I decided to brush up on my Spanish about a year ago. Having remembered only a few words from High School, I knew it was not going to be easy. I must have been sleeping when they taught grammar. Muy difícil!

Recently, my last position localizing marketing deliverables had me supporting 13 different languages, so how would focusing on just one language benefit me? I had the luxury of having brilliant writers and validators looking out for the brand and the local market so it wasn’t a priority to know every language I worked with. 

Localization is much more than translation. I would say to producers “you are always localizing, even when you are not localizing.” You may have decided to run your marketing and advertising in English worldwide but overlooked things like feature availability or that your content isn’t relevant or could be breaking a law. Dios mio! So do I need to scope for alternative versions of my content? The answer is: ALWAYS!

There is a lot to think about when you decide to sell your goods in another country and it is becoming harder and harder the more successful you are. So is being culturally sensitive enough to manage localization projects? What would learning a second, third, or forth language do for you? A lot actually. There is nothing like understanding your customer from their point of view. Language is just one of many ways to help you know how your customer thinks. Is there a formal and an informal way of speaking? When can we assume that we are friends? Is gender assigned to inanimate objects? Are the words much longer or shorter than in English? Will your customer get the figure of speech or does your slogan translate to an insult in their culture? 

I am fascinated by the tiny differences that make each market unique and where they align with the U.S. marketplace. If you keep up with current events like I do, you can see that the international landscape is always shifting. I love the variety.

Customers and foreign co-workers really appreciate when they are understood and respected; not treated as afterthoughts! If you assume that everyone loves American Football, you would just look silly. If you assume that if your customer will let it slide your brand’s message has foul language, think again.

Language is one of many fun ways to understand how your message will be received. Learn local figures of speech, insults, and even curses. You will begin to celebrate our differences and see people around the globe through a different lens.