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As entrepreneurs proceed to seek ways to expand their global reach, they often face a major obstacle: the language barrier and the risks it brings. Miscommunication and misunderstandings can lead to costly mistakes, wasted company time, and wasted opportunities.
As CEO INS GlobalI have seen first-hand 1000’s of success stories of firms successfully entering multilingual markets. While it could appear counterproductive at first, overcoming the language barrier and expanding into a recent market might be one of the most profitable ways to grow your enterprise today. Strategically equipping your organization to overcome language barriers will set it up for long-term success in future markets.
Identify linguistic and cultural challenges
The lack of proficiency of current employees in the goal market language is the most blatant barrier for firms entering a recent market. Therefore, the most blatant solution to identifying language barriers is simply to “hire bilingual employees,” but this shortsighted and reductive reasoning might not be the best long-term solution. Bilingual employees will definitely ease the ability to communicate with customers, suppliers, and employees. However, cultural nuances can complicate matters, as what is considered polite or respectful in one culture could also be offensive in one other.
The potential for miscommunication is significant and may end up in lost sales, damaged reputations, and even legal trouble. For example, marketing campaigns that hit the easy button by making literal translations risk not fully capturing idioms in other countries that might offend the target market. In the Nineteen Eighties, when KFC first launched in Beijing, translation error to your logo. While “finger-licking” chicken sounds delicious, its literal translation is “eat your fingers.” Learn from the similarly embarrassing literal translation errors made by multinational firms like McDonald’s, Clairol, Sony, and Rolls Royce, and ensure to consider each languages AND cultural nuances in your work processes.
Effective communication strategies
To overcome such language barriers, firms that prioritize effective communication as a business strategy are likely to experience greater success in their recent goal market. Here are some practical strategies:
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Translation services: Hiring professionally certified translators ensures that your message is conveyed accurately. While machine translation tools have improved, human translators can higher handle nuances and cultural context, ultimately saving you time and money by getting it right the first time.
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Language training: Investing in language training for employees who interact with customers, suppliers, or partners can significantly improve communication. This might be done through online courses, language exchange programs, or in-person classes.
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Multilingual customer support: Providing customer support in multiple languages demonstrates your commitment to serving customers around the world. This might be achieved by hiring multilingual staff or working with a customer support provider that gives multilingual services.
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AI-powered translation software has turn into increasingly sophisticated, offering more accurate and natural-sounding translations. This software will also be used by multilingual website chatbots to help with customer support and problem-solving.
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Cultural sensitivity: Understanding and respecting cultural differences is essential to effective communication. Companies should conduct cultural research early in product development and marketing campaigns and train employees to concentrate on cultural nuances, especially if employees will live in multiple countries and work for the same company.
Location for success
Location is the means of adapting products, services, or marketing materials to a specific market. It involves greater than just translating content word for word; it also includes taking into account cultural preferences, local customs, and legal requirements. For example, a food company may have to adapt ingredients or packaging to meet local tastes and dietary restrictions.
Netflix used location to its advantage by entering the video-on-demand streaming market in India in 2016. The company deliberately went beyond strict translation services to enter the market, also taking into account the cultural and consumer ecosystem in India. Netflix strategically leveraged local social media influencers, dubbed in Indian dialects (in addition to adding translated subtitles), improved its budget-friendly mobile viewing app due to the viewing habits of Indians, and even developed original content for this recent market.
Netflix has gone beyond just buying the rights to Bollywood movies to increase its market share in India and has as an alternative embraced adapting to the Indian market as a primary market, not only a “secondary” one. From July 2024, Q2 Earnings ReportIndia is currently Netflix’s second largest market.
By adapting their operations to a recent market and taking into account consumer preferences, firms can higher communicate with customers and increase their probabilities of success in recent markets.
Partnerships as a solution
Partnering with a company that usually works with multilingual staff can provide businesses with the peace of mind and market-specific knowledge they need to go to market with minimal risk and maximum reward.
Companies like INS Global can work with firms looking to expand into multilingual markets, providing invaluable support and expertise. As Employer of Record (EOR) Providerwe provide local HR solutions, including payroll, advantages, and compliance. This ensures that language barriers and local regulations do not impede worker engagement or operational efficiency. For example, by using EOR, firms can get help hiring local talent, giving them access to expert professionals who understand the language and nuances of their recent goal market. EOR may be sure that firms comply with local regulations, including payroll, time beyond regulation, advantages, and tax requirements.
By implementing effective communication strategies, embracing localization, and leveraging like-minded partnerships, firms can effectively overcome the challenges of operating in multilingual markets and mitigate unnecessary risks. Overcoming language barriers ought to be seen as the next and best way to achieve sustainable growth.