Why business translation is essential for company growth

Businesses can grow through globalization, but their success in international markets relies on clear, culturally relevant communication.

Translation is complex; a word in your native language could carry a completely different meaning elsewhere. Localizing your content to reflect cultural nuances avoids this confusion, strengthening your relationships with customers, teams, and partners.

Many organizations outsource this task, but traditional business translation services can quickly become time-consuming and costly. Whether your business needs to translate product descriptions, marketing campaigns, or internal communications, choosing the right translation service for your business requires an in-depth understanding of your needs.

In this guide, we’ll define business translation, explore common types of language translation, and share what to look for when selecting a service.

What is business translation?

Business translation converts a company’s content (e.g., emails, contracts, and marketing materials) into different languages to spur international growth. It bridges language barriers so you can effectively communicate with multilingual teams, partners, and customers.

For companies expanding into international markets, business translation improves your ability to perform the following tasks:

• Market to new audiences and reach local customer segments
• Ensure legal and financial documents are accurate and compliant across regions
• Train global employees with translated manuals, policies, and e-learning materials
• Coordinate projects with international colleagues

Common types of business language translation

Businesses that translate their materials into another language are making a significant time commitment. Translation needs will vary depending on a company’s size, the type of documents, and the business’s goals.

Let’s examine the most common types of translation for business to ensure your business is prepared to address local language needs.

Translating technical documents

Many businesses produce extensive technical documents, such as user manuals, product specifications, and operation guides. These materials explain how a product, service, or process works so customers, employees, or partners can use it safely and effectively.

When a company expands into global markets, these documents must be translated for multilingual audiences.

The challenge: Technical content contains industry-specific terms, measurements, and instructions. Translation mistakes can lead to product misuse and safety risks. Businesses may struggle to maintain consistent terminology across multiple documents, especially when updates or new versions are released.

The solution: Error-free technical translations require a combination of strategies, technology, and expertise. Businesses should begin by building up their Translation Memory (TM), a brand’s terminology database of approved translations, within their Translation Management System (TMS). Instead of retranslating and paying for the same content, TM automatically handles translations for known words and segments of text, keeping translation costs down while ensuring consistent translations across projects.

Translating legal documents

Companies seeking to expand into global markets need accurate translations of legal content. Legal documents—contracts, patents, and compliance guidelines—ensure a business complies with local laws. One mistake could lead to legal issues or safety risks. Accurate translations help your company protect its interests and develop trusted partnerships in global markets.

The challenge: Legal language is highly specific. Even minor translation errors can change the meaning of a clause or invalidate an agreement. Laws, regulations, and terminology vary between countries, so a word-for-word translation won’t work. Legal content must be adapted to match local requirements while preserving its original intent.

The solution: Similar to technical translation, businesses should hire professional translation experts who use technology to accurately translate legal documents. A team of skilled translators that includes local translators, legal experts, and market consultants can localize content to meet regional legal standards. AI-powered machine translation and legal glossaries can quickly process large volumes of legal text, but human oversight is needed to avoid mistakes.

Translating marketing content

Advertisements, social media campaigns, website copy, and other marketing content help businesses connect with customers and promote their brands. Marketing content must be localized to match the language and cultural expectations of the target audience.

The challenge: Literal translations of marketing content often fall flat because humor, tone, and cultural references don’t carry over. What works in one region might confuse or offend audiences in another. At the same time, businesses want to maintain a consistent brand voice across all markets.

The solution: Businesses need a thoughtful approach to successfully localize marketing content. This often requires transcreation, which focuses on adapting the feeling of a text rather than the literal words. Translation and marketing teams should work together, simplifying source content and ensuring international SEO relevance. Translators can refine content using culturally appropriate language while staying true to the original intent. Together, these teams can create content that aligns with the brand’s identity and resonates with the target audience.

Translating websites

A business’s website is often the first point of contact for international customers. Website content, such as landing pages, blog posts, and e-commerce shops, can be seen by anyone with an internet connection, regardless of location.

Website translation lets visitors navigate, understand, and engage with your brand in their preferred language. It also involves adapting the user experience to feel natural.

The challenge: Websites are constantly updated with new content—blog posts, product listings, and promotions. Managing frequent changes while keeping website translations accurate and updated can be a significant challenge.

The solution: To efficiently translate websites, businesses should implement a localization process that integrates directly with their content management system (CMS). Many TMSs offer integrations with popular CMSs like Contentful, Contentstack, or Sitecore.

Additionally, a website translation proxy provides an efficient solution for keeping multilingual websites up-to-date with freshly translated content.  Website proxies like Smartling’s Global Delivery Network automatically detect new and updated content and send it for translation, reducing the manual work of hosting your site in multiple languages. This way, global users all experience the same fresh content in their native language.

