What exactly is back translation?

It’s called that because you are translating copy back into the original source language.  Here is an example:

1. Our client sends us a slide deck about a new drug. They need it translated into Spanish for a US-based patient population.
2. One of our English > Spanish healthcare translation teams translates the slide deck into US Spanish.
3. One of our Spanish > English healthcare translation teams translates the new Spanish version of the deck into English. They do not see the original English piece.
4. We compare and reconcile the original English copy against the “back translation” from Spanish into English.  This may incur revisions in translation or in back translation.

That comparison is what we ultimately deliver to our clients. If they do not speak or understand the target language, back translation is a way for them to determine that the translation captures the meaning of the source copy.

Pitfalls of back translation

As mentioned earlier, the nature of language is such that it’s highly unlikely that a back translation will match the source document word for word. It may happen for some select phrases but generally it’s possible for the back translation to say the same thing as the source copy in a different way. We’ve seen hundreds of examples of this. When working on an update to a patient brochure about the HIV treatment BIKTARVY, the line “Why is staying on treatment important?” was back translated as “Why is it important to continue with the treatment?” At first glance, those look like two entirely different sentences. When you break them down piece by piece, they communicate the same idea.

We believe that back translation doesn’t always guarantee or improve translation quality because it emphasizes literal equivalences. When you’ve worked with languages for as long as we have, you know that a literal translation isn’t necessarily a better one. Clients who aren’t as experienced or immersed in global communications can get hung up on the back translation and are determined for it to be nearly identical to the source English. Sometimes this is simply not possible. For example, it is not correct in Spanish to use the word “take” when describing an injectable medication. In other cases, an edit can be made that does not introduce an error but results in the translation sounding less natural.

When to use back translation

The one instance when back translation is almost always required is for projects that require regulatory approval in healthcare translations. Content that must be approved by a regulatory body presents a unique challenge because if the regulatory body doesn’t understand the language that the material is translated into, they can’t approve the translation. In this instance, back translation is necessary so that the approving entity can sign off on the translation. When this is the case, ensuring that the back translation process is managed effectively and efficiently will be key to staying on time, on budget, and on brand.

And speaking of on brand, another instance of when to use back translation is for creative copy such as taglines or slogans. Back translating creative copy is a double-edged sword. As with regulatory approval, brand managers who don’t understand the target language need a way to determine what the translated tagline is saying to the target audience. The nature of creative copy, however, means that a back translation is unlikely to capture the nuance and cultural value of the translation. Consider idioms. If you were to translate the phrase “spill the beans” literally into French, it would suggest an image of a cleanup on aisle 4 rather than a surprise being spoiled. A French speaker would be more likely to say “vendre la mèche,” which translates to English as “to sell the fuse.” A qualified translator would know better than to translate “vendre la mèche” literally and would use an equivalent idiom in the target language. If your creative copy goes beyond a simple idiom with an equivalent in the target language, transcreation may be the answer.

Transcreation and back translation

Transcreation is the process by which a message gets adapted for a foreign or local market in another language without losing its original intent. It is a more intensive process than translation and may not be warranted for all creative copy. For example, one of our clients sent a newsletter to their employees about a new health insurance premium discount program. To enroll in the program, employees had to complete two steps. To make the newsletter eye-catching, they designed it with an image of a dancing duo and used the headline “Do the LiveWell two-step.” The two-step might not resonate with a global audience, but since this was a one-off newsletter and the headline had more to do with the enrollment process than the program itself, we advised our client that we didn’t think transcreation was warranted. We wanted to maintain the dancing theme if possible, so we asked the translation team if they could still write a catchy headline that alluded to dancing and the fact that enrollment involved only two steps (or at the very least, that enrollment was simple). And that’s exactly what they did! If your copy is a slogan meant to capture your brand’s identity, transcreation will probably serve you better.

Back translation is still a useful complement to transcreation, since ultimately a branding or marketing team will need to know what the transcreated slogan says. Whereas traditional back translation is done by a translator totally independent from the original source > target translation, asking the transcreator to provide a back translation allows them to explain the meaning and intent behind their choices. It can’t hurt to have an independent translator provide a back translation for the transcreated copy, but given the goal of a tagline or slogan, we recommend utilizing focus groups. A back translator’s perspective can certainly be valuable, but an asset as significant as a global tagline or slogan should have buy-in from more than one or two individuals.

Trust in your translation team

The idea of using back translation as a universal quality control can be tempting. It can provide a sense of control over translated materials when you don’t understand the target language. After learning more about the realities of the process, perhaps you’ll be more selective about when to use back translation. There are certainly circumstances in which back translation is necessary or advantageous. When those circumstances are not present, there are many other quality assurance measures that can be baked into a translation provider’s processes. If you don’t trust that your translation team is getting your message right, maybe it’s time to make a switch.

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Depending on where you are in the process of selling your goods or services to our northern neighbors, you may already be familiar with language regulations around operating in Canada, and especially in the eastern province of Québec. The Charter of the French language, and its amendment Bill 96, affirm that residents of Québec have the right to access goods and services, both public and private, in French. Advertising emails – and for compliance with Canada’s anti-spam legislation, consent messages – sent to Québecois customers, therefore, would need to be in French.

