Everyone loves to laugh at translation fails, but it’s not quite as funny when your business is on the receiving end of the mockery. It’s even less funny when your products are stuck at a border due to translation errors in labelling and documentation. A poor translation can expose your organisation to liability issues or even threaten world peace.
To survive and thrive in today’s connected global economy, businesses have to be willing to overcome language barriers. But what happens when your material gets lost in translation? The difference between a disaster and a bump in the road often comes down to a quick and effective response. At K International, we’ve got your back.
Here’s how we can support you when something goes wrong.
Correct Translations and Relevant Advice
The first step in responding to a translation error or a cross-cultural marketing fail is to correct the mistake. At K International, we’ll assemble a team of professional linguists, project managers and other experts in relevant fields like compliance and copywriting.
Whether the error in question is as simple as having the wrong ingredient listed or as complicated as an advertisement that isn’t delivering the desired message, we’ll get it sorted.
Deploy the Corrected Content Quickly
The next step is to deploy the corrected content. This step will take different forms depending on your industry and the nature of your error. It may be as easy as updating your website. It could be as labour-intensive as re-shooting a video. Or, it could be a logistical nightmare like trying to figure out how to re-label entire shipments of goods destined for foreign markets. Regardless, time is of the essence. Fortunately, our team includes specialists in a wide range of disciplines, from graphic design and desktop publishing to retail compliance. That means we can usually handle all aspects of your project in-house, for greater efficiency and a speedy resolution.
Translation errors on product packaging are a particular problem for retailers of perishable or fast-moving consumer goods. After all, you can’t sell a product that’s mislabeled, even if the product itself is fine. Meanwhile, every day your products sit stopped at the border is another day closer to them becoming spoiled or obsolete.
Wasting product is inefficient. It’s bad for the environment, and even worse for your business. But how do you fix a labelling error on products that have already been shipped all over the world? Bringing everything back to the factory and repackaging it is utterly impractical.
Over stickers to the Rescue
In these circumstances, we usually recommend creating compliant multilingual over stickers to apply on top of the existing product packaging. We can deploy these rapidly to minimise waste. At K International, retail translation is one of our specialities. We understand that time is money, especially when it comes to items with a short shelf life. Over the years, we’ve built a system of efficient and effective project management and quality control processes to routinely deliver urgent requests with the same exacting standards we’ve built our reputation on. For over stickers, our team will work together to ensure the new labels are correctly translated and meet all local and international regulatory requirements.
If your products are stuck in customs to a labelling issue, we can help. For more information see What to Do If Your Products Are Stuck at the Border.
Consulting and Project Management
Every mistake is a learning opportunity, a chance to refine your systems and prevent similar events from happening again. With that in mind, once the initial error has been corrected, we will be happy to consult with you on how to avoid similar errors in the future. Additionally, we have over a decade of international retail market experience creating language solutions for leading companies. Our advisors can ensure that all your product labels are compliant, your translations are correct, and your marketing messages resonate with customers around the world.
To prove our commitment to meet the needs of our customers, our strict quality control procedures are certified to comply with ISO 9001 standards. We use customised, cutting-edge translation technology to deliver fast turnaround times without sacrificing accuracy, all while integrating seamlessly with the way your business works.
For more information on our quality control procedures, see How We Ensure Consistency in Translation.
Want to do some of your own research? Here are 15 of our experts’ favourite translation resources for retail businesses.
Can your current LSP offer the same level of support when things go wrong? If not, we need to talk. Contact us today to discuss how we can help support you both now and in the future!