Absolute Translations

How to Manage Cultural Differences in Translation

Portrait of a lady in Cinco de Mayo makeup. When translating text from one language to another, it is important to be aware of cultural differences. Cultural differences can affect the meaning of words, phrases, and even entire sentences. If these differences are not considered, the translation can be inaccurate or even offensive.

Here are some tips for managing cultural differences in translation:

Do your research. Before you start translating, it is important to do some research on the target culture. This will help you to understand the cultural context of the text and to identify any potential areas of difficulty.
Work with a native speaker. If possible, it is always best to work with a native speaker of the target language when translating. This will help to ensure that the translation is accurate and culturally appropriate.
Be aware of idioms and metaphors. Idioms and metaphors can be tricky to translate, as they often have different meanings in different cultures. If you are unsure about the meaning of an idiom or metaphor, it is best to consult a dictionary or a native speaker.
Be sensitive to humour. Humour can be another tricky area to translate, as what is funny in one culture may not be funny in another. If you are unsure about whether or not a joke will translate well, it is best to leave it out.
Be aware of taboos. Every culture has its own taboos, and it is important to be aware of these when translating. For example, in some cultures, it is considered taboo to talk about death or money. If you are unsure about whether or not a topic is taboo, it is best to err on the side of caution and avoid it.

By following these tips, you can help to ensure that your translations are accurate, culturally appropriate, and free of errors.

Here are some additional tips to keep in mind when managing cultural differences in translation:

Be aware of the target audience. Who are you translating for? What are their expectations? Keep the target audience in mind when making translation decisions.
Be flexible. Don’t be afraid to adapt your translation style to the target culture. Sometimes, a literal translation will not work. In these cases, it may be necessary to use a more creative approach.
Be open to feedback. Ask for feedback from native speakers of the target language. This will help you identify areas where the translation could be improved.

By following these tips, you can help to ensure that your translations are accurate, culturally appropriate, and effective.

Ultimately, make sure to work with trusted individuals or agencies so that you can avoid issues and ensure a professional result.

Talk to us, at Absolute Translations, for information backed by two decades of providing businesses with professional language services.

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Exploring the Crucial Role of Translation Services in Crisis Management

Photograph of a lady wearing a rain poncho and standing in the rain in the middle of a flooded road.

2022 was a tough year for everyone living in Australia.

From floods to fires to storms to public health crises, disasters have hit across the country at a rate that shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. As a widely multicultural, yet primarily English-speaking country, Australia’s many recent disasters have revealed one major crack in our emergency response systems: it is catered to English-speaking individuals.

A good number of Australians don’t speak English at home, making preparation and response to disasters much harder for them. While community groups often do life-saving work in these situations, they are typically lacking in funding, poorly equipped, and not properly trained to handle disasters. So what can be done in terms of crisis management? And what should authorities put their focus towards for best results? Let’s discuss.

Recognising and Addressing Language Barriers

Around 23% of Australians surveyed in the 2021 census speak a primary language other than English in their homes. Most have some capacity for English (reading, writing, speaking, or listening), but fluency isn’t always common in their communities. For these people, navigating an English-speaking world is difficult enough during their normal day-to-day life — imagine what it could be like during a catastrophic flood or damaging hailstorm.

Adapting the Messaging

Public transport is one clear example. Many non-English speakers navigate public transport by memorising signs, symbols, or landmarks, rather than reading maps or listening to announcements. For this reason, many high-traffic public transport hubs in Australia, like central bus or train stations, have upgraded to digital signage that cycles through languages as a way to keep all passengers informed. This is a fantastic development in community awareness over the last few years, and we applaud it. During a crisis situation, however, these communications can be left by the wayside — potentially endangering lives. Many transport authorities (indeed, authorities of any kind) are likely to release English-only emergency communications that won’t register to those who aren’t fluent.

A Slow Read During Urgent Times

Imagine trying to understand this cyclone advice graphic if it was in a language you didn’t read fluently:

Image of a tropical cyclone warning explainer by the Bureau of Meteorology featuring two levels, Watch and Warning.

That’s a complex image for fluent English speakers, let alone English-as-a-second-language speakers. Between uncommon words like “onset”, “gales”, and “occurring”, and the non-linear formatting, it takes effort to decipher the exact meaning — effort that, in the middle of a disaster, cannot be afforded.

This is what most non-English speakers have to face during disasters, and it can be extremely stressful trying to organise your own translation from the community or family members, in order to know what to do. One of the first steps that authorities who publish disaster warnings can take to help non-English readers is to use the simplest, clearest English and formatting possible. This drastically reduces translation times and also any stress placed on non-English-speaking locals.

