When Wolfestone clients think of localisation projects, their focus is usually on website translations or marketing translations from English into another language.  True localisation, though, often involves converting one form of the English language into another, respecting the linguistic and cultural nuances of a target region and putting in just as much effort as if the languages were completely distinct.  We’ve learned from experience that the billion people across the globe who speak English certainly don’t speak with one voice.

South Africa, the economic powerhouse of the African continent, is the member of the BRICS group of emerging economies where English is most widely spoken.  28% of South Africans speak English and 8% speak it as a first language.  British exporters still find that translation and localisation services add enormous value to their business development, and Wolfestone partner Debbie Bouwer, Director of TheWordWright in Johannesburg, gives us an insight into why.

“We offer copywriting services to English speaking clients everywhere, and the variations between what’s spoken and written in South Africa, Australia, the United States and the UK are significant enough to cause major problems for clients who ignore them.  Consumers respond to what they understand, and it’s reasonable for them to expect promotional material to be localised and focussed on them.  Our most successful campaigns always involve partnerships with clients who understand this”.

Unlike French, which has a central linguistic authority, English has no official “standard” version.  Wolfestone clients seeking to trade in South Africa should be aware that their target consumers have as much right as anyone to claim their version of English as the “norm”.  Where South Africa does differ is that it’s home to eleven official languages.  The most common language spoken by South Africans in their own homes is Zulu (24 percent), with English only sixth on this list.  The “rainbow nation” is home to one of the most diverse cultures on the planet and recent developments have made it a land of rich potential for exporters.

Trade agreements with other BRICS nations and investment from partners such as Odebrecht, Brazil’s largest construction company have highlighted South Africa’s appeal.  Purely intra-BRICS trade is expected to reach $500 billion per annum by 2015.  Closer to home, South Africa is also a key player in the ongoing work to establish a free trade area among twenty six African countries.  By the mid-point of this decade, this complex nation promises to be the engine room of a major global trading bloc.

Encouragingly, the signs are that Britain has recognised this potential and is keen to step on board.  Last summer Prime Minster David Cameron made his first official visit and publicly committed to doubling bilateral trade with South Africa by 2015. With a major focus on projects in the healthcare, engineering and energy sectors, opportunities exist for British specialists to export their knowledge and talent to a highly receptive market.

The South African consumer has embraced social media, and spending on mobile advertising, always a useful barometer, has skyrocketed.  Vodacom and Google have predicted that it will reach 1 billion Rand this year.  With a highly developed, well regulated banking system and solid infrastructure, there is a great deal to recommend this market, and in 2011 Britain pledged £76 million to a four year investment programme supporting efforts to improve health, tackle climate change and reduce violence against women.

Some issues remain culturally problematic, however, and the build-up to the 2010 football World Cup raised one in particular.

Plans to ritually sacrifice live animals to bless each of the ten stadiums used for the tournament caused widespread offence and led to a concerted protest.  Debbie Bouwer, who played a leading role in this protest, is philosophical about the clash of traditional African culture with modern sensibilities:

“I’m proud of my country and of our culture, but our first duty must be to our own ethics.  I find it encouraging that so much of our economic development goes hand in hand with ethical business practice.  What’s good for us environmentally and socially can also be very good for us economically”.

We couldn’t agree more, and Wolfestone is delighted to be working with strong partners and talented clients in this fascinating market.

“THE VODKA IS STRONG BUT THE MEAT IS ROTTEN”

Believe it or not, this colourful phrase started out as “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”.  In a clumsy mistranslation from English to Russian, it’s fair to say that willing or not, the spirit of the message has been lost

Abstract terms such as “spirit” are a major stumbling block for the inexperienced translator, and the negative knock-on effect for clients can be damaging.  Many Wolfestone clients make good use of abstract language in their corporate brochures and marketing material.  Marketing translations or technical translations which fail to convey the spirit of your message, or worse make it nonsensical, could hardly be more counter-productive.

A Wolfestone manager was recently reminded of the cultural pitfalls our clients face.  In this country the simple act of showing five spread fingers with the palm facing out would be unlikely to provoke a reaction.  In Greece, however, it would cause deep offence.  Greek people refer to this gesture as “moutza” and it dates back to Byzantine times when prisoners were paraded with their faces covered in dirt, which was applied with their own palms.  Centuries later it remains one of the most common gestures of insult among Greeks.

Some of the most successful British exporters have learned these cultural lessons the hard way.  It’s our good fortune that Wolfestone clients are happy to share their knowledge with us and help others avoid the same mistakes             .

The message we hear time and time again is a simple one: if you’re targeting a completely unfamiliar market, don’t go it alone.  Even companies with market leading products have suffered costly failures overseas.  A sizeable marketing budget can disappear before your eyes, with little or no impact on consumers.

At a recent export forum a British business leader told us of the time wasted and expense incurred by attending one indifferent event after another, before they finally formulated a strategy to target the most suitable markets and organise their own events.  By choosing the right partners they were able to take control of their message and convey it clearly to who they wanted, when they wanted.

