Translation vs. localisation: how to boost your brand in another language

When it comes to online content, I always notice cross-cultural differences, especially when there is a marked difference with Greece. I am a translator, after all.

The good news is that these local differences can be explored to boost a brand.

How can this be done?

With localisation.

ENTER THE LOCAL NARRATIVE

What is localisation? Well, localisation is just like translation, but at the same time, it is much more than that. When it is done right, it looks as if the brand was specifically created for a certain market. 

In localisation, every word is important as it determines whether the brand fits the local narrative or not. And this is crucial for success.

A localised website can help a brand find its place in the local narrative.

Some cultures prefer more detail-oriented product descriptions. Even in a website that sells toys for children, they want to see facts and figures. For them, an informed decision is what matters most.

However, I cannot imagine a Greek commercial website that sells toys mentioning facts and figures. Traditional countries like Greece prefer to see the social and cultural values behind a product or service.

For the example above, I would expect that the Greek website would mention that the toy can be given as a gift. In our culture, it is customary to exchange gifts on many occasions. Greek children receive gifts all the time: on their name days, on their birthdays, on Easter, on New Year’s Day. We do shower children with gifts.

Another example is the content that refers to recipes and food. Many Greek recipes underline the fact that this is something that children will like and thus eat voluntarily (as child nutrition is very important in our culture). Numerous milk ads feature children hopping up and down, impatient to drink up their glasses of milk, filled up to the brim.

LOOK FOR AUTHENTICITY

We cannot say that some strategies are more authentic than others. Each is authentic for its respected audience. That is why websites and online content should be localised, not just translated. Not written from scratch, but not just translated either.

Localisation begins in the target text but it is not chained to it. If something is not working in the target culture, localisation simply throws that out of the window and tries to find an alternative way to make it work in the target culture.

For example, Befana can become St. Nicholas, Santa Claus, Father Christmas, or Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great.

Beware: this works only in the context of website commercial translations. If you are translating a novel, Befana will have to stay Befana.

Local culture, local images and local problems make more sense to local people. So, they are more likely to buy from you when your content is adapted to their preferences.

A good place to start is to watch out for:

• Idioms and fixed expressions

• Graphic design and images

• Currency, geography, religion and cultural-specific concepts

Are these adapted for your local audiences?

THINK LOCALLY

Global brands are popular. People all over the world want to be part of them. People are thrilled to be able to try out new products or services.

Very often, though, the product or service needs to fit the narrative of the local market. You cannot expect loyalty from customers and clients when the product or service plainly ignores them.

Rather, it is better to present yourself as aware of the local narrative; this way, your brand becomes relevant. It becomes part of the solution.

If not, people will not be able to relate to it. It will not be relevant to them or their needs. They have to be able to visualise themselves using the product or service. They have to be able to see clearly how the product or service is going to satisfy their own particular needs.

Each of us experiences life differently. Our culture is part of who we are, whether we like it or not. And it almost always informs our decisions when it comes to buying a product or hiring a specialist. A good brand strategist needs to think locally to effectively enter a new market. A local specialist will make a difference. And localisation is key.

If you want to know more about Greek, check out this post: 5 good reasons to learn Greek.

Thanks for reading!

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Some thoughts on anxiety and overthinking when running your own business

Are you struggling with anxiety? Does overthinking drive you crazy? Cool!

Anxiety and overthinking are symptoms of a healthy brain. It may seem strange but it is true. Our brains have the best intentions: they stress over the same problems because they are trying to help. They think they are doing us a favour. They stress over the same problem over and over again precisely because they recognise this is something important and they are trying to provide us with a solution.

What goes wrong, then?

YOUR BRAIN IS A COMPUTER

Let us imagine that our brain is a computer. A computer can help us but in order to do so we must give it a problem. But giving a problem is not enough; we must express the problem in a way the computer understands it, namely in a way that is solvable. This is the perfect trick to make our brains actually work for us, not against us. In other words, if we feed our brains with anxiety, we will not get any results at all since our computer-brain will not have anything to work with. But our computer-brain will thrive on a well-expressed practical question.

HOW TO GET SOLUTIONS

Our brains thrive on problems; problem solving is their thing. So, next time you are facing a problem, try to rephrase it in a more concrete way. If you give your brain a concrete question, you are going to start getting answers. Your brain is going to invest all its energy not in providing worst-case scenarios or anxiety-filled thoughts, but in providing practical solutions. Your anxiety and overthinking then are going to work for your benefit: all this energy will come to your rescue. Still, worrying will not disappear magically; but this trick is going to help. If it helped me, the most anxious and overthinking woman ever, it will surely help you too! (However, if you feel too stressed, seek professional help).

