Professional translation services are not there to only take care of a word-to-word conversion. There is a lot more that is relevant to the process of translation and it needs to be taken into consideration for an effective translation. 

The major factors include cultural considerations and appropriateness. An idiom and phrase which is openly taken in one country could be rather offensive and have legal implications in another one. The translation is connected to many sensitive factors as well such as religious and political affiliations. A slight change or twist of a word could make you accountable for a lot.

This is why it is important for translators to be vigilant about the cultural factors of the target audience while working on translation.

Localization’s influence on translation

A localization process deals with the adaptions of translation according to the local traditions, culture, and expectations. Considering the example of women's apparel, women in western countries are free to choose whatever they want to wear for themselves. However, women in UAE and particularly Saudi Arabia are not supposed to wear anything in the name of clothes and there are strict rules.

The same goes for the Turkish masses. People there have different implications despite the Islamic country it is greatly influenced by western countries. The businesses, however, before going into the localization process should acquire accurate and quality Turkish translation services to know the masses and their culture well.

A company that is working on an ad that has a slogan about their hair and their exposure might change that for the eastern market as women and at times men have to cover their heads too. Cultural appropriateness has to be there in the translation and adhere well or else it could be disastrous for the company and its products.

Similarly, the religious or political affiliations of Turkish people could be a serious deal, and a company that intends to cater Turkish market has to ensure that they have conducted its search well with a competent translation agency on board for professional Turkish translation services.

Cultural considerations and their examples

Every language represents a culture. Every culture is unique to a certain extent.  As culture is at times the whole thing which makes a country and its people special and people also value their culture and traditions deeply so playing with these boundaries in translation could infuriate them.

Face savage in Chinese culture

Chinese people are very respectful towards each other and this concept of ‘face’ is significant in their culture. It is imperative there to respect a person on the basis of their position in the hierarchy of the organization, family, and society. However, in some other countries, it is often accepted openly to bully someone and to make people laugh by putting someone in an embarrassing situation but it’s a big no in Chinese culture. That is why translators may need to consider how they need to incorporate the translation accordingly.

Family values for eastern cultures 

Family values could be another cultural clash that translators could smash in translations by overlooking its importance. The idea of family life is not the same everywhere. People of Malaysia, India Pakistan, they value their family life very well and often prefer living in a joint family too with extended families. However, in western countries, it’s all about their nuclear family with two parents and their kids. So, you need to watch out for what you are endorsing and for which audiences.

Cultural taboos in Portugal

Talking about the colonial wars, political affiliations and religion are not that common in Portugal and the Portuguese don’t welcome such topics openly. They avoid discussing such interests and expect the same from foreigners. So in order to work on Portuguese translation services, you need to ensure you don’t bring up something political or about religion which may offend the Portuguese people.

Also speaking about Portugal when you are working on a project that connects Portugal by any means and makes you contribute to professional Portuguese translation services, please make sure that you don’t disrespect the Christianity traditions and Catholicism. The history of Portugal is deeply rich and connected with Christianity and an element of disrespect could bring a disgrace to your company by offending these people.

Colors and their different uses

Colors hold different significance in different regions and countries. Red color which is often taken as a sign of terror and danger in African countries is a color that represents happiness and good vibes in Chinese culture. Moreover, it is associated with luck and destiny in Iran and Egypt.

A professional translation company has to realize the importance of cultural considerations and understand how translation and localization are important. Overlooking the small details even about colors or other stances about important affiliations while expanding business could be catastrophic and the audience may reject the business with no positive reception at all.

Final words

Overlooking the cultural factors during the process of translation and localization can bring sheer embarrassment for companies turning their all expansion efforts into futile. Therefore, it is important that when a business plans an expansion to a decided target market, they conduct its research and go through the do’s and don’ts of that culture to avoid controversies and offenses.