The business case for translation
"Consumers would rather think, act and buy in their own language."
At the heart of any successful business are your relationships, whether with customers, staff or stakeholders. But to create strong relationships you need to be able to communicate, and if you operate in overseas markets, language can quickly become a barrier. Partnering with a language service provider to translate your content is one of the easiest and most powerful ways to open up international markets.
Key facts
- Aston Business School’s LO-C 30 research on 415 UK SMEs reveals that companies making use of language capabilities are 30% more successful in exporting than those who do not.
- 65% of people prefer content to be in their own language. If you're not translating your content then you are not engaging with all of your prospective market.
- 76% of online shoppers would choose a product with its description in their native language yet 55.6 % of the internet is in English, despite only 4.7% of the world being native English speakers.
- 40% of consumers will never buy from websites in other languages.
- Far from just being a growth tool, good localisation helps people develop a brand preference over time, especially when post-sales support is supplied in their language. 75% of customers in non-English speaking markets said they were more likely to purchase from a brand again if customer care was supplied in their language.
Have confidence in who you hire. Use the ITI Directory to find an ITI Qualified translator or interpreter, or a Language Service Provider that is an ITI Corporate member.