As with anything in business, you must consider the cost/benefit analysis of translating your commercial electronic messages. Bill 96 is only applicable in the province of Québec, and translation does represent an additional investment. If you do not plan to open any stores in Québec and you do not sell a product that can be shipped, you may not need to translate. For example, GoodLife Fitness does not have any locations in Québec, and their website is available only in English (as far as we can tell). As we mentioned in the introduction to this post, however, translation can expand your reach beyond an English-speaking audience. French-speaking Canadians do not exclusively inhabit Québec, and research has demonstrated that the majority of online customers are more likely to engage with content in their language. Additionally, if you think you may want to operate in Québec at some point, translating at least some of your materials will give you a head start on the Francization process.

If you are planning to do any sort of business in Québec, whether in a brick-and-mortar store or exclusively digitally, you’ll need to complete Francization to be compliant with the Charter of the French language. If you’re efficient in your approach, translating the necessary messages for compliance with Canada’s anti-spam legislation should represent a negligible investment. Word count factors heavily into most translation pricing structures, but most translators also charge a minimum fee for assignments less than a certain number of words. We always advise our clients to “bundle” as much copy as possible when they request translation. Otherwise translating a 20-word pop-up message on its own may cost as much as translating a full page of text.

CASL private action rights were originally planned to go into effect in the summer of 2017, which would have allowed lawsuits to be filed against individuals and organizations for alleged violations of Canada’s anti-spam legislation. They were ultimately suspended. While this may seem to be a relief for organizations concerned with a rise in costly lawsuits, it does not negate other consequences. The best thing organizations can do is get up to speed with the laws and ensure that electronic communications are only sent to consumers who have provided consent. While there are certain exceptions to the need for express consent (such as the existence of an existing business relationship [EBR]), it is probably wise to start thinking about the various channels through which consumer interactions happen and manage the conversion from implied consent to express consent. If you are a US-based organization creating content mostly in English, keep in mind that translating these materials will take some time.

You’ll also need to keep in mind any provisions that are specific to Canadian consumers, such as appropriate references to local laws, terms and conditions, and how (and where) legal disputes would be handled. If you have customers who live in Québec, the Office québécois de la langue française will also oversee your compliance with serving those customers in French, whether exclusively online or in physical stores. If you do have physical stores in Québec, any procedural changes that affect staff in those stores will also have to be communicated in French.

If you need any help with translation of materials for your business pursuits in Canada, including compliance with Canada’s anti-spam legislation, do not hesitate to contact us!

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Certain words may seem easy enough to translate, but their connotations in the source and target languages may be different. When translating health claims on packaging, it’s important not just to use a “direct” translation but rather an “equivalent” translation. Equivalence extends beyond dictionary definitions to encompass connotation and popular usage. New Food Magazine has written about the Health Claims Unpacked project in Europe, which investigates, among other things, how consumers respond to health claims on packaging. One example they give is that the word “normal” is often used in approved health claims, but it’s not appropriate for all European audiences. For example, “normal blood pressure” in English is interpreted to mean a blood pressure reading that is neither too high nor too low. In Polish, however, “normal” doesn’t evoke the same idea and may even have a negative connotation.

In the specific context of French translation for Canada, the Canadian government publishes guidance around health claims in both English and French. This makes translating any health claims you may have on your product straightforward enough. Then there is the question of how your package looks. If you are selling your product anywhere in Canada other than Quebec, you can leave the health claim in English only. If you plan to sell in Quebec, however, you must translate your entire package into French. Certain information must be bilingual (English/French), and your entire package can be bilingual if you’d like, but there are rules around how bilingual packaging is presented. We’ve written more about this in a post about food packaging in Canada.

When regulatory requirements are in play, you will likely want to see a back translation. This is where a translator who has not seen the original source document translates the translation “back” into the source language. That way any inconsistencies between the source and the translation can be determined. Given the nature of language, it is basically impossible that a back translation will match the original source document 100%. Certain inconsistencies, however, can be easily overlooked. For example, if the source English uses “it’s” and the back translation uses “it is” – those mean the same thing (and depending on the target language, a contraction may not exist or be appropriate). Similarly, if the source English uses “proof” and the back translation uses “evidence,” those are synonyms, and the meaning of the text is unchanged. If the source English uses “proof” and the back translation uses “test,” however, this would be an instance where perhaps there was a misunderstanding that needs to be addressed. Back translation is most used in healthcare translations for health plans, pharma and healthcare marketing.

It is important that any intentional discrepancies be explained by the translator. The example of “normal” not being used in Polish the same way it is in English, for instance, would need to be explained when the source and the translation seemingly say different things. In France, nutrition labels don’t just say “calories,” like in the US. They list “énergie” or “valeur énergétique,” typically in kJ (kilojoules) and also kcal (kilocalories). This means that “0 calories” may get translated as “sans énergie.” In an instance such as this, it would make the most sense for a back translator to provide a literal translation (“without energy”/”energy free”) but then also provide a note about what terms are regularly used for these concepts in the target market.