Factors when choosing a business translation service

The proper professional translation service is essential for any business that wants to communicate clearly and overcome language barriers. Here are four factors to consider when hiring a provider:

Quality and accuracy

High-quality translations are about more than just swapping words. They must be accurate, clear, and appropriate for your audience.

Look for providers that hire experienced translators with industry expertise. This is especially vital for technical or specialized content where mistakes can cause mistakes or legal issues. A rigorous quality control process, including editing and proofreading, helps maintain accuracy across projects.

Technological capabilities

Managing large or ongoing translation projects can become overwhelming without the right tools. Smartling’s TMS can handle multiple languages while maintaining consistency and streamlining your workflows. It centralizes translation tasks into a single platform where brands can build translation memory and leverage linguistic assets like style guides or glossaries to maintain uniformity across content, no matter the scope or scale of the project.

Confidentiality and security

Translations often involve sensitive content, such as contracts, financial reports, or internal documents. Your provider should have systems in place to protect this information. Look for providers that offer secure platforms, clear confidentiality policies, and encryption to keep your data safe.

Cultural understanding

Providers with robust localization services adapt your content to fit cultural norms, expressions, and preferences. Your message should feel natural, whether you’re launching a marketing campaign or communicating with local teams.

How Smartling can help you with business translation

Translating content for a global audience comes with unique challenges—managing large volumes of content, keeping messaging consistent across languages, and finding translators who understand your industry. The process can quickly become overwhelming. Mistakes in translation may damage your brand’s reputation or delay important projects. These are problems an international business can’t afford to ignore.

Fortunately, Smartling offers a range of AI translation solutions that improve the speed, quality, and cost-efficiency of translation workflows. For example, Smartling’s AI-powered Human Translation solution combines Al efficiency with professional translator review to deliver high-quality translations at scale. Translators with domain expertise work alongside AI-powered translation workflows to ensure accurate, industry-specific translations that align with your business goals.

Global expansion doesn’t have to break the budget or make your team break a sweat. Download our free eBook, “10 Strategies to Boost Translation Efficiency,” to discover actionable ways to improve translation speed, reduce costs, and maintain quality. You’ll learn to achieve more with your budget while growing across borders.

Businesses can grow through globalization, but their success in international markets relies on clear, culturally relevant communication.

Translation is complex; a word in your native language could carry a completely different meaning elsewhere. Localizing your content to reflect cultural nuances avoids this confusion, strengthening your relationships with customers, teams, and partners.

Many organizations outsource this task, but traditional business translation services can quickly become time-consuming and costly. Whether your business needs to translate product descriptions, marketing campaigns, or internal communications, choosing the right translation service for your business requires an in-depth understanding of your needs.

In this guide, we’ll define business translation, explore common types of language translation, and share what to look for when selecting a service.

What is business translation?

Business translation converts a company’s content (e.g., emails, contracts, and marketing materials) into different languages to spur international growth. It bridges language barriers so you can effectively communicate with multilingual teams, partners, and customers.

For companies expanding into international markets, business translation improves your ability to perform the following tasks:

• Market to new audiences and reach local customer segments
• Ensure legal and financial documents are accurate and compliant across regions
• Train global employees with translated manuals, policies, and e-learning materials
• Coordinate projects with international colleagues

Common types of business language translation

Businesses that translate their materials into another language are making a significant time commitment. Translation needs will vary depending on a company’s size, the type of documents, and the business’s goals.

Let’s examine the most common types of translation for business to ensure your business is prepared to address local language needs.

Translating technical documents

Many businesses produce extensive technical documents, such as user manuals, product specifications, and operation guides. These materials explain how a product, service, or process works so customers, employees, or partners can use it safely and effectively.

When a company expands into global markets, these documents must be translated for multilingual audiences.

The challenge: Technical content contains industry-specific terms, measurements, and instructions. Translation mistakes can lead to product misuse and safety risks. Businesses may struggle to maintain consistent terminology across multiple documents, especially when updates or new versions are released.

The solution: Error-free technical translations require a combination of strategies, technology, and expertise. Businesses should begin by building up their Translation Memory (TM), a brand’s terminology database of approved translations, within their Translation Management System (TMS). Instead of retranslating and paying for the same content, TM automatically handles translations for known words and segments of text, keeping translation costs down while ensuring consistent translations across projects.

Translating legal documents

Companies seeking to expand into global markets need accurate translations of legal content. Legal documents—contracts, patents, and compliance guidelines—ensure a business complies with local laws. One mistake could lead to legal issues or safety risks. Accurate translations help your company protect its interests and develop trusted partnerships in global markets.

