How might a business lose money, prestige, or incur legal risk due to an unprofessional translation?
The goal of translation is to accurately and appropriately communicate the client’s “message” into the local language. This helps maintain a mutual understanding of business expectations when dealing with the native-language speaking population. We have all encountered website pages, forms or operating manuals from overseas where the translation was comical, unintentionally offensive or just plain embarrassing. The quality of a translation is an important reflection of the quality of an organization. When a business is going to the effort to market or communicate in a foreign market, it is vital that the message and the materials presented to the customer sound natural and effective. Many translations are accurate, but fail because they don’t make contextual or cultural sense. Language breakdowns resulting from poorly translated documents can be embarrassing and costly—jeopardizing customer relationships and brand identity, and even creating costly legal liabilities. The US State Depar
