When do guests feel comfortable? When does a hotel or restaurant meet the expectations of international visitors? Genuine hospitality is truly reflected in the language appropriate to the respective culture.
Big changes can also be reflected in small pieces of furniture. Just 20 or 30 years ago, guests in German or Austrian hotels were very likely to find a Bible in their nightstand. The fact that the book is rarely found next to the hotel bed today is not just a consequence of changed societal circumstances. The hotel industry probably also realized that it is not very comforting for people believing in other religions, as well as agnostics or atheists.
Professional balance between various cultures
Hotels and restaurants are places where different languages, cultures, and personal beliefs come together like nowhere else. This makes it tricky for operators to keep everything perfectly balanced. They must meet the expectations and customs of visitors as much and as effectively as possible, while simultaneously conveying the local culture as authentically as possible. After all, this is why their guests came in the first place.
Translation is more than information
Whether guests feel welcome or not depends on many aspects. However, language is undoubtedly one of the most powerful levers, even if its impact is often only felt subconsciously. For hotel and restaurant operators, this results in a clear requirement: Translations of marketing materials, brochures, menus, websites, as well as all other resulting texts and documents must do significantly more than provide guests with accurate information. They also need to make people feel appreciated and welcome.
Basically, it is the decision between the terms “inn” or “tavern” that sets the tone here.
Typical traps in tourism and hospitality
Social media channels offer countless examples of monumental mistranslations. In Asia in particular, hotels and restaurants frequently treat foreign languages rather casually. Although this produces funny results, it is also a sign of a lack of respect for the guests’ culture. Besides basic translation errors, the same pitfalls are often repeated:
· Translation without context: When the reference is missing
Associations that are familiar to German-speaking guests often need to be explained to foreign visitors. For example, if you name rooms after historical figures or famous places or offer excursions to traditional events, you should provide an expanded text explaining the cultural background in addition to the translation. A small service that pays off.
· Menu: When the dish needs to be explained
Regional specialties in gastronomy and catering are most likely unknown outside the German-speaking world. Therefore, they need to be explained in more detail in international translation of menus. Even arbitrarily created fantasy names of dishes usually lose their comprehensibility with a literal translation. In individual cases, this can also lead to a change in the source text. The name of the Austrian nut and chocolate cake “Mohr im Hemd” (“Moor in a shirt”) hasn’t been used in a long time. However, if someone attempted to translate the old name of the chocolate cake literally from German into English, they would likely get into a lot of trouble quickly these days.
· Pictograms: When the guest needs a dictionary
The overly artistic design of pictograms sometimes means that even locals are not sure which toilet they should use. In an international context, misunderstandings are even more likely. Consequently, the signs in the hotel and hospitality industry must be checked for comprehensibility for foreign guests, especially when it comes to safety-relevant pictograms such as fire alarms or emergency exits.
Transcreation as the key to cultures
In almost all cases, the first direct contact with a destination before booking is an enquiry via the website. Professional hotels offer at least one English translation in addition to the German website, and increasingly also other language versions. Transcreation, on the other hand, is extremely rare for hotel descriptions.
Transcreation, the combination of translation and creation, is the art of transferring not only content but also the intended emotions from the source text into the target culture. In many cases, this means a massive change in the original text, especially if the original version could trigger unwanted emotions in the target audience. Conversely, transcreation sometimes also adds “new” emotions to properly reflect the source text, which may include the visual imagery of the website. Having the website translated with that in mind thus also requires a willingness to question your own point of view. With the dedicated assistance of specialized, professional translators, hotels and restaurants can use transcreation to trigger the emotions they want to evoke with visitors.
The business card for hotels and restaurants
Of course, hotels and restaurants cannot adapt their offering to any number of target groups. However, they can choose which aspects they want to emphasize. A typical hotel in the Alps, for example, may successfully appeal to European vacationers with the promise of authentic experiences close to nature. For the Asian and North American markets, however, it may be more appropriate to choose a slightly romanticized, kitschy representation of the Alpine region. They should adapt the website accordingly in terms of text translation and image selection.
The same applies to the description of the service. All guests expect good service, but visitors from the Middle East often expect a high level of personal attention from the staff. Emphasizing this higher commitment more effectively on an Arabic-language website version does not require any major interventions. Similar differences can be observed when it comes to shopping behavior. While many European travelers buy local products or souvenirs, Chinese tourists are often more interested in luxury brands.
A lot depends on the visual imagery. For example, whether pictures from the sauna area are a good idea depends on the desired target group. In some cultures, this crosses the boundaries of modesty. The same applies to images of people drinking alcohol.
It is obvious that such changes need to be well planned and implemented with great care. Transcreation is a job for professional translation services and for certified transcreators who are not only native speakers of the target language, but also have extensive knowledge of the target culture.
This is where Pépe cooks! (and doesn’t need translators)
In the 1980s, a restaurant in a Turkish vacation resort popular with guests from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland offered “Wiener Schnitzel”. An obvious concession to all those who don’t want to try anything “exotic” on their vacation. The only problem was that the schnitzel was made from sheep meat and therefore did not really meet the expectations of the guests.
At the same time, the owner of a lovely little restaurant in the north of Mallorca put up a sign he had written himself above the entrance: “No schnitzel with French Fries here. This is where Pépe cooks!”
This is how real hospitality works. And language can be simultaneously just as ironic, self-confident, and inviting.
