Marketing Across Language Barriers: How to Create Effective Cross-Cultural Campaigns
Using the native language in a communication campaign demonstrates a company’s genuine interest in its customer. But exporting a marketing campaign internationally requires more than just using English or translating your ads. Linguistic nuances are also based on subtle expressions and elements that must be mastered at all costs.
Want to create effective cross-cultural campaigns? Here are the 3 levers to pull.
Use a translation company or certified translators
This is the first step in cross-cultural marketing. The language barrier is the first one to be encountered, so it is important to translate any written material (poster, advertisement, website, etc.) into the language of the target country.
If you wish to translate your content into several languages, then it is possible to call upon a translation agency, which can logically take care of many of the most requested languages.
When translating into a specific language, it is a good idea to use a local translator who is immersed in the language and aware of the cultural and linguistic nuances of the country.
Take into account the culture of the country
Language is an integral part of the local culture. Therefore, it is not possible to set up a marketing campaign in a foreign language without taking into account the culture and social codes of the country. An object or attitude that is common in one country may seem strange or even offensive in another. For this reason, a cross-cultural campaign must begin with a thorough study of the mores, trends, social culture and religion of the target population.
Communicate by images, not words
Finally, cross-cultural communication can often rely on images, rather than words. Thus, actions or ideograms can have an important place, provided that the cultural differences inherent to the target country are taken into account.