While we can’t give legal advice, working with a professional language service provider when translating health claims on packaging can make the process of going to your new market much more efficient. Professional translators make use of available resources to verify that the language they’re using is not only accessible but permissible. Just to name a few, there’s the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s guidance that we mentioned earlier, and the European Commission has an EU Register of Health Claims as well as a complete dataset of nutrition and health claims for anyone to reference. Our teams bring a knowledge of the target language and the target market to their translations, and your product!

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Implement proven processes and systems

A Spanish translation of a Sonoma County voter information guide published this summer included two incorrect dates and an incorrect location. Multilingual, the publication that brought this incident to our attention, speculates that these errors occurred because Sonoma County reused a document previously written for a special election held in the spring. This certainly seems plausible, and if it’s true, goes to show that content reuse in translation can go wrong when the process isn’t properly managed. There are many ways to implement version control, and we recommend investing in a functional content management system or source authoring tool that systematically tracks updates for you. We have a workflow that’s effective for us. Make sure you implement a system that has demonstrated success and works for you.

Contemporaneous versions

Content reuse in translation can also be practical when the task at hand is creating several concurrent versions of the same document. We see content reuse at Open Enrollment time every year, when companies are sharing their health plan offerings with employees across various regions. Much of the content in their benefits guide applies to all employees. Since not all health plans operate in all US states and territories, they have to edit certain information for each region. And just like the author of the benefits guide uses a “base” copy in the source language and then makes whatever changes are necessary for each region, we do the same in translation. This does require a bit more project management, but the time and cost savings on other processes (such as typesetting and QA) easily cancel out any additional project management involved. If the document is something small like a one-pager or a mailer and the edits across each version reach a certain level, we may ultimately choose not to use a “base” version for translation. Fortunately, we have other tools at our disposal, such as translation memory (TM) and termbases, to ensure that we’re still maintaining consistent translations of repetitive content across all the versions. And we discount our per word rate for repetitive content, so the cost efficiency is still there as well.

Context is key

One potential danger of only translating the changes between multiples versions of the same asset rather than translating each version in its entirety is translating without context. You would never copywrite without context, so you should also never translate without context. As part of our project management around content reuse in translation, we always make sure to provide the context of the changes to the source document. This means that we never send just a single word or phrase for translation. A single sentence would be the smallest amount of copy we would ever ask a translator to work with (unless of course the source asset only includes single words or phrases, such as signage). When we’re working with lengthy documents such as benefit guides, we include all the text surrounding the change in the translation file, send a PDF with all the updates called out, and/or provide background as to why the change was made (if that’s not immediately evident).

The layout on top may be more pleasing to the English-speaking eye because the lines are more even in length. A translator assured us that a Czech reader would prefer the lower layout because of grammar rules in the Czech language.

QA goes a long way

Once updates have been translated and the base document has been edited accordingly, we implement our multi-step QA process. This ensures that the layout and formatting look as they should, no typos were introduced, and the updated copy is arranged correctly. For example, many languages have rules and preferences for words that cannot be separated from each other (split across 2 lines, for instance). So, when I sent our typeset layout of a poster encouraging employees to complete a survey in Czech to the translator for linguistic quality assurance (LQA), she informed me that in Czech, there is a preference to keep prepositions on the same line as the following word. All the right words were included in the layout, but we needed to arrange them differently to localize the poster appropriately for Czech-speaking employees.

QA also verifies that all the information included in the updated source document is included (correctly) in the updated translation. If someone in the Sonoma County administration had asked a translator to proof the updated Spanish voter guide against the updated English guide, they would have caught the discrepancy between the dates and location.

Strategize for success

Reusing previously written content, using tools to ensure consistency, and version control are some of the objectives in our client SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis. We translate updates to documents frequently, and the time and cost efficiency that we can achieve depends heavily on how well these objectives have been accomplished. When source authoring is haphazard, the risk of something being overlooked or an inconsistency being introduced increases. This means additional time spent to avoid those outcomes. Content reuse in translation that is systematic and organized not only decreases your costs and timeframes for each update, it also keeps your messaging consistent, which helps keep your brand trustworthy. Accidents happen, but with the right processes in place from start to finish, we can avoid errors like the ones Sonoma County made.

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Expansive text

Our primarily requested languages for translation are Spanish and Canadian French, which are both Romance languages. Most Romance languages (languages derived from Latin) expand from English by about 20 – 25%. So, a one-page flyer in English where the text takes up the entire page is unlikely to remain one page in Spanish or French. Decreasing font size is the obvious way to get more words to fit in the same amount of space, but we try to avoid doing that in international DTP. Decreasing leading (the vertical distance between lines of text) and/or tracking (the distance between letters) can create additional space in a more subtle way than decreasing the font size, and with less impact on readability. The same goes for other layout options like text box margins and column width. Of course, going overboard with any of these strategies can also impact readability or simply make your translated layout less attractive. This is why we work with expert typesetters with experience in international DTP and always have the translator do a visual proof of the translated layout. We refer to this step as linguistic quality assurance (LQA). LQA involves checking for things like typos, while also bringing a critical eye to the design in the target language.

