Localization And Translation In Advertising

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Localization and Translation in Advertising

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LOCALIZATION AND TRANSLATION IN ADVERTISING 2

Localization and Translation in Advertising

Localization can be defined as the adaptation of the socio-cultural, economic, legal and

political traits of a particular group of people in a specific location and subsequently modify the

advertisement of the product accordingly. There are various ways in which localization is done.

One of them is through translation of the language of publication to local to fit the local context.

Localization is based on the general assumption that the diversities of cultures, beliefs, political,

legal and religious systems throughout the world influence how people perceive an

advertisement (Sandrini, 2008).

Translation of language used in the advertisement is one of the significant ways of

localizing advertising. For instance, an ad made in English can only be understood in English-

speaking countries. Using the same advertisement in Chinese –speaking country may not be well

received or recognized by the intended market. Translation of the original language used in the

ad to locally used style will not only enable people to understand the message but also reflect

other cultural aspects associated with usage of particular words or phrases in their language. It is

a common fact that different styles have their unique forms of usage, which only apply to that

locale. Some languages have multiple dialects which have various meanings based on cultural

and geographical variance.

Localization and translation of advertising should always be done in the manner which

does not change the initially intended message. While altering the aspects of language through

localization and interpretation, the advertisement must make sure that the primarily known

elements of the company such as logos, name, and colors remain the same. Other than translating

the language, altering the advertisement to appeal certain emotional traits within a particular

LOCALIZATION AND TRANSLATION IN ADVERTISING 3

group of people can be used. Localization provides an opportunity to gain a broader market

margin than the existing. Putting into consideration the appeals, preferences, and tastes of

different people, and using such information to create an advertisement which will be relevant to

them, the impact of the ad will be much higher; subsequently yielding better results (Malik,

Ghafoor, Iqbal & et al., 2013).

On the other hand, using a standard form of advisement tends to limit the market margin.

This is because culture, practices and other elements of the society play a vital role in influencing

the perception of people toward specific products or services. Localization in modern is not

limited to mainstream media; in contrary, venues such as social media are even more impactful

and convenient. This paper will bring out rational discussion and outline how localization and

translation should be done, factors to be considered and importance of the same.

Factors to consider in Localization of Advertising

Several factors need to be considered when translating the advertisement language to fit

the context of the locals. The same applies to other forms of localization of products. The world

is made up of different cultures, political ideologies, legal frameworks, religious beliefs and

economic diversities. These are the factors which are integral to most people and any advisement

targeting a particular group must comply with the locals' taste and preferences vis-à-vis the

factors above. There are many cases whereby multinational companies failed to conform to these

factors and what resulted was a misinterpretation of the message by the intended audience. In

some cases, such advertisements received public outcry due to the words used and message

conveyed. Some of these factors are (Kanso & Nelson, 2002):

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The social and cultural components

The world is made of different social groups. The fabrics holding these societies range

from religious beliefs, cultural practices, and customs among many others. The global

advertisement must put this into consideration. It is always vital to understand the cultures and

traditions within the intended locale. Failure to consider these factors can lead to culture

backlash; which will undoubtedly ruin the market for the products or services advertised. Some

multinationals have experienced the negative results of failing to localize their products through

consideration of the cultural aspects of the people. For instance, usage of phrases which are

deemed to be derogatory in particular locale may detriment the overall perception towards that

good or product advertised.

The language is a significant channel of advertising, needs to be subjected to rigorous

localization to fit the locale's context and avoid or minimize chances of misstatements and

misinterpretation. Society being dynamic, and always changing, the advertisement must put into

consideration such kind of changes.

Cultural aspects can be highly emotive. For instance, religion is a sensitive issue in most

societies. The advertisement made for specific locale ought to consider religious elements of

such particular area. Any real or perceived disrespect towards the ways of life of the intended

market can adversely affect the overall achievements of the advertisement. In some cultures,

usage of specific language about divinity is considered sacred. Localization of publication needs

to find such diversities. Also, the main reason why it is good to localize advertisement is to avoid

such conflicts. However, trying to impress or fit into expectations of every person within a

particular locale may be futile. This does not mean that it is not possible to produce the

LOCALIZATION AND TRANSLATION IN ADVERTISING 5

advertisement that will be widely accepted. The most common and convenient way of ensuring

that the ad does not infringe the religious aspects within particular locale is to localize the ad

through globalization. This means using widely accepted forms of language, emotional elements

or principles which are recognized and acknowledge by a more significant number of people.

Another way is to be vague on matters which are highly emotive. This is crucial when the

targeted locale is made up of people who subscribe to different beliefs and ideologies; precisely

within the context of religion.

