Many American businesses fail to expand global markets due to language barriers. Some start with free or cheap translation tools like Google Translate or other AI solutions, only to end up with a messed-up translation and costly whoopsie-daisies in the final output. On the other hand, successful companies that want to grow outside the United States invest in professional translation services. And so, the question remains: do the benefits of professional translation services outweigh the costs?
In this article, you’ll learn how:
- Using Google Translate or AI translation is only recommended for translation projects that pose no risks to the reader.
- Cheap translation tools for business content are a terrible idea.
- If you want to avoid embarrassing and costly translation hiccups, work with a professional translation provider.
Non-Negotiable Advantages Of Professional Translators
I’m not telling you to avoid alternative AI solutions – those are suitable for personal project recipes.
That said, it’s an entirely different discussion for business applications. AI isn’t yet in a position to replace human translators, and it looks like it will be that way for a while yet.
| Aspect | Human Translators | Machine Translation |
| Context & Intent | Easily understands uncommon phrases like “table this discussion.” | Struggles with ambiguities and is often transliterated. |
| Emotional Intelligence | Conveys subtle tones (humorous, formal, persuasive) to target audience. | Can hardly interpret emotional context. |
| Novel Content | They can handle new expressions, slang, niche terms, etc. | Only understands what it has been trained on. |
| Responsibility | Humans can make ethical decisions about sensitive content. | No accountability. No ethical judgment. |
| Trust | Needs to be trustworthy. So they maintain the integrity of the original material. | It doesn’t expect you to trust them. Don’t care about reputation. |
The Benefits Of Professional Translation Services
The benefits of professional translation services are endless, as they can be used in every industry and sector. But to get to the point, I’ve narrowed down the benefits that businesses, in general, can capitalize on, especially in new markets.
Easier Access to Information
If your content is translated into multiple languages, it exponentially increases its potential reach, opening doors for countless people. By “translated,” I mean “localized,” not transliterated, which is surprisingly a pretty common thing among new businesses.
Say you’ve got medical paperwork, legal documents, visa requirements, USCIS documents, or any text of importance. Having it translated means it can now be accessible.
Now, what if you came across some crucial information in your non-native language, like an instruction manual or some sort? It’s pretty rare for an American to experience this in the United States, but for non-English-speaking nations, this scenario is very frustrating.
Say you want to establish a presence in those regions. In that case, it’s best to have a reliable translation provider on your side, as they can remove language barriers and allow more people to consume the information.
And when I say reliable, I mean a professional translation service company, like Ditto Transcripts, not some “advanced” AI Chatbots where you’d pay based on a certain amount of tokens spent translating a document.
Clearer Communication Between Different Languages
One of the biggest benefits that professional translation services can facilitate is that communication with different native speakers becomes a whole lot easier. According to recent data, an average of $62.4 million per year is lost due to ineffective communication, which includes language barrier issues.
Having a professional translator significantly reduces the chance of costly misunderstandings that can disrupt a project’s progress or, worse, strain relationships. These may involve translation mistakes in business deals, diplomatic efforts, and even personal bonds.
Advantage Over Market Competition
The truth is, if you want to sell your products to non-native-speaking audiences, you’d first need to start speaking their language. How do you expect the Japanese to choose your products over your competitor who speaks fluent Nihongo?
Fortunately, most business transactions today are done online. This means there’s no need for business owners or staff to learn the native language to sell their products to the locals, right? Well, if they’re using Google Translate or other cheap AI solutions to translate their marketing materials, they’ll soon wonder why they haven’t sold a peanut despite all the “marketing efforts.”
Businesses who opt for professional translation services to localize their content, marketing campaigns, web articles, social media posts, or newsletters will almost always experience increased revenue – are you surprised? I mean, imagine if Coca-Cola had translated their slogan “Taste the Feeling” into Japanese, only for it to actually say “Swallow the Emotion.” You get the idea.
