subject: International e-mail marketing is all about customs [print this page] International e-mail marketing is all about customs
When doing business with other countries there may be obstacles which includes language. For many companies it might be a case of attempting to grow their market share, or increase sales. For others it might be a case of expanding into an additional region. Whatever the case may be, it is vital that when performing business overseas it is done professionally and accurately, specifically in regard to translation services.
Any Business that is conducting e-mail marketing to an international audience must make sure their messages aren't merely translated accurately but have also taken into consideration cultural and political issues. Regrettably it can be difficult for a company to fully represent culturally diverse ideas in e-mail marketing campaigns.
It is a really small window of opportunity to catch the interest of someone with e-mail marketing. Many people will scroll through their e-mails and can tell very quickly if something is out of place or does not quite feel right. It will be instantly deleted in addition to several others in all probability.
What is a widespread expression in one nation can be unknown or inappropriate in another. Forget international borders and language for a moment. What about domestically? Will a born and bred Londoner use the same English as an individual from Birmingham, Manchester or Liverpool? Indeed they share the language but the way they use it is different. The same can be said with the French language. A Parisian will speak French slightly differently to another person from Nice.
In a recent article by Today Translations titled "Translation is more about culture than language" which refers to English to Arabic translation, and shows that culture transforms language and is also the power behind its evolution. In addition, it demonstrates the key to successful translation is certainly the ability to get your message across clearly. It is not about a literal translation, it is actually much more about cultural translation and understanding.
For email marketers, it's not enough to translate your email. Clearly you need to offer a suitably translated landing page and website for readers to click through to. Along with this any support materials, such as white papers, have to be professionally translated and localised.
It also suggested against working with casual terms along the lines of "hi", which may upset numerous worldwide readers that will show a lack of professionalism with respect to the message being delivered.
By making use of qualified translators and typesetters who can handle having to present aesthetic documents on both paper and e-mail, and also making sure that the material will follow the norms of your target nations or regions is a tremendous competitive advantage.