Political and Legal Components

Localization of advertisement must always consider political and legal components of

the particular locale. These are the most basic entails of a successful ad. The social structures are

intertwined with political and legal frameworks; and while localizing the advertisement, it is

essential to consider the impact which it can cause, as far as legality and political correctness are

concerned. Research should always be conducted to determine the general political and legal

environment of such locale.

Political components are more or less like the social and cultural. They influence the

general perception of the people within that locale. A good advertisement must be able to fit into

the mainstream context or avoid any association which may cause conflict with the people within

that area. Most societies are polarized by their political diversities. Localization of advertisement

ought to put this into consideration through ensuring that it does not cause political conflicts

among the locales. There are numerous examples whereby publications failed to capture the

current political elements within the society. The effects of this became catastrophic to not only

the sales of the advertised goods or services.

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Legal components are also essential. While advertising, it is crucial to review the legal

framework of the intended locale. Through localization, the advertisement can be fitted into the

context of regulations and laws governing the people within that area. It is not only essential

while advertising, but also when selling the advertised product in that market. There are

numerous cases whereby the multinational companies failed to consider the aspect of laws and

regulations; leading to incurrence criminal liabilities. The reason why localization needs to an

emphasis on the legality of advertisement is due to consequences which can bring to the product

and services advertised and also the company. From consulting with the legal framework of a

particular locale, a company intending to market their products will ensure that they are dealing

with a legally accepted product or services and at the same time advertising the same as per the

laws and regulations of that jurisdiction.

Economic Components

The economic factor in the localization of advertisement cannot be ignored. Different

locales throughout the word comprise of economic diversities which influences their views on

particular products or services. While localizing ads, it is essential to consider this aspect. For

instance, most countries have two sets of populations, the urban and rural. These two categories

of people have different economic practices. Those who are based in rural areas are likely to be

involved in the agriculture-based economy while those who are living in urban areas have

diversified economy. Localization of advertising needs to consider how a product or service can

be advertised to the two groups and at the same time maintain the primary goal of the

advertisement. Localization from economic perspective ought to consider all factors of

productions such as labor, capital, land, and entrepreneurship. On a broader consideration, it is

LOCALIZATION AND TRANSLATION IN ADVERTISING 7

also essential to research on the economic power of the intended audience t. For instance,

advertising a product to a widespread group of people should be different from lower class or

upper class. The argument behind this hypothesis is that their reactions vary depending on their

ability to afford the products or services advertised.

The economic component includes policies which have been put in place by the

government to regulate the economy. Localization of advertising should reflect these economic

policies and subsequently comply accordingly. Variance between the locale's financial

framework and the advertisement brings a divergence from the intended goal; therefore, failing

to create an impact on the people targeted. Before advertising, it is essential to research on tastes

and preferences of the populace focused. Analysis of on their consumption traits can be done to

figure out how to localize an advertisement to fit the context of that particular locale.

Functional Components

Localization of advertising ought to relate to functional components within the targeted

locale. A perfect example is changing the contacts and addresses information to fit those of the

focused area. Since Coca-Cola and Apple Companies are multinationals, they cannot use the

same addresses or contacts in China and Britain or the USA. In most cases, significant

multinational companies like them have local branches, and the connections and addresses used

within particular locale are for those departments.

Functional components include time, geographical location, and weight measurements.

Localization of advertising should reflect on the most related terms. Mitigation can be done

through translation of the advertisement to fit the context of the audience or locale targeted. A

good example of weight and size will be on the usage of grams an ounce. In some parts of the

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world, grams are majorly used to measure pressure while in other parts; the most applied term is

the ounce. These differences need to be localized to fit the usage of the local people.

Other Components

There are other components which are equally essential and ought to be considered while

localizing the advertisement. Some factors such as colors used in commercial, the style of

presentation, graphics, and nature of images among others may appear unimportant; however,

they are crucial when determining how to localize the advertisement. These factors are primarily

interlinked with the cultural aspects of the targeted audience. In some parts of the world, specific

colors and shapes are associated with something else within the society. It can either be a

superstition, divine, myth or just a social trait. When advertisement uses these colors or shapes,

emotive or sentimental reactions are likely to be experienced by the targeted audience. Th best

wat way of fitting into the context of the society or locale targeted, it is essential to consider

these factors. A good example can be the red color. In some parts of the world, this color is

associated with love while in others, the color is more perceived to reflect danger, bloodshed or

terror. Localization of advertising should weight such components to fit into the expectation of

the targeted audience. Another perfect example is the use of religious symbols. Using a symbol

of Jesus in Brazil may not be a significant deal as compared to a country like Saudi Arabia; and

vice versa. Through localization, the advertisement should be able to reflect on the general

social, political or economic aspects of the targeted groups.

