Global Business. More than just translated words. Or Bloopers.

roy@keivs.com
August 2, 2025
1:32 am
0 comments

Global Business. More than just translated words. Or Bloopers.

According to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, US goods and services exports totaled $1.24 trillion in Q1 2025. In spite of tariff threats, world business continues to boom. The critical issue is that business methods here usually differ from business methods there. And those methods involve more than just translating words.

Americans often assume that they can just plunge in abroad, showing how their product or service has the cheapest price, best discounts, and best cost savings. However, Latin Americans value family, religion, food and music. Does your product or service reflect any of those benefits? The Japanese value suppliers’ longevity, quality and reliability. Arab countries seek job creation, technology transfer, etc. to diversify their economies away from oil and gas.

In essence, if your presentation emphasizes US benefits, it can fall flat overseas.

Business practices also differ. When you go to Brazil or the Philippines, your hosts will first engage in small talk about the traffic and one’s health, and welcome you with pastries and coffee. This is NOT the time to discuss business.

Trust and "Face"

In most parts of the world – which are far older than North America – your hosts will talk about music, art, sports, books, travel, perhaps family and other subjects designed to establish trust, credibility and rapport. Of these, trust is most important. While Americans will quickly sue for “breach of contract,” most older societies seek to avoid that by partnering with firms that will honor the spirit of a contract in spite of intervening circumstances that can temporarily obstruct immediate fulfillment.

In East Asia, “translation” also involves the non-verbal communication of gestures and facial expressions (or lack thereof) and conference-room seating arrangements – as well as speaking in inferences and sometimes with no or unclear pronouns (he, she, they).

Most world societies are also attuned to “saving face.” That means not embarrassing your hosts by common Western practices such as saying “No” directly. Instead, the main methods are (to apologize and) to negate a verb (“Can you accomplish this?” “I’m terribly sorry but as much as we’d like to, we can’t accomplish it”) or by using expressions such as “I don’t think so” or “It’s extremely difficult.” Americans who challenge these assumptions (“It’s not hard at all. Here’s how to do it…”) don’t understand this critical cultural nuance.

In essence, whatever your English brochure, website, video or PPT may say, no translation will work unless the message is culturally adapted first to the target culture’s business practices and values. And AI translations will not do this unless:

A. you know how to pre-program it accordingly; and
B. you speak the target language to know whether the result is accurate at all or accurate enough.

The later becomes the role of a professional language agency such as ours which uses 35 years of expertise to make you shine in any of our 120 languages or their dialects (Chilean Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Taiwan Chinese, Australian English, etc.).

Bloopers

Of course, not using a professional language agency also risks your becoming part of our Bloopers list:

Israel pool sign:

“Debt Bather 1. Siren pool officials instructions signs.
2. Beware slip and ponds in their vicinity. Not allowed to run and push."

Denmark food sign:

“Broccolisalat med aerteskud og salte mandler” “Broccoli salad with pee shoots and salted almonds”

China construction-site sign:

“Erection in progress.”

Conclusion

When quality, accuracy and precision matter and when cultural adaptation is critical to reflect your own firm’s professionalism, please ask Auerbach International for a Free Quote as an essential step for your global success.

Thank you!