The Importance Of Localisation In Latin America

With increased access to foreign markets as a result of globalisation, the internet and technology developments; most businesses today have a larger potential for meeting the demands of foreign markets. The effectiveness of entering and expanding within a new foreign market is largely down to the correct implementation of localising your business. A simple translation does not meet the high requirements business owners have in creating a respectable image for their business or product. If the business product or service does not satisfy the language and cultural differences of a new targeted market, its reputation and reaching its full growth potential may fail as it falls short of fully catering to the target market.

Why Localisation Is Needed In Latin America

As the economy and business opportunities continue to grow in Latin America, the importance of the localisation of a product, service or website aimed at the Latin American market is higher than ever. Large multinational organisations spend millions on creating global campaigns in Latin America only to find that their new slogan does not correctly translate or portray what they are trying to say in the target language. The level of English language proficiency in Latin America is relatively low when compared with the rest of the world. This makes English-language marketing materials highly unlikely to be effective in Latin America. Localisation in Latin America is not as simple as performing a direct translation into Spanish as each Spanish-speaking Latin American nation has to an extent a different culture, turns of phrase and preferences. When looking to expand into Latin America it is therefore essential to localise marketing materials, using the expertise of professional translators familiar with the regional markets.

Latin America’s Regional Language Differences

The differences between textbook Spanish from Spain and Latin American Spanish need to be taken into account when looking to enter the Latin American market. With distinct areas, cultures and even varying regional dialects and vocabulary, not everyone in Latin America uses the ‘Spanish language’ in the same way. It is also important not to ignore the giant of Latin America, Brazil which presents a whole new language barrier and requires translation beyond Spanish. Even within Portuguese, localisation services are required and important to consider as there are differences between the Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese. To an extent and very much dependent on the target market, the indigenous languages of Latin America such as Quechua in Peru may need to be considered and accommodated especially if they have a different writing system. In order to effectively target the Latin American market, simply hiring a Spanish translator is not enough to meet the audience demands of Latin America.

Localising Your Way To Success In Latin America

Latin America requires very specific localisation and translation if a business is to be successfully in meeting the market demands. Linguistic and cultural sensitivity needs to be applied to the variety of languages across this large continent. By localising a business product or service, they become more accessible on a global front while increasing the exposure the brand and product receives. Localisation in Latin America is the perfect way to show clients that they are important to a business and that your business is willing to take that extra step in making their online experience and interaction with your brand easier. Utilising professional localisation and translation services effectively before entering the Latin American market will save time and money and minimise the need to reformat a finished product or service into the different languages.

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