Disaster Preparedness

To mitigate the effects of emergency situations before they happen, non-English speakers and their community groups can encourage local councils to include them in disaster preparations. Forecasts predict that the current pace of weather and health crises will not slow down, so getting ahead of things can make a world of difference. Both local and federal government websites across Australia offer natural disaster preparedness guides and some local councils already understand the need for translation. For instance, we worked with local councils in Queensland to translate their Disaster Management leaflets in a wide range of languages, including preparing multilingual voice-overs for radio ads and website voice alerts. However, many councils still have no solution for acute life-threatening disaster response for their culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Translation software might be available on the users’ end (think Google Translate), but it relies on infrastructure like an internet connection that may not be available in the midst of a natural disaster. If possible, community groups should advocate for their governments to engage language professionals for their urgent disaster response communications and plans and let their community know where to access them.

Leveraging the Media

Speaking of plans, one action that governments can take to help prevent unnecessary harm during disasters is to work alongside the media outlets that already service the minority communities in their area. Whether that’s a small TV or radio station (Radio 4EB, in Brisbane, is an example) a newspaper, a text message alert service, a WhatsApp group, or a social media channel, every community has its ways of using media to keep up-to-date with current events. The people working with these media often already have a great deal of experience taking English information and distributing it to their non-English-speaking community. Minority-run media channels are a great resource for governments and disaster response organisations to utilise when preparing for catastrophic events. They have a lot of expertise to offer outside of disaster scenarios too.

With the summer forecasted to be hot and dry and with bushfires, flash floods, and powerful storms all on the docket, Australian authorities can learn from the past year’s disasters and make sure language services are available to all. Translators, both human and digital, are great resources in general, and more so in moments of crisis, but can’t be everywhere at once. Crisis Management is about being proactive and prepared. That’s why preparedness is the number one goal for disaster response, and translation, as well as other language services like voice-over, should be central to that goal in order to protect everyone during times of crisis — no matter which language they speak.

The Value and Importance of Language Interpreting for Communities

Photo of a multicultural group of people - illustrating the blog post community and language interpreting, by Absolute Translations.

Language interpreting is a critical tool for fostering human connections, promoting integration, and ensuring safety. In today’s globalized world, the ability to communicate across language barriers is essential for building bridges and fostering understanding between people of different backgrounds.

At its core, language interpreting is about facilitating communication. By providing a link between speakers of different languages, interpreters help to ensure that everyone can be heard and understood. This is especially important in settings where language barriers are barriers to understanding and as such prevent people from accessing essential services or information.

One of the key ways that language interpreting promotes human connections is by facilitating dialogue between people who might not otherwise be able to communicate. For example, interpreters can play a crucial role in mediating discussions between individuals or groups with different cultural backgrounds. By providing a neutral and impartial platform for communication, interpreters can help bridge the gap between individuals and promote understanding and collaboration.

In addition to facilitating communication, language interpreting is also important for promoting integration. In many cases, language barriers can create a sense of isolation and disconnection for individuals who are unable to communicate with others in their community. Interpreters can help bridge this gap by providing a vital link between individuals and the broader community. By facilitating communication and promoting understanding, interpreters can help build stronger and more inclusive communities.

Language interpreting is crucial for ensuring safety in a variety of settings. In emergency situations, for instance, interpreters can play a crucial role in facilitating communication between first responders and individuals who do not speak the local language. By providing a clear and accurate translation of vital information, interpreters can help to ensure that everyone has access to the information they need to stay safe.

Furthermore, language interpreting is critical for supporting overall interconnections in a globalized world. In today’s interconnected society, the ability to communicate across language barriers is essential for building relationships, fostering understanding, and promoting collaboration. By facilitating communication and promoting understanding, interpreters play a vital role in supporting the interconnectedness of our world.

In conclusion, language interpreting is a valuable and important tool for fostering human connections, promoting integration, ensuring safety, and supporting overall human collaboration. By facilitating communication and promoting understanding, interpreters play a crucial role in building bridges and fostering a more inclusive and interconnected world.

The Role of Localisation in a Scale-up: The Emesent Story

Image of a drone idle on the floor - illustrating an article by Absolute Translations about the scale-up company Emesent

When a small start-up company finds a perfect combination of product quality, market fit, and internal stability, they can begin to mature. At this point, they can become what’s called a “scale-up”: a company with high revenue, lots of raised capital, and, crucially, international ambitions.

When a business hits this level early and accelerates quickly, it’s known as “hypergrowth”, which is both a chaotic and very exciting period for a scale-up where things are happening fast and hurdles are everywhere. One of the biggest hurdles to adapting to those changes and expanding globally are new barriers of culture and language.

One of our favourite clients, Emesent, can be identified as a “scale-up”.