AN EXAMPLE

Imagine you have to prepare lots of invoices but you have little time for this task. The idea of preparing invoices like this would make you anxious, right? Your mind would obsess with this boring task worrying over the details. And starting the task would take forever, as well.

You could use this energy, though, to your own advantage. Instead of trying to stop this kind of obsessive thinking, you could actually make it work for you. Switch into problem-solving mode. Obsess, yes, but this time with concrete questions.

Notice what happens when you give your mind a concrete question. If you feed your brain with questions such as how to get started with your invoice task, how to do it better, what music to listen to while you are doing the task, you will start getting answers. And what is more? When you put your brain in problem-solving mode, the worrying will stop. Try it and see for yourself if it works. And remember, an anxious mind is a healthy mind.

Thanks for reading!

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Dreams, goals, reality: just focus on the how

When I worked as a teacher, there were many parents who complained that their kids didn't study enough. However, I am not sure that these kids were explicitly told how to study. It seemed that studying techniques was a kind of taboo topic. Much talk was being done about the importance of it, but the actual act of studying was a bit hushed upon. When I was a kid and I was asking how I should study, they shrugged me off telling me that I just needed to 'open the book and start studying'.

Oh really? And when I get bored? And when I don't understand something? And when I don't feel like it? After all, is it normal for a kid to be able to focus on such an unstimulating activity? I did want to study; sometimes I enjoyed it; but sometimes I found it very hard to concentrate. I got bored. I turned on MTV. I called my friends. No focus at all.

Now, the same old story all over again. I have goals. And I get stuck. You, people, with the perfect careers, do tell me, please: how do you do it? I want details. All the gory details. You, with the top class grades. You, who always seem on top of everything. Tell me. How. Do. You. Do. It.

Something similar is happening right now, I am afraid, on a global level. Day after day, articles and blog posts appear urging freelancers, small business owners and entrepreneurs to get up and do stuff. Achieve our goals. Grow. Fulfil our potential. Leave our comfort zone. But only a few articles and posts tell us how to do it.

I mean, for real. I want to learn how to do it. I want to hear everything that went wrong and how you were able to fix it. I want to read about how you were bored to death, procrastinating like crazy, but still managed to overcome it and finally succeed.

Having said that, I think that what works for a person depends on his or her specific circumstances. What worked for me may not necessarily work for you. But reading about specific cases exposes me to various plans that do work, albeit in a different context, and this gets me in the mood of doing things.  

I am not a big fan of clichés such as 'leave your comfort zone' or 'always think positively because the universe is conspiring for your benefit only'. Instead, I believe that what we want is on the other side of hard work.

And hard work needs a plan. An explicit plan. That's why, when I used to teach, I would explain in detail to my students how they should study. In every single detail. They needed a plan, that is, a clear process. And I don't mean micromanaging, far from it. I just described them how I did it (because at that time I was a student, too). And this did the trick. It put them to the right track. It gave them a good example. That's what I need at the moment. I need to learn how to proceed. What we want is on the other side of hard work. And hard work, people, needs a plan.

Thanks for reading!

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How translators can find comfort in their specialisation

As  a translator, have you ever thought of specialisation as something that can provide you with comfort?

If you ask experienced translators, they will tell you that specialisation is key for success. While this is very true, I also believe that specialisation can give us also a sense of comfort.

One of my fundamental needs as a person is to be around familiar things. Familiarity gives me a sense of security. That's why when I take on jobs within my specialisation I feel very comfortable.

For example, I never hesitate to accept a difficult project when it belongs to my specialisation. In this case my specialisation makes me feel relaxed and confident. What's more, since there will be many aspects of the project that will be familiar, I know I won't waste time or effort on them. Thus I will be able to focus on the more difficult aspects of the project and this will certainly show on the final product in terms of quality. Besides, I am sure that accepting such projects can only make me more productive in the long run.

Finding comfort in our specialisation does not mean that we should stay within our comfort zone and refuse to try anything new. What I am saying here is that when we build a freelance business we need a place where we can feel comfort and safe. This place can be our specialisation. And from there, we can start experimenting. In other words, in order to get uncomfortable, we need to start from a place where we feel comfortable. Do you agree?

Thanks for reading!