Language Transfer is Easier With Translated Contents
Sharing knowledge across organizations is so much easier when everyone speaks the same language. However, that’s not always the case for international companies with teams and departments from around the world. Take Asian brands that are now global, for example – Samsung, Japanese car manufacturers, and so on. Or vice versa – Western brands that expanded into Asian markets.
Naturally, these global businesses would have departments from different countries – departments that would eventually work together on specific projects or goals. However, without proper translation, such collaborations would be worthless as not everyone speaks English.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m saying that you’d need a translator for every Zoom call. I’m referring to crucial documents like company policies, specific procedures and protocols, safety guidelines, industry-specific guidelines, and product patents. If you get those essential contents translated and localized, everyone will be on the same page, and they can then learn from one another.
Why Do You Need Accurate Translation?
I’ve seen some wild translation fails that looked funny at first, but had serious consequences.
For instance, back in the 1960s, Pepsi rolled out a campaign with the tagline “Come alive! You’re in the Pepsi generation.” English-speaking regions have accepted it well, but when it reached China, the tagline was genuinely translated as “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave.” The epic fail might’ve been hilarious on the surface. However, it didn’t go down well with Pepsi, as Chinese culture includes venerating their ancestors – Pepsi’s revenue suffered as a result.
In fact, even modern businesses have experienced similar translation failures. Sometimes it’s just funny, but in most cases, it’s costly and embarrassing. However, I don’t know what or who Pepsi tasked to translate the tagline. Today, modern organizations experience these scenarios mainly due to a heavy reliance on Google Translate or AI solutions.
Now, if one juxtaposes that with legal or medical documentation, they’re in for a disaster.
Let Us Be Your Professional Translation Partner
Here’s what you can expect from us.
Straightforward Process
Ordering translations from Ditto is always straightforward. Your project manager serves as the single point of contact, handling the entire process from start to finish. We confirm the details, assign translators, and manage all steps, keeping you informed with clear communication.
Expect coordinated management, whether placing large enterprise orders or small personal requests. Ditto Transcripts’ professional audio translation makes it easy for you.
Quick Turnaround Times
You’ll appreciate how fast Ditto Transcripts can turn things around. We deliver requested content on time, working hard to provide accurate transcriptions and translations promptly with each order.
We know delays can hurt your work, so we prioritize timeliness across all client orders. You can trust us to get high-quality files back quickly without sacrificing quality.
Skilled Human Translators Only
Our translators are real people, not machines. AI can work faster, but only human insight captures nuance and intention within complex content.
Our native translators understand the linguistic and cultural subtleties in each language. They adapt terminology and phrasing to fit the unique style, tone, and purpose of every project’s audio or video content.
Meticulous quality checks are in place, and we proudly guarantee 99% accuracy across all target languages.
Ditto Transcripts Can Translate The Following Languages to English
Here are the languages that we can help you translate.
- German / Old High German
- Arabic
- French
- Spanish
- Italian
- And more
We Can Handle All Types of Documents
There are too many to mention, below are some examples of the documents we can translate.
| Types of Documents | ||
| E-mails | Journals | Medical histories |
| Books of all kinds | Diaries | Physician notes |
| Research paper | Recipes | Laboratory results |
| News and magazine articles | Typed Letters | Immigration papers |
| Travel listings and guides | Handwritten letters in German dating back to the early 1900s | Birth certificates |
| Web pages localization | Social media posts | High school and college transcripts |
| Marketing copy | Academic research | Conferences |
| Product descriptions | Scientific research | Focus groups |
| Mobile app localization | Recorded audio and video | Court transcripts |
| Contracts | Service agreements | And more types of documents |
| Job descriptions | Meeting minutes | |
Expand Your Business With Professional Translation Service
Give us a call and take advantage of our professional translation services. Let’s discuss how our affordable, high-quality human translation services can help you reach more customers globally. For as little as $0.50 a page, or $5.00 per audio/video minute, you get 99% guaranteed accuracy from native-speaking experts.
Considering the potential for expanded audience reach, it’s an investment that more than pays for itself. Call (720) 287-3710 today for a free quote.