The German lexicon famously includes many words with 15 or more letters. Splitting English words across lines with a hyphen can impact readability and is almost never appropriate for a marketing piece with minimal copy because it dampens visual impact. Because long words are so prevalent in German, hyphenating is sometimes preferable to alternatives that might require drastically reducing font size or leaving huge gaps between words or at the end of a line.

If you’re designing a layout for a piece that you know will be translated, we recommend doing some research or asking your LSP about whether the translation is likely to expand. Depending on the answer, you may want to build the source file with some extra breathing room. And if your target language tends to contract compared to English (this is almost always the case with Chinese), you will also want to be sure that your final translated layout does not leave big open spaces that make the layout look empty and unfinished.

Font support

When preparing an asset that will eventually be translated, we also recommend doing some font research. Is there a font that will support all the languages you’ll need? Be sure you’re aware of all characters that might be needed. Many people are familiar with accented characters like é in French, ö in German, and ñ in Spanish. But these are just the tip of the iceberg. Languages like Polish, Turkish, and Vietnamese use the Latin alphabet as their base but have several additional letters and diacritic marks that aren’t supported in many fonts.

Then of course there are languages that use scripts other than Latin. Some fonts (like Noto Sans) have versions for the Latin alphabet as well as writing systems such as Arabic, Chinese, Greek, and Ukrainian. Other fonts are script specific. One such font that recently came to our attention is Adobe Gurmukhi, which is used to write the Punjabi language in India.

Selecting the proper fonts may be all you need to do to ensure that your translated layout looks just the way it should. For fonts like Adobe Gurmukhi, however, the correct font is only the first step. Languages with scripts that Adobe considers complex, such as Punjabi, Hindi, Arabic, Hebrew, and Thai, all require the use of Adobe’s World Ready Composer. This is found in the Paragraph Style Options menu under “Justification > Composer.”

But wait, there’s more! Font discrepancies across systems can cause rendering issues. If you’ve ever opened a Word document and it had a bunch of boxes in it where letters or characters should be, you’ve experienced this issue. When we’re working with languages that use non-Latin scripts, we typically have our translation teams send us a PDF of the translations (along with a live text file) because a PDF will show a static snapshot of how the characters should appear. Typesetting in Burmese is a fascinating case study that we cover in our post about the challenges of international DTP.

The Hindi translation for “October 5-19, 2022” as rendered in Microsoft Word

On the other hand, sometimes what appear to be font discrepancies are not. On a recent English > Hindi translation job, when I saw differences between the PDF exported by our typesetter from Adobe InDesign and the PDF that our Hindi translation team had sent us, I thought for sure the culprit was international DTP gone wrong. I marked up a few instances in the exported PDF to bring to the translator’s attention during LQA. So, imagine my surprise when the translator didn’t indicate that those instances were incorrect! When I asked them about it, they replied that “MS Word keeps the conjuncts separate while Adobe products combine them.”

The Hindi translation for “October 5-19, 2022” as rendered in InDesign

Having never studied Hindi, I wasn’t familiar with this concept. I did some research and learned that certain letter combinations in Hindi are typically written in a distinct form. So as explained by the translator, the same letters are present in either presentation, they are just written differently. This is one reason we always have our translators do LQA on a typeset asset. We want a native speaker to make sure the translated layout is legible and correct, that the formatting matches the source document whenever possible, and that appropriate alternatives have been used where the translation cannot exactly match the source. Certain choices that are made for the English-language artwork may not be correct or suitable in the target market. Italics, for example, are rarely used in East Asian languages and we typically substitute underlining for italicizing in these cases.

International DTP can sometimes begin before a single word has been translated. If you are typesetting a design that will ultimately be in languages other than English and you’re looking for an LSP that accounts for style as well as substance, contact us to see if we could be a good fit for you!

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The AIDS 2022 Conference is being held in Montreal, the largest city in Quebec, from July 29^th to August 2^nd. The conference website describes it as the “world’s largest gathering on HIV and AIDS” and assures potential attendees that it is “committed to supporting everyone from all countries with the travel process to attend AIDS 2022 in Montreal.” The featured speakers will also be coming from all over the world. The conference website and program, however, are all in English. This is not unusual in international science circles, and English is also one of Canada’s official languages. The other is French, which is also the official language of the province of Quebec.

Given Quebec’s strict regulations regarding the use of French in the public sphere, it’s no surprise that we received a request to translate several conference-related materials from English into Canadian French. Article 58 of the Charter of the French Language dictates that public signs and posters and commercial advertising must be in French. It also allows that they can be in French and another language, as long as French is “markedly predominant” (a qualifier that is defined elsewhere in the Charter). There is also a caveat, however, that “the Government may determine, by regulation, the places, cases, conditions or circumstances… where French need not be predominant or where such signs, posters and advertising may be in another language only.”

Sure enough, article 24 of regulation C-11, r.9 addresses language requirements for conferences in Quebec. It specifies that public signs and posters and commercial advertising concerning a convention, conference, fair or exhibition intended solely for a specialized or limited public may, during the event, be exclusively in a language other than French. The same exception is made in section 12 regarding catalogues, brochures, folders, commercial directories and any similar publications relating to a convention, conference, fair or exhibition intended solely for a specialized or limited public.

