While attempting to cater the needs of the global consumer, marketers face a culturally diverse population and it is important to utilize those instruments to measure various concepts which are culturally and linguistically apt when conducting research with different cultural groups.

So what is the importance of a translation company?

It is advisable to assign experienced professional translators company having native translators located in the target country or region. Any good translation company should be able to cover for 50+ languages and have translators located in your target markets.

Give a thorough brief of your explain your message/research campaign to the translation company and make sure they comprehend the message and the jargons of the campaign properly. This will help in churning out a more accurate translation.

What is cultural awareness ?

International projects often raises issues that are not applicable to domestic research. One can look up to the translation company for advice at the stage of questionnaire design and point out such potential problems specific to the target audience which might not have been considered previously.  By doing a “negative check” it will make sure that the product names/other words used in the research are appropriate for your target audience and translate into the exact meaning of the original. They can also provide valuable guidance on whether the questions asked in the initial English copy of the Research paper are apt for the target market; as certain questions can be offensive for different cultures – especially in the Middle East and South-East Asia. Thus a TSP (Translation services provider) can round up as a international business partner and cultural adviser.

Things to avoid while doing International Market Research:

It is a mistake to assume that just because a few people in your company can speak a few languages they have the ability to communicate appropriately and correctly the target language.



Internet translating site might offer an instant solution but such mechanized versions are mostly literal translations and do not flow naturally in the target language.

Although assigning a professional translation company can be expensive, inconveniences caused by a mistranslated or badly translated campaign can prove far detrimental for a company’s image in the long run. What has been your experience while doing an International Market Research? Did you hire services of a Professional Translation Company?