International business expansion and ecommerce can be daunting, but the three major barriers to global growth can be identified and tackled quickly with the right team on hand. Bubbles Translation Services has explored the potential impact of these issues, as well as the steps that should be taken to effectively overcome them.
Launching with Language
When considering international ecommerce, businesses need to be careful not to overlook the impact of language on the success of the brand overseas. In order to thrive abroad, companies should consider the semantics behind their brand values as well as the word for word translation. For example, a country’s understanding of humour or accepted puns can differ greatly from those of a brand’s home country, making it difficult for the firm’s marketing strategy to translate well into another language without some careful thought.
By enlisting the help of an experienced team of human translators, businesses can avoid poor direct translation and enter new markets with culturally relevant and accurate brand translation already in place.
Calculating Cultural Differences
Cultural differences can also have a significant impact on the success of a brand when it first emerges in a new country. In fact, many companies will completely revise their brand values and marketing strategy to take into account cultural values, differences and norms. This process is referred to as localisation, which simply means the re-focusing of a company’s brand values and marketing strategy to the local market.
Localisation should be considered from the word ‘go’ to prevent brands repeatedly trying and failing to enter unsuitable countries.
Riling Regulations
They’re impossible to avoid and easy to fall prey to, but regulatory issues can be carefully negotiated if you have the right resources in place. Regulations will vary greatly depending on the country you choose to expand to, and as such the paradigms shaping your business in one market could be completely different in another.
In order to overcome these barriers it’s vital for a business to thoroughly research each new market before pushing ahead with expansion. Many businesses also turn to UK advisors to help them make the smooth transition from one country into another.
Bubbles Translation Services has been working in the eCommerce field since 2003 and we have a trusted team of professional international translators and marketers. If your business is considering moving into new markets do get in touch to find out how we can help.