This exception requires conference organizers and sponsors to answer a few questions. The first is: is the AIDS 2022 conference “intended solely for a specialized or limited public”? The answer to this is certainly yes. The Conference themes and objectives page describes, among other goals, “[supporting] the next generation of HIV scientists, clinicians and other service providers and advocates.” Conference attendees, then, will be individuals with a background in HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention, and treatment. The fact that the conference is a ticketed event in and of itself also means that not just anyone can or will attend.

The next question to address is when the public signs and posters and commercial advertising will be displayed. If public signage and advertising will be circulated ahead of the event, French would need to be included and be markedly predominant if used alongside English. If public signage and advertising is not posted until the event is in progress, then English could be used on its own.

This determination, however, may be complicated by the next question: where will the posters and ads appear? Articles 15 and 16 of regulation C-11, r.9 require that commercial advertising displayed on billboards, on or in any public means of transportation and on or in the accesses thereto (including bus shelters) must be exclusively in French. Our client is advertising on billboards as well as in bus shelters and the subway (or the “métro,” as it is called in Montreal). So now we have a conundrum. We’ve determined that the Conference is intended for a specialized or limited public. If the posters are displayed during the event, the Charter seemingly allows for the posters to be exclusively in a language other than French. However, if they are on a billboard or in public transit, they must be exclusively in French. As you can see, language requirements for conferences in Quebec are not always straightforward!

To address this conundrum, let’s circle back to our starting point: what is required by law, and what is the intention behind your material? We’ve seen that language requirements for conferences in Quebec can be confusing. When in doubt, we recommend consulting with an expert. We’ve worked on a lot of Francization and are always happy to share what we’ve learned with our clients. Many firms also choose to work with an expert in Quebecois language regulations, whether that is an in-house member of their legal team or a legal consultant. Regarding intention, let’s look at the AIDS 2022 Conference example. If the intention is to encourage Quebecers to attend or learn more about the conference, then publishing posters and other ads in the province’s official language makes sense. If a brochure with information about the conference venue, speakers, and program will be circulated exclusively to conference attendees, it makes sense to publish the brochure in the “official language” of the Conference (English, in this case). Our client decided to publish all their public advertising exclusively in French and all their internal Conference materials in both English and French. This ensures that they will be compliant with any language requirements for conferences in Quebec, and honors and recognizes the Conference host city and any local attendees. This last point on respect toward another language can be impactful in immeasurable ways – that’s another post for another time!

Do you have questions about hosting a convention, conference, or exhibition or doing business in Quebec? Drop us a line to see if we can help!

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No matter what kind of name, our approach is always exploring both transliteration and Chinese phonosemantic naming, especially if the name has an apparent meaning. The goal is to have a Chinese name that resembles the sound of the English name and yet has great meanings with the combination of characters. There can be hundreds to thousands of ways an English name can be transliterated in Chinese because there are many homophones in Chinese. We also explore sounds that are not the closest resemblance. Sometimes the best, most ideal name in terms of its meanings is not the closest sounding but may come from the secondary sound resembled name. So, the process is the phonosemantic one although transliteration may come out to be the best name. Learn more about this process and see examples here.

Chinese phonosemantic naming for younger Chinese nationals

Studies show that younger, more educated and more cosmopolitan Chinese consumers tend to favor phonosemantic brand translations, which integrate both sound and meaning into a product’s name. Describing a study he co-authored with Chi-yue Chiu (Chinese University of Hong Kong), Jessie Jia Hao (Guang Dong University of Foreign Studies), and Hean Tat Keh (Monash University), Carlos J. Torelli, a professor of business administration at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, says that “we found that the foreign name connects them with that aspect of cosmopolitanism that they valued, but the Chinese understanding of the brand also connects with their Chinese identity, which is also important to them.” It also signals that the company is being sensitive to their language.

Regarding Trademarked Names – a U.S. Trademark does not protect you in China. The U.S. Commercial Service and Dept of Commerce advise that if you are seeking to distribute a product in China, it is essential to register appropriate Chinese language versions of your trademarks well in advance. China has a first-to-file system that requires no evidence of prior use or ownership, leaving registration of popular foreign marks open to third parties.

Each name has to be filed separately under each trademark class. So, one name under 4 classes must do 3 filings. They must file both the alphabet (English) name and the character (Chinese) name. So that would be 2x the amount.

Foreign companies should register appropriate Internet domain names and Chinese language versions of their trademarks. Develop and register a Chinese language version and do so throughout the other jurisdictions of Greater China, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macao and Singapore.

If you do not create a Chinese mark, the market will do so, creating a Chinese “nickname” for your product. Your company may not like the image this mark projects, or someone else in China may like it so much they register it in their own name, forcing you to buy it back.

A good Chinese name is the best insurance for long-term success in the Chinese market.

Our recommended process for Chinese phonosemantic naming

Objectives

• Develop Chinese brand name candidates.
• Evaluate and present the strengths and weaknesses of the name candidates.
• Accomplish the above in the most time efficient manner possible.

