Sales may be lost in translation

Sales May Be Lost In Translation

Be very careful the next time you decide to display bilingual signs.  What I mean is this:  If for example you have a sign in Spanish, be sure to have the correct English translation equivalent.  Just one small slip can cause you a loss of business.

Please do not get me wrong:  I truly believe in having signs displayed in more than one language if indeed the business is located in a multi cultural area.  In fact, it can reap many benefits and bring in many new customers but be very careful.  If the sign is not correctly translated, it can cause huge problems.  I guess that when deciding as to whether or not to display signs in more than one language, you may want to think of the following:

Is your business located in an area where your potential consumers speak more than one language?

What type of consumer are you trying to attract?  By this I mean, a consumer of a different culture speaking another language?

What are the benefits to displaying signs in more than one language?

I will end by saying this:  Sometimes a business does not have a choice but to display their signs in more than one language because of the laws of the city or country.  I.E, Montreal Canada.  If you would like to read more about this very interesting problem, then check out my reference below.

        Sales May Be Lost In Translation

        Mediapost.com – New York,NY,USA

        In China, a restaurateur eager to attract an international clientele decided to display the restaurant’s English name on the storefront next to its Chinese …

Read more at:

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=97668

I’m Donna J Jodhan wishing you a terrific day.

Donna J Jodhan is the president of Sterling Creations

Now you can view blogs and editorials written by Donna at:

http://www.donnajodhan.blogspot.com (Donna Jodhan!  advocating accessibility for all)

 http://numpadplus.com/blog/?page_id=7 (access and accessibility)

http://www.accessibilitynews.ca/acnews/editorials/donna.php (accessibility issues in Canada)

http://www.accessibilitynewsinternational.com (under the editorials section, an international perspective)

http://www.onestopbookcafe.com (under the café talk link) 

http://www.sterlingcreations.com/businessdesk.htm (important answers to consumers concerns)

https://www.sterlingcreations.ca/magazine.html (monthly editorial)

https://www.sterlingcreations.ca/blog/blog.html (blogs for language professionals and special needs business consultants)