Absolute Translations’ Veerle Vanderplasschen sat down with Kym Morley, who looks after Emesent’s content and communications, to discuss the challenges of hypergrowth and how Emesent has overcome them.

Veerle:

Thanks for taking the time to chat. To kick things off, tell us a little about who Emesent are, what you do, and where you come from?

Kym:

We’re happy to. Emesent is a world leader in drone autonomy, LiDAR mapping, and data analytics. We were founded in 2018 by Dr Stefan Hrabar and Dr Farid Kendoul, after they spent over 10 years developing this technology as part of CSIRO’s Robotics and Autonomous Systems group, Data61.

Our flagship product, Hovermap, has made significant impacts in the mining, infrastructure, survey, and mapping industries by allowing users to capture high quality point clouds quickly and easily, whether that’s with a walking scan, or mounting Hovermap to a compatible drone for autonomous flight.

Veerle:

A really unique story, turning 10 years of research into one of Australia’s fastest growing start-ups. Tell us about that growth.

Kym:

We started with seven employees, and in four years we’ve grown to over 150, which has been a huge jump. We recently opened offices in the UK and USA as part of our global expansion and have over 40 resellers worldwide.

And earlier this year, Emesent closed an oversubscribed fundraise. We intend to use those funds to double our engineering department, particularly in the area of data analytics, as well as build a new manufacturing, calibration, and testing facility in Brisbane to increase production to meet demand.

Growing to this size at this speed is rare in the startup world, with approximately 90% of businesses closing within their first three years of operation.

Emesent are being somewhat modest above: that oversubscribed fundraise was for $32 million — for reference, the median fundraising round nets a startup around $1 million. This is a clear indicator of the confidence that global investors have in Emesent’s potential.

Veerle:

Was going global the plan from day one?

Kym:

Absolutely. The potential benefits of Hovermap are universal and we wanted to share those with the world from day one.

Veerle:

So how did you approach going global?

Kym:

We’re fortunate to have many staff with global corporation experience, and we rely on their expertise to implement the global approach.

We also have a reseller network over 30 countries, and they provide local expertise to our customers in the region.

Those resellers aren’t just your average suppliers and storefronts either — they’re some of the world’s forerunners in the mining, surveying, infrastructure, and drone technology industries, including Mirukuru Co in Japan, Daoyun Tech in China, and Dwyka Mining Services in South Africa.

Veerle:

What are some of the lessons you’ve learned – that you can share – from going global?

Kym:

Scaling up during the COVID pandemic presented us with some unique hurdles. Not being able to get out and visit clients and resellers in person has meant that having accurately translated documents was more important than ever. Having accurate, reliable translations of documentation is imperative. It makes your customers feel seen and appreciated when you can provide them documentation in their own language.

Veerle:

Let’s talk about those translation requirements. You’re having all your client-facing content, including your website and your documentation, localised into eight languages. Why did you choose to be so comprehensive, rather than translate as-needed?

Kym:

We want to help customers all over the world with mapping in inaccessible areas, and we believe it is important to speak to them in their language wherever possible to make things easier for them. Our head of marketing, Cecile, quotes Nelson Mandela: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.”

There are many countries in our key target markets where English isn’t commonly understood. We want to make sure that our current and potential customers are able to access the information they need to use our products effectively.

Veerle:

What would you tell other companies about the importance of translating/localising content?

Kym:

Investing in localising your marketing content will give you a competitive advantage. Don’t rely on Google Translate. Most people wouldn’t buy from a website with poor English so why would we think it’s ok to have poorly translated content?

Veerle:

Absolutely. Your content is your brand and it is essential to have the right localisation strategy.

What’s next for Emesent? More growth? New countries?

Kym:

We are looking to double our number of resellers this year, so undoubtedly we’ll be reaching new locations and looking for more translations.

We’re also working through our large quantity of English collateral, so that we can provide any of our material to our customers in their own language.

Veerle:

Is there anything I didn’t ask you that you’d like to add?

Kym:

I’d like to add that we’re very satisfied with the work that Absolute Translations have been doing for us. The team at Absolute Translations are always ready to help, whatever our request.

Specifically, they have been an absolute God-send with our website translation. They manage the software and all updates, which takes a lot of pressure off our small team.

Emesent’s positive note means the world to us here at Absolute Translations after working hard alongside them during their impressive growth these past years.

It’s exciting to be on this journey with them as they begin to need more localisation services. We love to see our partners succeed, and we stand ready to offer them the tools they need to do so at any scale.

How to Manage Cultural Differences in Translation

Exclusive Limited Offer: Boost Your Business with a 15% Discount on Language Services

Exploring the Crucial Role of Translation Services in Crisis Management