The challenge: Legal language is highly specific. Even minor translation errors can change the meaning of a clause or invalidate an agreement. Laws, regulations, and terminology vary between countries, so a word-for-word translation won’t work. Legal content must be adapted to match local requirements while preserving its original intent.

The solution: Similar to technical translation, businesses should hire professional translation experts who use technology to accurately translate legal documents. A team of skilled translators that includes local translators, legal experts, and market consultants can localize content to meet regional legal standards. AI-powered machine translation and legal glossaries can quickly process large volumes of legal text, but human oversight is needed to avoid mistakes.

Translating marketing content

Advertisements, social media campaigns, website copy, and other marketing content help businesses connect with customers and promote their brands. Marketing content must be localized to match the language and cultural expectations of the target audience.

The challenge: Literal translations of marketing content often fall flat because humor, tone, and cultural references don’t carry over. What works in one region might confuse or offend audiences in another. At the same time, businesses want to maintain a consistent brand voice across all markets.

The solution: Businesses need a thoughtful approach to successfully localize marketing content. This often requires transcreation, which focuses on adapting the feeling of a text rather than the literal words. Translation and marketing teams should work together, simplifying source content and ensuring international SEO relevance. Translators can refine content using culturally appropriate language while staying true to the original intent. Together, these teams can create content that aligns with the brand’s identity and resonates with the target audience.

Translating websites

A business’s website is often the first point of contact for international customers. Website content, such as landing pages, blog posts, and e-commerce shops, can be seen by anyone with an internet connection, regardless of location.

Website translation lets visitors navigate, understand, and engage with your brand in their preferred language. It also involves adapting the user experience to feel natural.

The challenge: Websites are constantly updated with new content—blog posts, product listings, and promotions. Managing frequent changes while keeping website translations accurate and updated can be a significant challenge.

The solution: To efficiently translate websites, businesses should implement a localization process that integrates directly with their content management system (CMS). Many TMSs offer integrations with popular CMSs like Contentful, Contentstack, or Sitecore.

Additionally, a website translation proxy provides an efficient solution for keeping multilingual websites up-to-date with freshly translated content.  Website proxies like Smartling’s Global Delivery Network automatically detect new and updated content and send it for translation, reducing the manual work of hosting your site in multiple languages. This way, global users all experience the same fresh content in their native language.

Factors when choosing a business translation service

The proper professional translation service is essential for any business that wants to communicate clearly and overcome language barriers. Here are four factors to consider when hiring a provider:

Quality and accuracy

High-quality translations are about more than just swapping words. They must be accurate, clear, and appropriate for your audience.

Look for providers that hire experienced translators with industry expertise. This is especially vital for technical or specialized content where mistakes can cause mistakes or legal issues. A rigorous quality control process, including editing and proofreading, helps maintain accuracy across projects.

Technological capabilities

Managing large or ongoing translation projects can become overwhelming without the right tools. Smartling’s TMS can handle multiple languages while maintaining consistency and streamlining your workflows. It centralizes translation tasks into a single platform where brands can build translation memory and leverage linguistic assets like style guides or glossaries to maintain uniformity across content, no matter the scope or scale of the project.

Confidentiality and security

Translations often involve sensitive content, such as contracts, financial reports, or internal documents. Your provider should have systems in place to protect this information. Look for providers that offer secure platforms, clear confidentiality policies, and encryption to keep your data safe.

Cultural understanding

Providers with robust localization services adapt your content to fit cultural norms, expressions, and preferences. Your message should feel natural, whether you’re launching a marketing campaign or communicating with local teams.

How Smartling can help you with business translation

Translating content for a global audience comes with unique challenges—managing large volumes of content, keeping messaging consistent across languages, and finding translators who understand your industry. The process can quickly become overwhelming. Mistakes in translation may damage your brand’s reputation or delay important projects. These are problems an international business can’t afford to ignore.

Fortunately, Smartling offers a range of AI translation solutions that improve the speed, quality, and cost-efficiency of translation workflows. For example, Smartling’s AI-powered Human Translation solution combines Al efficiency with professional translator review to deliver high-quality translations at scale. Translators with domain expertise work alongside AI-powered translation workflows to ensure accurate, industry-specific translations that align with your business goals.

Global expansion doesn’t have to break the budget or make your team break a sweat. Download our free eBook, “10 Strategies to Boost Translation Efficiency,” to discover actionable ways to improve translation speed, reduce costs, and maintain quality. You’ll learn to achieve more with your budget while growing across borders.