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Translators and criticism

About your translation… Well, I don't know, something's wrong with it, I can't really tell you what it is, it's so hard to pinpoint… Well, first of all, your words, they weren't exactly wrong, but I wouldn't use these words you know, and overall, looking at your translation I feel that something doesn't feel well… I know it's subjective but… isn't everything subjective in life?

How would you respond if someone said this to you?

Some people find it hard to deal with criticism. Is it because they are sensitive? Or selfish? Is it because they think they know better? After all, criticism can make us work harder and so achieve better results. We should be more open-minded. We should stop being wimps. We should embrace criticism.

Now, what is criticism? The above comment isn't criticism. Criticism can make us better. In which ways the above can make you better? Does it contain specific examples of things that went wrong? Does it clarify certain issues? Does it provide other, more suitable options? Does it justify what it says? The above comment makes you feel bad precisely because it is so vague. And that's why you can't say anything against it. You can't stand your ground.

That's exactly why it's useless, too. It can't help you at all. This just criticises you for the sake of it. Now, if someone really wanted to help you, they would structure their criticism in a different way:

Hey, about that translation, just wanted to pinpoint a few things. First, you translated X as Y but as you can see here in this online dictionary (reference), there is term Z which is more appropriate in this context. Y is more general, right? Second, why did you keep these long sentences of the original? I say you split them up to a point, as it will make the translation easier to read. Overall it was quite good!

This piece of criticism is not bad, right? What do you think?

Now, you may disagree with these changes. But here it would be much easier to respond and defend your case.

Translators are sensitive to criticism for many reasons. First of all there is this 'translator-traitor' mentality, which makes us anxious to translate precisely. Moreover, the struggle with every single detail, which is part and parcel of our lives as translators, often goes unnoticed, whereas a tiny mistake is easily spotted (and frowned upon) by everyone.

Always ask for constructive criticism. When they respond in vague terms, ask them to elaborate. Do the same when you give criticism. Give references and explanations. Be precise and objective. And always make sure that your feedback has constructive value. Criticism can make us better translators. We shouldn't be afraid of it when it is done right.

Thanks for reading :)

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7 simple marketing tips for shy freelancers

Are you a shy freelancer like me? You want to promote your services but you feel uncomfortable? I feel exactly the same. However, we need to do something about it because, as freelancers, we need to get out there and do stuff. This is the only way clients will notice us. So, here are seven simple marketing tips that I came up with in order to help myself. Hope you find them useful :)

#1 INVESTIGATE YOUR TARGET CULTURE

If you want to market your services in an open, confident culture, you have to find ways to become more assertive. However, if you want to market your services in a culture which values modesty, your introvert style is more than perfect. For example in Greece, when someone is talking constantly about their achievements, it is considered bragging. Moreover, when a product or service is advertised a lot, people become skeptical. So first of all think if your style is already fit for the culture you are aiming your services at.

#2 DEVELOP YOUR OWN STYLE

When it comes to marketing, you should develop your own, personal style. First know yourself and then just be yourself. This is what matters most. And remember, your brand is you. You can't change all of a sudden! Embrace yourself and try to change only the things you feel really uncomfortable with, ignoring each new trend that comes your way.

#3 FOCUS ON OTHERS

If focusing on yourself makes you self-conscious, why not focus instead on the things you can do for others? Think of how your services can help others and promote your business along these lines. This way it will be easier for others to grasp exactly what you can do for them.

#4 START SMALL

If you feel uncomfortable about marketing your services, you should start small. A small website or blog, a few business cards, some phone calls are more than adequate when you start. And slowly but surely, you will get the hang of it. And no matter what, don’t compare yourself with others. They had started small, too!  

#5 SHIFT ATTENTION TO YOUR BRAND IMAGE

Since it feels weird to talk about yourself, why not shift the attention to your brand image? It is going to be much easier if you talk about your brand and its special qualities. This brand is you, of course, but this way you will trick yourself and will overcome your shyness.

#6 BE SIMPLE

A complicated brand, website, or business plan is only going to confuse both you and your clients, making you even more nervous and self-conscious. Why not try simple, clear-cut elements at first? Be simple!

#7 REMEMBER YOUR SHYNESS IS ACTUALLY A GOOD THING

Think of your shyness as a good thing, a positive attribute that is directly linked to your kind-hearted personality. You shouldn’t give it up. Rather, try to transform it into something more: become a balanced professional, who knows their limitations but who also claims their place in the freelancing world, knowing their strong points and confidently, not braggingly, asserts: here I am, I am good, work with me!

Thanks for reading!

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