Here are some of the most common mistakes you should
avoid if you’re ever in a bilingual copywriting situation for
the first time.
Mistake #1: Doing a simple translation. Let’s say you have a direct mail package that works for an English-speaking audience. Now you want to break into the Hispanic market with a bilingual package.
So you figure all you have to do is hire a translator. Right? Not quite.
As an experiment, take a few paragraphs of English copy, paste it into an online translator, translate it into another language then back again. Not too good is it? That’s because language is more than words. Meaning, ideas, and cultural references often don’t translate well.
Mistake #2: Always writing in English first. This will be your first instinct if English is your native language. But sometimes it’s a good idea to start with the other language. For example, some languages are more verbose. So if you start with 2,000 words in English, the version in the other language might be 2,500 or more words. It can be hard to cram that much extra copy into the same layout. By going in the other direction, you may end up with a more workable result.
Mistake #3: Making the same sales pitch in both languages. Never assume that everyone’s hot buttons are the same. Price might be the main motivator for people of one culture, while social status might be the main motivator in another. Once again, bilingual marketing isn’t about translation as much as it is about appealing to the sensibilities of two different audiences.
Mistake #4: Using culturally-base phrases and ideas. The advertising world is full of horror stories about how copy can go haywire in translation. Pepsi’s upbeat slogan, “Come alive with the Pepsi Generation” translated poorly in China, where it meant “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave.” The Parker Pen company goofed when it tried to sell a ballpoint pen in Mexico with ads bragging, “It won’t leak in your pocket and embarrass you.” Unfortunately, the translation proclaimed, “It won’t leak in your pocket and make you pregnant.”
Mistake #5: Going it alone. There’s just no way to market in another language if you’re not fluent in the language and don’t understand the culture. If you’re serious about bilingual marketing, you have to bring in people who understand both languages and cultures and have experience selling to each. There are no shortcuts.
avoid if you’re ever in a bilingual copywriting situation for
the first time.
Mistake #1: Doing a simple translation. Let’s say you have a direct mail package that works for an English-speaking audience. Now you want to break into the Hispanic market with a bilingual package.
So you figure all you have to do is hire a translator. Right? Not quite.
As an experiment, take a few paragraphs of English copy, paste it into an online translator, translate it into another language then back again. Not too good is it? That’s because language is more than words. Meaning, ideas, and cultural references often don’t translate well.
Mistake #2: Always writing in English first. This will be your first instinct if English is your native language. But sometimes it’s a good idea to start with the other language. For example, some languages are more verbose. So if you start with 2,000 words in English, the version in the other language might be 2,500 or more words. It can be hard to cram that much extra copy into the same layout. By going in the other direction, you may end up with a more workable result.
Mistake #3: Making the same sales pitch in both languages. Never assume that everyone’s hot buttons are the same. Price might be the main motivator for people of one culture, while social status might be the main motivator in another. Once again, bilingual marketing isn’t about translation as much as it is about appealing to the sensibilities of two different audiences.
Mistake #4: Using culturally-base phrases and ideas. The advertising world is full of horror stories about how copy can go haywire in translation. Pepsi’s upbeat slogan, “Come alive with the Pepsi Generation” translated poorly in China, where it meant “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave.” The Parker Pen company goofed when it tried to sell a ballpoint pen in Mexico with ads bragging, “It won’t leak in your pocket and embarrass you.” Unfortunately, the translation proclaimed, “It won’t leak in your pocket and make you pregnant.”
Mistake #5: Going it alone. There’s just no way to market in another language if you’re not fluent in the language and don’t understand the culture. If you’re serious about bilingual marketing, you have to bring in people who understand both languages and cultures and have experience selling to each. There are no shortcuts.
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