language drives us, excellence defines us. introduction...

Language drives us, excellence defines us.

• IoD Director of the Year 2012• One of top 5 fastest growing language

companies in the UK• Won over 30 business awards• Chair our UK industry trade body• Write advice pieces for Guardian, Sunday Times

and other publications• Overseas sales make up over 30% of turnover• Now judging various business awards

Introduction – Anna Bastek

International Digital Marketing Practical Tips

Anna Bastek Msc B.Eng (Hons) ILM CIM CMI

co-founder and director of Wolfestone

30th Jan 2014


How many of you sell to end clients?

How many use distributors/agents?


Agenda

• Checklist before you export• Language/cultural barriers • Website localisation• Paid search - PPC• SEO


• Translation in 200 languages

• Localisation

• Transcreation

• Voiceovers/Subtitling

• Desktop publishing

• Proofreading

• Interpreting (telephone, simultaneous, consecutive)

• Transcription

What we do


The World Speaks English! – NOT!

• Only 27% of the internet is English speaking

• 72% of customers abroad would rather buy products that provide info in their own language

• For 56% of customers language is more important than price

(Source: European Commission and Common Sense Advisory, 2012)


Top languages on the internet

• At least 20% of UK exporting companies lost business as a result of language or cultural differences

• Costing the UK at least £7.6b and possibly as high as £16bn in overseas trade

Language acts as a barrier to trade

(Source: Elan report – 2013)


Brand Blunder No. 1Language drives us, excellence defines us.

‘Come alive with Pepsi’

‘Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave’


‘It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken’

Frank Perdue’s slogan translated into Spanish as

‘It takes an aroused man to make a chicken affectionate’


More mistakes:

• Brand name: Osram in Poland

• A German company entered Russian market with its sparkling water called ‘Blue Water’ - sounds like ‘to vomit’ in Russian and Ukrainian

• IKEA launched a kids workbench called ‘Fartfull’ failed in the US


• Transcreation means getting across the message and emotional impact

• Language is not just words – it’s concepts, metaphors and idioms

Never translate marketing messages!Transcreate them!


• Wow Toys produce toys for UK market – all with cute names

• Targeted expansion in Germany – but names didn’t work there

• We helped re-name the toys to appeal to the German audience

• Harvey Harvester – Matze Mahdrescher

Don’t Just Translate – Transcreate


• Many of your competitors localise their websites• Get a country domain e.g. .de, .fr• Where is the server? What browsers are popular?• Language expansion (eg. German by 10%, Japanese

up to 60%, Norwegian contracts by 10%)• Remember about localising Alt tags, image names • Never extract the text for translation into Word –

use CAT tool to save time & money

Website localisation


You can save up to 30% by using Translation MemoryIs your translation partner giving you savings?

CAT tool analysis


• For large websites use website CMS plugin for updating language versions

• Have Analytics set up so you can analyse the keywords that are popular

• Localised units, currencies• What about videos?• Take into account the layout,

images, colours, concepts (eg. rugby) etc.

Website localisation


• O.K• ‘middle finger’• One • Sexual insult • Hitch-hike • Directional

In Southern Sardina or Northern Greece unless you want to invite a fight. Same meaning as middle finger.

Be careful with images!


• Google Says using Google Translate can be against Google's Webmaster guidelines

• Your website won’t be indexed by search engines• You can damage your reputation in new markets• Your brand won’t seem serious or committed• You might offend foreign customers

Can’t I just use Google Translate?


• Panda/penguin updates• Because of the complexity of SEO in 2014 off-site is

more difficult to manage• Link building is still important, and should be done

in the target language

Multilingual SEO


• Don’t just translate keywords – research them!• Content is KING• Support your distributors with interesting

content and PR• Share it!

Multilingual SEO (continued)Language drives us, excellence defines us.

• 10% of overseas enquiries before translation• Once one language had paid back the investment,

they moved on to the next• Website translated in to 5 languages• Doubled turnover year on year• New export 25% of turnover

Take it one step at a time!


A Canadian company Group Anderson, well known in North America for its agricultural and forestry products, invested $5,000 to localise its website into Polish, Russian and German.

Turnover increase of $3 million in just one year in Eastern Europe.

Example of website localisation ROI


Paid search – Localise your approachEvery country is different• In Russia Google AdWords won’t work - they use Yandex to

search• Be careful about language!

Legal protection insurance companies becomes in German…

RechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaftenAt 39 characters - too long for any line of AdWords!Think about capturing attention of your target customers – call to action, etc.Launch a campaign for engaging distributors


• Using a professional language company: all the relevant skills under one roof, quality should be a given. Use of technology will give you volume discounts, speed and consistency. Enquiry management system (email, tel.)

• Hire a qualified freelance translator with the industry knowledge and plenty of experience. Reliability issues.

• Use in-house staff – what is the true cost of them not doing their job? Can be false economy. Max £200 day savings

• Distributors. Be careful with brand consistency and quality. Are they qualified linguists? You have no control on the messages.

What options do you have:


Actions for you - branding

1. Decide whether or not it is necessary to translate your brand2. Make sure your slogan delivers the same impact to your

customer country3. Get multiple versions of your slogan from your language

vendor4. Check that all of your translations are culturally accurate and

appropriate5. Make sure your pictures and imagery are not undermining

your message


Actions for you - website

1. Get a new domain2. Analyse top pages – ask distributors?3. Create new relevant pages4. Localise colours and layout5. Research keywords6. Talk to SEO experts about on-site optimisation7. Have a solution for responding to foreign enquiries8. Generate content and use social media


Anna Bastek

[email protected]

0845 000 0083


mailto:[email protected]


• Marketing Manager at DS Smith• Jade Tambini is Marketing Manager for the

Recycling Division of DS Smith• Vice Chair of the CIM in Wales• Europe’s largest integrated packaging and

recycling company• Operating in over 25 international markets,

the business has big plans for future expansion

Introduction – Jade Tambini


• Heads up Pelatis Online Ltd • Internet Marketing Consultant• Author • Business Speaker• He recently presented to sell out enthusiastic

audiences in Rome, Sofia, Paris, Budapest and London as well as many locations around the United Kingdom

Introduction – Nigel T Packer

language drives us, excellence defines us. introduction...

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