Measures of success

• Creation of top 10 Chinese name candidates that possess/convey good meanings.
• Creation of top 10 Chinese name candidates that have no negative associations, either in their meanings or their sounds.
• Creation of top 10 Chinese name candidates that are easy to remember.

Value

• Create a strong, positive, and long-lasting impression in the minds of Chinese target audience without the risk and cost of embarrassment that accompanies Chinese brand naming mistakes.
• It shows that the company cares about and is committed to the Chinese market.
• It increases awareness of the brand.
• Ongoing return on the investment: a one-time project investment that continues to yield returns for years to come.
• A good Chinese name is the best insurance for long-term success in the Chinese market.
• Obtain and review input regarding what your Chinese name should and should not communicate to the target audience.
• Review your naming/branding brief and objectives for additional input.
• Research and generate suggestions for brand names that meet your overall objectives and criteria.
• Deliver a list of top 10 Chinese name candidates that are trademark prescreened for China along with a broader list of names that are not prescreened.
• Evaluate and report on general acceptability, existing meanings, positive and negative connotations, readability, and rationale for each suggested name.
• Deliverables: 2 reports
  • 1. A full naming report
    • Takes you through the entire process, including our methods, in step-by-step transparency and lists all characters and names considered.
  • 2. An executive summary slide deck
    • Presents the top 10 names (trademark prescreened for China) with detailed explanations of meanings and rationale for choosing the names. We not only provide the 10 we think are the best but also the exhaustive list of names (all possible combinations) that the client’s Chinese team can review. The number of names can be hundreds but much more often thousands+.

Case Studies for your consideration

• Positive: Coca Cola

https://www.businessinsider.com/picking-brand-names-china-2011-11

• Negative: AirBnB

https://qz.com/939253/chinas-consumers-hate-airbnbs-new-chinese-name-so-much-that-they-are-brainstorming-a-new-one/#:~:text=On%20Wednesday%20(March%2022)%20the,company%20explains%20in%20a%20statement.

• Trademark protection: In ‘n’ Out Burger

https://www.startupgrind.com/blog/how-in-n-out-protects-its-brand-globally-and-why-you-should-follow-its-example/#:~:text=Although%20the%20company%20does%20not,Philippines%2C%20Korea%2C%20and%20China.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2023/07/07/food/in-n-out-burger-trademark-japan/

Are you considering linguistic screening or product name evaluation for your client or your company?  What questions do you have? Contact us to learn more about the Chinese market.

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Retailers in Québec are mandated to communicate with customers in French, as established in the Charter of the French language and enforced by the Québécois Office of the French language (OQLF) – (read about our services for the Francization process). There are specific rules that protect the French-speaking consumer from having to obtain information on commercial goods and services in a language other than French. Where most retailers may take a phased approach to introducing Spanish-language marketing and other materials in the US based on market research, in Québec it is required by law that all in-store advertising is in French and markedly predominant over any other language.

Our experience in Canadian French marketing translations spans for over 2 decades, with experience in e-commerce, retail management software, in-store marketing, and advertising (direct mail and online), and food packaging for Canada. In this post, we will discuss the importance of terminology management and brand consistency as retailers take on the Canadian market.

You can read more about the typographical differences of French translation for Canada and other important considerations for French Canada here.

Canadian French marketing communications

With such a wide variety of brand messages and terminology, it is important that your Canadian French marketing translations provide consumers a message that is consistent, accurate, and understandable to the local market. Furthermore, as described in our Francization process, certain terminology is standard in Québec and should be used. It is highly recommended to run terminology decisions through a professional linguist that subscribes to and follows the terminology changes published by the Canadian government and/or the OQLF.

Brand consistency can be a challenge. There can be many players, including store managers in Canada, district managers and marketing managers, who may each have their own reference for terminology. Therefore, if your company is based in the US and you are translating your materials, your translator may choose different terminology than what store employees use internally.  It’s imperative to take control over the most important brand terms, cataloging them in a glossary or termbase and standardizing them throughout the organization.

For instance, think of the name of a customer loyalty or rewards program. The name of this type of program will appear in many different places, including in-store marketing, POS, email marketing, and online. All these areas may be managed by different people and departments. Without a centralized effort towards terminology management and a clear direction, the roll-out of such a program in Canada can be delayed or end up being inconsistent, resulting in confusion and potential consumer dissatisfaction.

Canadian French Employee HR communications

Immigration policies in Canada make it hard for US-based retailers to relocate company talent over to Canada. This means that there is a strong need for local French language expertise who can communicate brand message correctly and provide effective employee communications in French.

When we helped one of our retail clients to enter the Canadian market, all HR employee communication had to be rolled out in both English and French. A centralized effort in terminology management was key to employee engagement and effective roll-out of HR policies. We collected a few hundred terms ahead of time that needed to be agreed upon before we could start translation. Disagreements on terminology after the translation process has started can be costly, as a term may appear in many different places and would require manual processes to change them throughout.

We often find terminology that is company-specific and needs to be explained. There may be concepts that need to be adjusted to industry-wide terms that are already used in the retail world. As US-based companies need to hire from within the retail industry in Canada, their policies and concepts need to either be made relevant or training materials need to effectively explain the store’s management concept.

