Most businesses hire bilinguals to translate their content to foreign languages. It makes sense, right? Seems like, a person who knows two languages can do the translation job very well. Unfortunately, it is just a misconception among international businesses, and it has a devastating impact on your brand reputation. Even many big companies have made such mistakes.
Do you know that KFC translated its tagline “Finger Licking Good” to another language that says “We’ll Eat Your Fingers Off!”? This is what mostly happens when companies rely on a bilingual person.
Well, nobody wants to make such creepy blunders, and to avoid them, you should hire a professional linguist. In this article, we’ll talk about the difference between linguists and bilingual translators, and why a business should contact freelance linguists to manage their translation for business expansion needs.
Who are Professional Linguists?
A linguist is a language expert, who knows all discrepancies and details about a particular language/s and its dialects. Businesses can translate content by a linguist, or hire them to just edit and proofread the translations done by translators.
Unlike your conventional bilingual translators, linguists live and breathe your customer's languages, and they also very well understand the influence of culture on a language. So, you can trust them with your translations, and they would never put you into any trouble. A language expert can be a successful freelance translator; translating the content can prove a lucrative profession for linguists. Their in-depth knowledge of the local market allows them to focus on small details and good grammar for approving any translation.
So, if you want to build a strong brand image in a foreign market, you should hire a linguist, rather than depend merely on bilingual translators.
Translators’ vs Linguists | What’s the Difference?
A translator is a person who translates a text from one language to another, while linguists deeply understand a language, including all its cultural, historical, and technical intricates. The translator is a subcategory of linguists, but not all translators are linguists. If you want to translate your content for localization purposes, then you should contact a professional freelance linguist. Unlike translators, linguists wouldn’t make any linguistic mistakes, and they are also more efficient in making your content culturally appropriate.
Because a linguist intensely studies language, it is preferred to hire them for localization projects. LSPs also hire qualified linguists for proofreading their translations before delivering them to clients.
Why Should Global Businesses Hire Freelance Linguists?
Now you have understood the difference between a translator and linguistics, and you can better tell why hiring linguists should be the first choice of global businesses. Following are some major reasons why linguists are the best choice for your business localization project.
Better Content Quality
Linguists are ideally hired to do trans creation. Trans creation is basically a process of translating the content to another language without losing the actual emotions and intent. Undoubtedly, it takes way more time to do trans creation than conventional translations, so investing in the right people is also important. With linguists, you are 100% sure that your brand message is clearly delivered to targeted audiences without altering its meaning.
They Understand Your Customer
Linguists will generate culturally suitable, linguistically engaging, and technically accurate translations because of their comprehensive understanding of a language. They will create more appealing content to enhance your customer's overall experience with the brand. You don’t have to worry about losing the context because linguists very well know how to sustain the essence of your original message while translating it to another language.
They Are Qualified
Professional linguists are certified experts, who have the right qualifications to handle your translation projects. Linguists have at least 2 years of linguistics degree, which makes them capable enough to do quality work. So, when you are hiring any freelance linguist, it is important to acquire his/her qualifications and certification in this domain.
No Linguistic Mistakes
One of the biggest perks of hiring a linguist is that there will be no costly mistakes. Remember, KFC tagline translation, it wouldn’t happen to you if there is an expert linguist by your side. A linguistic expert not just does wordy translation but also takes care of all cultural and psychological aspects of the content. Intelligently translated content by an expert will help you make your place in the foreign market and engage more people with your brand.
It Is Cost-Effective
As you are hiring a freelance linguist, it is going to cost you way too much less than a full-time in-house translator. Although linguists charge more than bilingual translators, still freelance linguists would charge you on a contractual basis, so you have to pay them only for the work they have delivered. Moreover, the quality they are providing you, worth the money that you are investing.
Wrapping Up!
It is always recommended for global businesses to work with expert linguists for their translations projects. Your translated content should create a consistent brand experience across multiple regions around the world. Linguists will keep your brand message authentic and effective in a foreign market, and help you enhance your business credibility. You can easily find qualified freelance linguists on any reliable freelancing translation platform.
Hiring someone with a good understanding of targeted language, and fair experience in the language industry would be a perfect fit for your content localization.