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Factors to consider in Translation of Advertising

Translation of advertisement is one of the ways of localizing it; however, not the only

one. Most ads are either in written or audio forms. Very few are exclusively pictorial or

graphical. A typical example is translating a French advertisement into the English language; to

be followed by the English speaking people. The same applies to other languages such as

Chinese and Arabic; which have the unique form of witting. It is usually a huge task to translate

information from one language to another without losing the intended message.

There are several things which need to be considered while translating an advertisement

from one language to another. Word-to-word translation should never be applied. The reason

behind this is because a word in one language; when translated directly may not produce the

actual intended meaning in another language. What needs to be considered is the message which

those translated words carry. Failure to do so may lead to misinterpretation of the letters in the

advertisement; therefore, fragmenting the intended purpose. While turning, the logical

conclusion of the local language about the intended message should be reviewed. Some words

change meaning by merely using them together with other words. There are also worlds which

become illogical when used at particular time or season. Also, it is possible to produce

derogatory phrases by merely translating the words from one language to another without a

critical analysis of their logicality. The possibility of losing the meaning of the intended message

is highly possible when words are merely translated. All these should be analyzed while

localizing the advertisement.

Language should also be able to bring out or reflect sentimental attributes of the locals.

The tone of the writing has a significant impact on the success of advertisement; therefore, the

LOCALIZATION AND TRANSLATION IN ADVERTISING 10

process of localizing the ad should not just rely on the wording. Some words denote rudeness,

arrogance or confidence. On the other hand, there are words which when used, portray widely

accepted mannerisms. These play a huge role in the general impact of the advertisement; and

ought to be considered accordingly during localization (Zervaki, 2002).

Importance of Translation and Localization of Advertising

There many reasons why localization and translation of advertisement are essential.

Most multinational companies spend the enormous amount of money in localizing ads to fit the

general socio-cultural, economic, political and legal context of the targeted audience. One perfect

example is Coca-Cola Company. Most of their mainstream advertisements are unique to each

locale, country or region. The fact that they spend a lot of money creating those ads shows that

they value localization of poster. Some of the primary reasons are:

Gaining a Wider Audience

Localization of publication creates a broader audience. The more people identify with

what is being advertised, the higher probability that they will pay attention to the message. As a

result, that the advertisement will be able to reach a bigger potential market than when a regular

form of notice is used. Language difference is a significant barrier to communication throughout

the world. Not many people outside Japan understand Japanese; however, this has not deterred a

company like Toyota from advertising their product in Western Countries or even in Africa. The

reason behind this is mainly because the company has localized advertisements to fit each

targeted market.

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Increase in Sales Margin

Once the product has been advertised to a broader audience; which comprises potential

buyers, there is a likelihood that the sales will increase. Though it is just an assumption, the fact

that the market margin has been increased can potentially raise the volume of purchase.

Localization and Translation in Digital Era

With the advent of social media as a revolutionary mode of advertising services and

goods, most companies have started using it to target the particular group of people, based on

cultural or economic diversities (Esselink, 2000). Through information provided online, it is

possible to know the taste and preferences of the targeted audience. The restricted form of ads is

therefore created for that group of potential consumers. Technology has enabled the advertisers

to know the expectations of the likely consumers and subsequently develop advertisements

which may be of interest to them (Okazaki & Taylor, 2013).

Conclusion

In conclusion, it can be stated that localization and translation of advertisement can

influence the overall sales of products and services. Multinational companies should highly

invest in the localization of announcement to increase the audience and subsequently the sales of

their product. When people can identify with what is being advertised, there is a likelihood that

they will pay more attention to what is said. The best way of doing this is through localization

and translation of advertisement. Socio-cultural, political and economic factors play a significant

role in localization; therefore, ought to be put into consideration (DePalma, 2002).

LOCALIZATION AND TRANSLATION IN ADVERTISING 12

References

DePalma, D. A. (2002). Business without borders: a strategic guide to global marketing. John

Wiley and Sons.

Esselink, B. (2000). A practical guide to software localization (Rev. ed.). Amsterdam &

Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

Kanso, A., & Nelson, R. A. (2002). Advertising localization overshadows standardization.

Journal of Advertising Research, 42(1), 79-89.

Malik, M. E., Ghafoor, M. M., Iqbal, H. K., Ali, Q., Hunbal, H., Noman, M., & Ahmad, B.

(2013). Impact of brand image and advertisement on consumer buying behavior. World

Applied Sciences Journal, 23(1), 117-122.

Okazaki, S., & Taylor, C. R. (2013). Social media and international advertising: theoretical

challenges and future directions. Global marketing review, 30(1), 56-71.

Sandrini, P. (2008). Localization and Translation. LSP Translation Scenarios, 167.

Zervaki, T. (2002). Globalize, localize, translate tips and resources for success;[a condensed

guide of how to globalize websites, documents, and products for business, vendors and

language professionals]. 1stBooks Library.

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