One challenge is the use of software technology that has already been localized. Our client in the previous example had a Point of Sale (POS) Manual that needed translation. Their software was already partially localized and we had to make sure that terms used in the software did not conflict with terms already approved in other company materials. Through this review, we identified areas where the POS software needed to be updated in order for it to be relevant to the store’s management policies. Without a conscious effort to manage the terminology in all aspects, there is a high risk for inconsistencies and ineffective policies. Inconsistencies between what is in the user manual and what appears on the screen may lead to confusion about how to operate efficiently in the software.

What we do

We use Translation Memory software to capture terminology and automatically apply it to any piece that we translate. Building a catalog of approved brand terms provides a clear direction for Canadian French marketing translations that will be used in-store, online, in direct mail, and by employees, as well as in inventory and POS systems.

Our Project Management is dedicated to managing and organizing people and processes in order to roll out translation in a coordinated way. It’s often underestimated, but having a dedicated project manager who serves as a single and central point of contact through whom all information flows adds tremendous value.

Finally, we only work with dedicated teams of translators with specific industry expertise. Too often, we talk with clients whose vendor handed off translations to any translator who is available for the job. Our dedicated teams not only make use of the available technology for consistency, but also know about past translation decisions and have become familiar with the client. This makes for a smooth translation process and collaboration with our clients.

We specialize in Canadian French marketing translations.  If you are a business in the U.S. thinking of expanding into Canada, give us a call to see how we can help you succeed in this market.

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List of ingredients

This may seem like the most straightforward item on this list but naming ingredients can be complicated, especially when translation is involved. As reported by FOODnavigator.com, Tesco, which is based in the UK, was required to recall and reprint the labels for two products sold in the Czech Republic because of the way they translated “chocolate powder” in Czech. According to Luca Bucchini, the managing director of Hylobates Consulting, despite Tesco’s translation being correct, it was not acceptable per national regulations for the labeling of chocolate products. So, proper international food packaging translation requires not just linguistic knowledge, but also regulatory knowledge.

Nutrition Facts

Many countries around the world require the same elements on a nutrition label, such as total fat, sodium, carbohydrates, and protein. But some countries require more elements than others. And accepted terminology remains at play, just like in a list of ingredients. It’s also important to keep in mind how the quantity of each element is listed, given that “daily values” are defined differently in different world regions. One example of contrasting nutritional declarations is that in the US, percent daily values of each nutrient are listed for the serving size shown on the package, while in the EU percent daily values are listed per 100 grams or 100 milliliters.

Claims

Regulations around claims such as something being a “good source” of or “low” in a certain nutrient (e.g., fiber, sodium) exist around the world. Exactly which claims are regulated, and how, will vary per market. There is likely also established terminology involved in these kinds of claims. Some of it may be legally required, while in other cases, it may be a question of using the most well-established and recognized terms. For example, “fat free,” “free of fat,” “no fat,” “zero fat,” and “without fat” are all FDA-approved designations for foods that contain less than 0.5 grams of fat per a specified serving. Some of these turns of phrase, however, may resonate better with consumers than others. An experienced translator with a marketing background and good knowledge of the food industry will know which language is both legally acceptable and most likely to appeal to shoppers.

Format/appearance

If we stick with the recipe analogy, the physical characteristics of your food label can be likened to the instructions for how to turn a bunch of separate ingredients into a cohesive final dish. While the more culinarily talented among us may have good luck going off-script, when the stakes are high (as in international food packaging translation), following the recipe is imperative. Different countries may have different minimum font size requirements for certain label information, as well as a host of other rules around food label printing. Whereas, in the US, font size is oriented around the lowercase letter “o,” in Chile, it is based on the capital letter “H.” Canada requires the use of Sans Serif fonts. If you are selling a food product in Québec, mandatory label information must appear in both French and English, and the English text cannot be more prominent than the French.

Conclusions

Just like looking up “chili recipe” will return dozens of results, each with its own unique take (beans or no beans? 2-alarm or 3-alarm?), international food packaging translation will involve particular terminology, quantity distinctions, requirements around claims, and format constraints. You’ll want the right team to ensure that you don’t end up with an expensive reprint or lawsuit, like Tesco did in the Czech Republic. In-market regulatory experts can be an important partner on that team, and another should be a qualified and experienced language service provider. Let us know if we could be the right partner for you!

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Idioms

As highlighted above, idioms don’t always make sense when they’re translated literally. Some expressions may overlap or have a similar equivalent in another language. For example, the literal English translation of the Spanish expression tomar el pelo is “to take the hair,” while a less literal and more accurate translation would be “to pull someone’s leg.” Other idioms, on the other hand, just don’t exist outside of their source language. This is why it’s important to have a translation team that’s deeply familiar with turns of phrase and cultural nuance in both the source and target languages.

Stakes can be higher than meets the eye when idioms are involved in marketing translations. We ran into this situation recently: an ad for an alcohol brand invited customers to “spice up” a celebration with their product. To capture the meaning behind the headline, our Spanish translation team used the verb animar, which in English means “to liven up.” We learned, however, that alcohol companies in the US can face legal consequences if they claim, or even infer, that their product will make an experience more fun. The ad included an image of a cocktail glass with a spiced rim, and fortunately the more literal element behind “spice” is still applicable in Spanish – we translated “spice up” as ponle sabor, which means “add flavor.”

