January 2011
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The Benefits of Translating into Multiple Languages

Happy Holidays from Technovate Translations When the internet first came of age during Web 1.0 in the 1990s, it was possible to imagine that everyone on the planet was speaking the same language—English. But today we know different, and in the dynamic environment of Web 2.0 the English language is no longer the language of a majority of internet users. Today, only 1 in 4 internet users surfs the web in English, meaning that 3 out of 4 individuals online right now are looking for content in other languages.

This trend extends not only to the online world but the business world in general. Across the United States, increasing numbers of people prefer to access information in a range of world languages, and countries like Canada are officially bilingual and need information presented in multiple languages.

  • In the United States, 18%—almost 1 in 5—claims a language other than English as his or her native language
  • 4% of the population—more than 12 million people—do not speak English proficiently.

In Canada, the situation is even more dramatic:

  • Only two-thirds of Canadians claim English as their preferred language.

With so much linguistic diversity, businesses can no longer afford to operate only in English. This growing awareness has become obvious in recent years with customer care centers routinely asking callers para español oprima el número dos.

While many businesses see multilingual call centers as a necessity to communicate by voice with customers and clients, many of these same businesses have neglected to produce full versions of the written communications in multiple languages. Some cite the expense of translation, others wonder if it's really necessary. In today's tough economic environment, connecting with every potential customer is a business necessity, and translating your written documents and web site into multiple languages has many benefits.

  • Translating into multiple languages lets you reach customers who don't speak English. This may seem obvious, but many businesses lose customers and profits because they ignore the needs of customers who don't speak English.
  • Translating into multiple languages lets you expand into additional markets by providing a fully developed web presence in the language of cultural communities you may never have previously reached. Customers can't buy your product or service if they can't read your website.

January 2011

A new year has started and Technovate Translations is committed to making this year a great one. In this issue we look at why offering material in multiple languages is important, and we look at a few ways your organization might be using translation in 2011.


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In This Issue

The Benefits of Translating into Multiple Languages
In today's broadly international market and high immigrant populations, translating from English into one other language is rarely enough.

How Will You Use Translation in 2011?
Depending on how your organization grows and changes in 2011, here are a few ways you might use translation that you haven't thought of before.

Client Spotlight: Driven By Solar
Greening the art of a well-manicured lawn – Driven By Solar makes yardcare simple and environmentally friendly.


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  • Translating into multiple languages lets you build goodwill by showing potential customers that you care about their needs and are committed to embracing global diversity.
  • Translating into multiple languages gives you the opportunity to market specifically to each language audience. For example, your translated Spanish, French, or Chinese pages can be customized to appeal to the specific needs and interests of those language speakers, needs and interests that may be different from the general English-speaking user, giving you an additional advantage and showing your customers that you are in tune with them.

In today's challenging economic climate, no business can afford to leave behind potential customers and clients, yet far too many businesses are doing just that by offering their website and marketing materials only in English. Powerful translations across multiple languages can bring in potential customers and build your business by expanding into new markets.

Each language you add may garner only a relatively few new customers, but expanding across a range of languages means adding many more customers which translates into exponentially greater sales and bigger profits. The economic climate may be challenging, but adding support for new languages is a quick and cost-effective way to grow your business now.

How Will You Use Translation in 2011?

Advances in technology are making the world smaller, and finding smart, efficient and cost-effective solutions to language issues is becoming ever more important. As the new year begins and you look ahead to another successful business year, what ways will your company need to meet the challenges of modern communication, and what role will translation play?

Outsourcing functions overseas continues its upward trend, as business owners weigh up the risks against the benefits and choose the savings of outsourcing. But good communication is the oil that keeps the mechanics of a good working relationship running smoothly, and when you're dealing with other languages, that means investing in quality translation.

2011 may be the year you partner with a foreign company or find investment beyond national boundaries. Efficient translation will be a key component of forming strong relationships and running a slick, professional operation with overseas partners, clients and colleagues. And in business, accuracy matters, especially if you're filing legal and business documents, such as patents and tax forms, abroad.

Even if you choose to do your business nationally, the makeup of society is changing. You may have immigrants on your workforce, or you may be widening your business plan to reach out to the growing ethnic, migrant and non-English-speaking communities in the US and Canada. The Hispanic and Latino population of the US is estimated at over 48 million, or 15 percent, and the figure is expected to be larger when the final results of the 2010 Census are revealed. In some major cities, where ethnic populations have expanded dramatically – Hispanics have doubled their numbers in Memphis, TN, in the past decade – you may have no choice but to compete for their custom. If you employ immigrants with limited English skills or none at all, providing accurate translation will matter for legal and safety-related reasons, as well as the pay-off that comes from a good rapport with employees.

Increasingly, companies market and provide their services online. You could be operating from the farthest reaches of Alaska and the distance would mean little, because in the internet age, we're all connected, from North America to the Far East. You never know who will find your website and who your next customer will be; likewise you have an unprecedented opportunity to choose a new market and target it with foreign-language advertising, resources and information. As far as technology has come, however, you can't rely on computer programs and auto-translation tools to do the job for you. Translation by qualified professionals will be central to your strategy.

Translation matters, and it has a growing role to play as the world's cultures and languages become interconnected in ways we didn't even dream of a couple of decades ago. What benefits will translation bring to your company this year?

Client Spotlight – Driven By Solar

Driven By Solar is better known by its two brand names, Recharge Mower® and Recharge Tools®. Both lines of products consist of lithium-ion battery powered landscaping tools, including riding mowers, push mowers, and hand-held devices like grass and hedge trimmers.

Driven By Solar's products offer property owners a safe, simple to operate alternative to the more common, loud and unwieldy gas-powered tools. Their products make lawncare and landscaping a much less complicated task for seniors, as well as a generation of younger adults who have grown up in the age of one-button appliances. The Recharge Mower® and Recharge Tools® products are also perfect for keeping lawncare green. The devices themselves use no gas or oil, and have no emissions. Home owners who use green electricity and Driven By Solar's products enjoy cordless, 100% green lawncare. Technovate Translations is proud to provide translation services to Driven By Solar.

Driven By Solar came to us because they needed to partner with a translation service provider who could help them market to the broadest market in Canada and the USA. Technovate Translations' specialty in English to French and English to Spanish translation was exactly what Driven By Solar was looking for. Jim Brody, VP of Sales at Driven By Solar says, "Technovate Translations has been an understanding and cooperative business partner providing dependable, quality work in a timely manner."

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