily increasing buying power.
Multicultural marketing is a complex
and nuanced topic, but the first and
most important step is recognizing
how language and culture are two
sides of the same coin. Whatever
approach a marketer may choose,
one thing is sure: language shapes
the way we think and act.
Contact information:
Translation Plus, Inc.
238 Main St., Ste. 101-111
Hackensack, NJ 07601
Ph. 201-487-8007
Fx. 201-487-8052
info@translationplus.com
www.translationplus.com