Homonyms

Homonyms are words that are spelled (homographs) and/or pronounced (homophones) the same way but mean different things. It’s obvious why this poses challenges for marketing translations! One example we worked with recently was an awareness campaign for vaccination against COVID-19: “Facts 4 Getting Vaxed.” The brochure lists four facts about getting vaccinated, which of course is a play on the words “for” and “four.” In the target language of Spanish, however, cuatro (four) sounds nothing like the Spanish words for for, about, regarding, etc. In this case, we chose to 4go (see what I did there?) the play on words and simply translate as 4 razones para vacunarte (4 reasons to get vaccinated), given the lack of an equally appropriate homophone in Spanish and the urgency of the subject matter.

Pronunciation guides

We most often see pronunciation guides used in informational brochures about prescription medicines or educational materials about health conditions. For example, we translated a brochure about type 2 diabetes and stroke detection that included a pronunciation guide for “hemorrhagic” and “ischemic.” The correct pronunciation of these words in English might not be obvious to someone without a medical background because of the different ways that letters and letter combinations can be pronounced in English. For example, “ch” is pronounced differently in the words “choke” and “chorus,” even though it’s at the beginning and comes before the letter “o” in both words. The rules of Spanish pronunciation are much more straightforward and it’s unlikely that a pronunciation guide would ever be necessary if the intended audience is presumed to be generally literate.

Cultural phenomena

As with any translation, it’s important to take stock of any cultural references in marketing translations. While ten years ago the concept of Black Friday would not have resonated with a global audience, its popularity as a shopping “holiday” has spread far beyond the day after Thanksgiving in the US. Despite there being no Thanksgiving holiday in Spain, many retailers still advertise, often in English, “Black Friday” and even “Black Week” sales. The French language authority in Québec (the OQLF, Office Québécois de la langue française), on the other hand, prioritizes the usage of French whenever possible. And while they haven’t stopped Black Friday sales from gaining popularity in Québec, they did publish an article recommending against the usage of the English name. They also discourage a direct translation to Vendredi noir, explaining that this description could evoke feelings of depression or gloominess. Certainly not what advertisers want! They offer up a series of alternative translations instead, including their preferred Vendredi fou (Crazy Friday).

Acronyms

It can feel as if there are as many ways to handle acronyms in marketing translations as there are letters in the English alphabet! Using an acronym as a mnemonic device introduces a special level of creativity. The acronym FAST is widely used in the United States as a mnemonic for stroke detection: Face (drooping), Arm (weakness), Speech (slurred or hard to understand), Time to call 911. But if you don’t speak English, an English-language mnemonic won’t be very helpful! When we encounter mnemonics in translation, we first do research to see if there is an equivalent mnemonic in the target language. In the case of FAST, the mnemonic RÁPIDO exists in Spanish, though it is not yet as widely used. “Rápido” means fast in Spanish, which is great because it maintains the urgency of detecting and seeking medical attention for a stroke. It also incorporates all the same symptoms as the English mnemonic, with the addition of feeling off-balance (alteración del equilibro) and visual impairment (impedimento visual). When we first published this post at the end of 2021, the developers of RÁPIDO were seeking funding for focus group testing, and it hadn’t been rolled out in nationally published materials. So, for the type 2 diabetes and stroke detection brochure we translated into Spanish at the time, we maintained the FAST acronym, including the English word and the Spanish translation for each symptom. As of early 2024, the American Stroke Association does have an entire webpage dedicated to RÁPIDO resources. We’ll keep this in mind the next time a translation project about stroke prevention comes to us!

Hashtags

As with every other marketing tool in this post, deciding whether or not to translate a social media hashtag comes down to thorough and thoughtful research into your intended audience. When content volume and recognizability for a translated hashtag are equal to that of the English hashtag, we always recommend localizing. If there isn’t a widely used equivalent in the target language, it may be a better idea to leave the hashtag in English.

This depends on several other factors, of course. For example, do you have confirmation that your intended audience is engaging with English-language social media? Section 3 of the OQLF’s Social Media Guidelines (available in French only) says that promoting a social media site inside or outside a store, on vehicles, posters, loyalty carts, brochures, reusable bags, promotional objects, menus, invoices, etc. must be done in French and the social media account must also be in French. So, if you run an English-language campaign in Québec that includes a hashtag, you’ll need not only to translate the hashtag but also have a French-language social media account.

Marketing translations, or transcreations?

The examples of linguistic elements that don’t always translate well could truly be endless. This is why it’s so important to work with a thoughtful, thorough, and experienced language service provider when you decide to go global. Language Solutions works not just with experienced translators, but also with talented transcreators. Transcreation is a type of copywriting, just like translation is a kind of writing. A transcreation team will use the inspiration, meaning, feel, and intended impact of the source language copy to write linguistically and culturally appropriate copy for the target market. If you’re looking for a partner in the success of your marketing translations (or transcreations), get in touch and see if we’re a good fit!

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