The Fundamental Role of Translation in International Business

In today's globalized world, the challenges of expanding operations and effective communication across language barriers have become paramount for businesses worldwide. As companies increasingly interact with diverse cultures and markets, the ability to convey brand identity and establish seamless communication has become essential.

This article explores the evolving landscape of corporate translation and the rising demand for agile, cost-effective, and accurate translation services that combine human expertise with cutting-edge technology.

Emerging needs in corporate translation

It would be difficult to find two terms as closely linked as translation and globalization. With the internationalization of companies, language has been the biggest challenge in expanding operations and communicating across physical barriers.

The increasing interaction between people and cultures from different parts of the world has given small and medium-sized businesses access to a wider market. The challenge is how to establish effective communication that can convey a brand's identity regardless of the market it is in. 

As a result, nowadays, businesses require agile, cost-effective and accurate translation services that combine technology and human expertise to ensure effective and high quality communication. The importance of translation, therefore, lies in the possibility of understanding other cultures in the way we understand our own language.

Machine translation: the solution to current corporate translation requirements

The radical changes that the global economy has undergone have changed the dynamics of contemporary translation. This new vision involves collecting, understanding, applying and sharing a myriad of data, so that it becomes relevant content for all those to whom it is destined.

The Digital Corpus of the European Parliament alone produces a data trove of 1.37 billion words in 23 different languages. Using the vast amount of existing online material, computers have created statistical models with AI algorithms that learn and refine translation as they absorb new sources.

Neural machine translation, as an enterprise translation solution, makes it possible to generate scalable amounts of multilingual content, in the same way as our own biological nervous systems would; infinitely faster and more cost-effectively.

What is driving the adoption of machine translation?

Machine translation solves the two fundamental issues of globalization; the overcoming of physical barriers and the centrality of knowledge and information. It offers the following benefits compared to more traditional translation:

• Simplicity and transparency in the process: With an integrated machine translation platform, it is possible to unify translation tasks, automatically upload texts and have full visibility of the translation process. In this way, modifications or contributions can be made in real time and problems can be solved proactively.

• A higher return on investment (ROI): The ability to track the value of projects is only possible with a comprehensive digital platform. It prompts data-driven decisions on where best to allocate translation funds and eliminate unnecessary expenses and wasted time.

• Improved accuracy and quality: The ability to use up-to-date glossaries and translation memories helps ensure consistency and accuracy throughout the content. By learning and thinking like a human mind, they offer the ability to understand context, and interpret and translate subjective concepts.

• Security and confidentiality: By keeping all content within a single system, the risk of a potential breach is significantly minimized. New data anonymization and de-identification techniques prevent sensitive information from being disclosed even if it is accessed.

Examples and real cases of translation in modern companies

Corporate communication

As we move into the post-pandemic era, and driven by the remote work trend, companies need a tailored translation engine that facilitates internal communication. Accurate communication with partners and stakeholders supports the smooth running of global business operations.

When starting a relationship with a new potential partner, it is very important to build trust. Without professional translation, it may be impossible to do business with people and entities abroad. 

Modern machine translation platforms allow multilingual communication to flow while sensitive information remains secure. In this way, interpersonal connections and the exchange of knowledge are strengthened; both being equally important for international business.

Marketing and commercial use 

The way a message is delivered decides, in large part, whether customers will buy the product or service in question. Local buyers should have a real idea of what is being sold, so they know exactly what to expect. 

On the other hand, it is important to ensure that users identify with the brand, regardless of language or cultural differences, and that business strategies are not clouded by misuse of the language in question. 

When it comes to translating content such as websites, adverts, marketing material, customer service and social media, the importance of culture in translation should not be overlooked.

The launch of Amazon's Swedish website in 2020 was a source of controversy when it received millions of criticisms for translation mistakes and errors, including mistaking the Argentine flag for the Swedish flag. In addition, erroneous translations were used, which, in some cases, formed offensive Swedish terms. As a result, Amazon shares fell by 2.7%.

Official translations and technical documents

Legal and foreign policy documents must be especially clear and understandable, as they often have ramifications related to liability and compliance. These translations usually involve a judicious and time-consuming process, whereas smart translation is able to speed up the process while improving accuracy. 

Contracts, patents and technical documents also require accurate translation to avoid unforeseen repercussions. 

A recent example is the Czech ingredient list on a chocolate bar from Tesco, the largest British supermarket chain, which suffered an apparent technical translation error and triggered a legal case. Tesco's defeat in the EU Supreme Court shows the danger to which commercial translations with a technical nature are exposed.

Pangeanic: machine translation solutions tailored to your business

Pangeanic has developed the latest patented technology in deep adaptive machine translation, which guarantees the impact of machine learning at different translation levels. It uses a powerful neural network API to produce smooth and context-appropriate translations. 

Pangeanic's machine translation technology provides a flexible and user-centered approach. Users are in control of their data and can customize the MT engines, allowing them to take charge of their own machine translation software.

Visit our machine translation division's website for more information on PangeaMT's features.