By Eli Beman, Blue South

With increasing technological advances and decreasing product lifecycles manufacturers have to seize every opportunity to compete in the global marketplace.

The dynamic nature of the global economy means it is essential to reach out to customers and associates regardless of their location. The key to success is being visible around the world. To become visible, businesses need a strong multilingual presence. Present your website, product information and marketing material to the world and not only will you build better relations with your foreign customers, you will increase your credibility, adaptability and, in turn; your success!

The internet is changing, and this means exciting opportunities for the way we do business. Not only is it now the first port of call for people seeking information but it is no longer dominated by English speakers. This transformation is good news for exporters and manufacturers seeking new markets.

Your website is the marketing channel that your business must capitalise on: Consider Brazil, for example, there are over 80 million internet users; all potential visitors to your site.

Does your website receive good traffic from a particular country? If so, why not translate part of your site into the language of those potential customers? You will also then appear in search engines of the languages used and so you will become more accessible to the whole world.

Having decided to make yourself globally visible you must ensure you are conveying the right message. Do not cut corners by using electronic translation tools. They may be useful for an individual word, but not for good, effective content that works.

A software programme cannot translate everyday quirks of speech such as metaphors, innuendos and colloquial phrases. Only well-trained and skilled human beings, who are specialists in their field, can analyse your content and transfer its meaning in the best way possible.

If you want to translate an advert, for example, specialist copywriting skills are required to re-create slogans and brand material appropriately. Manufacturers are also faced with ensuring their technical terms and phrases are translated correctly. Product Information & User Guides, for example, need to not only be grammatically correct but use the right technical terminology too! This is where a translation service provider can help.

My advice to Manufacturers and Exporters across NZ is this- Get Translating & Get Global!