Sales and marketing thrive on building personal relationships. Having said that, the first steps are usually initiated in writing, and emails are still an important channel for reaching potential customers. In international business transactions, there are language and cultural barriers that need to be considered. Unfortunately, time and again, the same mistakes quickly ruin your chances right from the start.
Are you familiar with these emails? Someone wants to sell you something or at least establish contact. But everything feels wrong. Subject line, salutation, argumentation, style, intensity: You simply don’t like the text, even if you can’t quite put your finger on what exactly is wrong with it.
What appeals to people and what doesn’t varies significantly from person to person. However, there are also clear differences between linguistic and cultural regions. If you are not familiar with them or ignore them, a text loses its impact. In international sales and marketing, every opportunity to pique interest or stimulate conversions should be exploited. This applies to sales and marketing emails as well as to establishing contact via social media.
Here are the 3 most common mistakes that you should avoid at all costs.
Error #1: Literal translation
Obviously, a bad source text cannot be turned into a good translation. However, literal translation usually turns even a perfect source into mediocre rambling or worse. Consequently, if you aren’t absolutely fluent in the target language, you should definitely commission professionals to translate your sales and marketing emails into the target language.
Extremely literal translations can quickly go sideways, especially when it comes to idioms, allusions, or humor. Although these types of emails are effective ways of addressing potential customers, they can become completely incomprehensible and unidiomatic if they are translated literally.
AI: Where tools reach their limits
Using artificial intelligence is only a limited solution here. Tools such as DeepL or Google Translate are undeniably impressive, but they only perform well if they have sufficient context. They may be able to recognize some idioms here and there, but when it comes to humor, the results are dreadful. No matter how strong the AI is, it simply cannot recognize humor.
The same applies to technical terminology. Taken out of context, artificial intelligence will often miss the mark when it comes to technical terms. A viable middle ground here is post-editing. In this scenario, translation service providers initially work with AI tools, but then improve the machine result manually in the post-editing phase. This process is also more cost-effective than pure human translation.
Editing allusions
Allusions pose a different problem. The recipients can only understand them if they are aware of the relevant background. If you allude to local events, customs, or peculiarities, you need to make sure that these subtleties are also commonly known in the target culture. Literal translations are therefore ineffective here. Consequently, the allusion should be avoided or replaced by a suitable alternative (similar to a transcreation).
Error #2: False reasoning, logical fallacy
Most products and services fulfill several requirements at the same time, at least to the extent that they can be used for compelling arguments in sales. Some are particularly innovative, while others are cost-effective. Some products feature an enticing price-performance ratio, while others offer particularly high quality. And some simply thrive on strong brand recognition. But which argument is the most effective?
Translating sales and marketing emails for a specific region should also include the tactical consideration of adapting your own argumentation to what is desired in the target country.
Error #3: Wrong tonality
Salespeople usually have a very unique way of approaching their counterparts. The really good ones also have the uncanny ability to read their interlocutors and adapt their own tone accordingly. Unfortunately, this skill is of little use in written communication.
In international sales and marketing, you can only rely on other information when it comes to style. What communication style is common in a particular cultural environment? How direct or subtle should the wording be? How personal can it be without seeming intrusive?
The first litmus test here is the subject line, followed by the salutation. How you proceed is not only dependent on the product and the target group. The translation also needs to reflect cultural customs.
Distinguishing between formal and informal tone in sales
The fact that there is no distinction between formal and informal language in English-speaking countries leads to mistakes right from the start. The penchant to use an informal tone and addressing someone by their first name is fairly common in the USA, but can be considered inappropriate in Germany, especially during initial contact. Therefore, you should avoid using informal language unless you are absolutely sure that it is customary in the respective industry in that particular country.
What translating has to do with respect
The more distant the target culture and language are from your own, the more important it is to use professional translators. A classic example from a European perspective is Asian countries, where communication works very differently, and not just because they use different letters and symbols. For example, overly direct communication is frowned upon in most Asian cultures. You can’t just walk up to someone and start pitching your material. Accordingly, call-to-actions must be adapted linguistically, as must the timing. Following up too quickly is generally a bad habit, but in countries like Japan or Korea it is seen as a real affront. Understanding the hierarchy in Asian companies is just as important. Unknowingly skipping hierarchy levels can massively jeopardize success. Addressing people by their first names is forbidden here altogether.
Tonality and timing also play a crucial role in general planning. How much you invest in relationship building and when you actually get down to business is also a question of the target culture. People in the US and most European countries are quick to get down to business. By contrast, the same rules apply in Asia as in southern European countries. For example, it is wise to take a slow approach, even if the counterpart clearly knows what it is ultimately about. In the end, it all comes down to respect.
Good translations of emails in the sales and marketing sector are therefore much more than a “correct” translation into a target language. They must also be adapted to cultural specifics, which can be especially crucial when they concern apparent details.
