{"id":21061,"date":"2025-08-02T01:32:45","date_gmt":"2025-08-02T01:32:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/auerbach-intl.com\/?p=21061"},"modified":"2025-09-04T20:42:16","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T20:42:16","slug":"global-business-more-than-just-translated-words-or-bloopers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/auerbach-intl.com\/staging\/global-business-more-than-just-translated-words-or-bloopers\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Business. More than just translated words. Or Bloopers."},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019 longevity, quality and reliability. Arab countries seek job creation, technology transfer, etc. to diversify their economies away from oil and gas.<\/p>\n

In essence, if your presentation emphasizes US benefits, it can fall flat overseas.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s health, and welcome you with pastries and coffee. This is NOT the time to discuss business.<\/p>\n

Trust and “Face”<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

In most parts of the world \u2013 which are far older than North America \u2013 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 \u201cbreach of contract,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

In East Asia, \u201ctranslation\u201d also involves the non-verbal communication of gestures and facial expressions (or lack thereof) and conference-room seating arrangements \u2013 as well as speaking in inferences and sometimes with no or unclear pronouns (he, she, they).<\/p>\n

Most world societies are also attuned to \u201csaving face.\u201d That means not embarrassing your hosts by common Western practices such as saying \u201cNo\u201d directly. Instead, the main methods are (to apologize and) to negate a verb (\u201cCan you accomplish this?\u201d \u201cI\u2019m terribly sorry but as much as we\u2019d like to, we can\u2019t accomplish it\u201d) or by using expressions such as \u201cI don\u2019t think so\u201d or \u201cIt\u2019s extremely difficult.\u201d Americans who challenge these assumptions (\u201cIt\u2019s not hard at all. Here\u2019s how to do it\u2026\u201d) don\u2019t understand this critical cultural nuance.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s business practices and values. And AI translations will not do this unless:<\/p>\n

A. you know how to pre-program it accordingly; and
\nB. you speak the target language to know whether the result is accurate at all or accurate enough.<\/p>\n

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.).<\/p>\n

Bloopers<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Of course, not using a professional language agency also risks your becoming part of our Bloopers list:<\/p>\n

Israel pool sign:<\/p>\n