Are you currently, or planning to sell in China? As a westerner it is a whole new world with unique social values where approaching consumers and conducting business requires social, political and generational context.

For anyone who isn’t from or currently marketing in China, conveying your products or services to this audience is not an easy task to complete without the right help. Due to cultural and political divides between the Western world and China establishing your business and operating with Chinese companies requires careful choice of  words in all communications.  Weather you are drafting ads, negotiating contracts or presenting proposals or websites, accurate translation of every point is necessary. Our experience has driven home the important of a quality translator to help you easily convey your message, provide suggestions during negotiation and help avoid communication challenges and misunderstandings.

Here are a couple of different pointers when approaching translation on different touchpoints to help you navigate this task:

Translating Websites

When translating websites we recommend hiring a person whose marketing background is  robust and has experience translating across various industries to understand and interpret your brief. If you’re trying to attract a Chinese audience, you need to consider different messages and suggestions from your experienced translator to hit the mark.  Just because it works in english, it doesn’t mean it will hit the mark with your potential Chinese customers.

Technical Interpretations

If it’s a technical project, language translations should be accurate. We recommend taking the time to find and hire a linguist who has the industry experience and even maybe the skills of the field. Many times we have found thorough research is required to fill gaps and fit the relevant field.  Accurate technical translation is essential to hit your communication objectives, convert customers and close deals.

Business-Related Records, i.e. Introductions, Proposals and negotiations

A background in business dealings is a necessary attribute for many translating scenarios.  Often if you are marketing via WeChat and other channels with inbound leads you will be relying on translators to receive, nurture and sometimes act as a sales agent. We recommend hiring someone who has a strong background in business processes, ideally with an understanding of your market (e.g. property in Australia) so that they understand all the business process as well as terms for your specific business industry.

A final word of advice

Remember, hiring a translator is like taking on a business partner that you have to trust.  Take your time, research and hire correctly for the job and you too will have a chance at getting a slice of the lucrative Chinese market!

Happy hunting.