They might have reached their destination more quickly with the advice of OnSensor, a Wolfestone partner with an outstanding track record in helping emerging companies and emerging market governments to prosper by taking an integrated approach to communications strategy.  As well as supporting prestigious private sector clients, OnSensor has developed national branding solutions, increasing tourism and attracting foreign investment for clients throughout the world.  Satisfied customers include national governments on three continents.  OnSensor has built a loyal client base by delivering a well-crafted, brand orientated and design-led product.  Their guidance paves the way to a far-reaching public relations and branding strategy.  As a translation service provider, Wolfestone is delighted to support OnSensor.  As an information provider and an advocate of good business practice, we’re delighted to recommend them.

Wolfestone clients seeking to connect with consumers in unfamiliar countries can have their message shaped by translators and interpreters who actually live, work, buy and sell there.  Our people are completely in tune with your target market because they’re part of it.  And with partners whose global influence extends to national branding, we’re well placed to offer advice and guidance on any aspect of your strategy.

Of course you can go it alone, and we’ve all come across examples of businesses that succeeded without any outside support.  But there are many more examples of businesses that succeeded by seeking out specialist advice and partnership at every stage.

At Wolfestone we believe in identifying trusted partners who share our values, and working closely with them to mutual advantage.  Dynamic, ethical businesses such as OnSensor add value for their clients in all corners of the globe, and we’re proud to be associated with them.

Our principles and our partnerships ensure that when clients need our support, the spirit is definitely willing and nothing about the service is weak.

One year ago this week the world looked on in shock as north eastern Japan was devastated by the fourth largest earthquake on record.  Japan’s industrial base, its production capacity and even its very economic status were compromised.  As the world’s third largest economy with an unrivalled commitment to research and development, Japan’s recovery was crucial not just for its own sake but for the sake of market economies everywhere.

Britain’s commercial relationship with Japan extends back over 150 years and during the past twelve months, with domestic production capacity weakened, Japan has welcomed British trade initiatives more than ever.  450 British companies currently have Japanese sites, with success stories across a range of industries notably including manufacturing, FMCG, Hi-Tec and service sectors.

What challenges can British companies expect in this market, and how can they prepare to meet them?

Exporting to a new country and communicating successfully with this new audience in their own language involves the deconstruction and reconstruction of a culture, not just a language.  Wolfestone’s website localisation projects, interpreting assignments and technical translations are undertaken with an integrated approach.  Our translators have a “global” view of the project, understanding how each inflection or nuance impacts on the overall message.  The truly effective translator wll be bicultural as well as bilingual, equipped to completely rebuild the client’s message for maximum credibility and goodwill with the target audience.

The amateur translator (or worse, the machine translator) would fail to appreciate, for example, that in the Japanese language the future tense doesn’t exist.  The present tense is used to describe future actions and when a Japanese native speaker says they are drinking coffee, they might be describing the action of the moment, something they do every day or something they plan to do in the future.  A skilled translator will recognise their meaning from the context, but the inexperienced will flounder.  We’ve heard too many “horror stories” from clients who tried to cut corners with Japanese partners and caused irreparable damage.

It’s important to understand the protocols of modesty and respect in any culture, and nowhere is that more true than in Japan.  Failing to take into account a person’s age or social status will immediately compromise any business relationship, and these errors can be glaring or subtle.  Changes to the structure of a language in translation can be “obligatory” or “non-obligatory”.  Obligatory changes occur because of the differences in grammatical structure between one language and another.  Non-obligatory changes can be less obvious.  They occur because of differences in culture and style.  People who take pride in their national culture might be deeply offended by a failure to recognise these non-obligatory changes, and Wolfestone clients agree that it simply isn’t worth the risk.

If the penalties for poor preparation are severe, the rewards for good work are excellent.  Outstanding opportunities exist for British exporters across many sectors, and Japan’s commitment to an eco-friendly future is opening many doors in the renewable energy industry.  Over the past year, Japan has begun a major restructuring of its energy mix, reforming the electricity sector and working towards a target of deriving 25% of all power from renewable sources.  Offshore wind, solar PV and biomass services are thriving, and there’s increasing demand for Smart-Grid and Smart metering technology from utility service providers.

A country that has 2% of the world’s population is responsible for a massive 20% of the world’s research and development spending, with an increasing emphasis on greener products.  Wolfestone’s commitment to eco-friendly trading brings us into constant contact with clients whose innovative, ethical approach makes them ideal contributors to these emerging markets, and frequent trade missions to Tokyo and Osaka have helped British exporters develop relationships that offer enormous long term benefits to both parties and both economies.

Rebuilding a client’s message in a new language can be challenging, but rebuilding a society in the face of natural disaster is a challenge that most of us will never have to face.  Japan’s social and economic reconstruction over the past year has taken patience, discipline and hard work.  The Japanese client will expect British trading partners to show the same qualities, and for those who do the opportunities are clear.  You simply need to approach this market fully prepared, with a localised service tailored to earn the respect and trust of your target audience.

That’s why clients come to Wolfestone.