iCandy: About the Project
iCandy manufacture pushchairs and related accessories. Established in London in 1993, they have since grown to reach an international presence, earning themselves a worldwide reputation for high quality products with a name that’s become synonymous with British design and impeccable standards.
As part of their global growth the company approached Bubbles to translate the websites for their 27 main worldwide markets. Before this, each local market had been responsible for its own website, resulting in an inconsistent brand image across the different global platforms.
iCandy weren’t sure of the exact message that each individual website relayed to their customers. Some had even resorted to using Google Translate for their content – undermining the high-quality professional image that remains so central to iCandy’s brand.
Let’s start again
Bubbles and iCandy decided the time was ripe for a total re-haul. Together we planned to write and translate all 27 international websites from scratch. To fit into iCandy’s wider plans for business growth, this needed to be completed within a tight 10-month deadline.
The hardest part with any translation exercise is finding the right words. Each translation demanded a careful balance between the requirements of the text and the cultural expectations of the relevant language – all whilst paying attention to any preferences the marketing managers had in each country.
There are alternative words for ‘pushchair’ even within English, like stroller, buggy or pram. Like us, other languages have synonyms. It was vital for the brand and the quality of the translation that we found the right ones for each market.
To achieve this, we produced ‘glossaries’ which contained translations of the most frequently occurring terms. Once approved, these became a lexical foundation for the entire translation process, ensuring consistency of terminology from conception to delivery.
Doing things differently
Once the English content had been written and approved, Bubbles selected teams of translators for each language. We work with a diverse team of over 4,000 translators worldwide, giving us direct access to high quality, native-speaking translators who instantly understand the demands of each project in relation to their market. The subject matter required a delicate combination of technical and marketing language – a balance which only a specialised, experienced, native-level translator can hope to negotiate.
It was also important for Bubbles to deliver all the translated material back to iCandy in the right format, allowing the internal team to simply re-import the translated text into the CMS and avoid spending weeks entirely re-creating the original website.
A lasting partnership
The project was completed to schedule and the localized website launched. Having established a line of communication and trust with iCandy, we now continue to deliver excellent language translation services when required. When new iCandy products are launched, Bubbles are the team they turn to for high quality translations that reflect an integrated brand identity across multiple global platforms.
To ensure consistency, we use the same teams of translators for each language, combined with specialist translation memory software tools that reduce costs and accelerate turnaround.
The partnership between iCandy and Bubbles has developed through translation of other materials into a variety of languages and formats including print material, user guides, technical manuals, press releases and literature for trade shows. When iCandy joined with Land Rover to develop a special edition, high-end pushchair, Bubbles translated the marketing material for its launch at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
The quality of the translations produced by Bubbles has been highly praised by iCandy’s international colleagues for its accuracy and style, and for meeting tight deadlines.
We’re particularly proud of this TrustPilot review we received from iCandy’s digital marketing executive:
“Utterly amazing service from the team at Bubbles.
They have assisted iCandy World Ltd in translating content for all of our new international websites and printed materials.
“The team are not only accurate in their work, fast with their turnaround, and proficient in their work, but they deliver when they say they will. You will not find a better team or Translators. #Fact.”
“An utterly amazing company to work with.”
