Localize to Connect: Don’t Translate!

​The world is becoming a smaller place, and competition in every market is getting fiercer each day. And yet, the chances for businesses to succeed are no longer reserved for top-notch conglomerates. Small and medium enterprises are finding great new opportunities to take their share. So look — once these businesses are ready to make their products and services available in other countries, why not even the odds of success and localize what they have to offer?

​At this stage, connecting to foreign local markets with human translation takes a significant part of marketing. Hence, creative writing and translation agencies are growing like never before.
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​Language into Intimacy

The role of language is no longer mere communication. And that is how "natural language" proves its need. If you can’t build enough intimacy and trust with the people you talk to, chances are your language will end up dead and soon forgotten. Tons of foreign language education institutes and translation agencies are working on “learning the natural foreign language” and making that knowledge available to the masses. Because what people crave is a vibrant, living language that can move and motivate foreigners and their markets... not just for the sake of marketing but also for building connections in personal, daily interactions.

Ok, now let's talk about this.

​For example, let’s say you’re from the U.S., and you get a small thrill of familiarity when you get a new watch and your Korean friend says, “Man, that’s lit!” and not just "Oh, that is nice.” It's a no-brainer which sounds friendlier and more sincere. We are humans, after all, and not automatons! So you have to watch out because a translation service might just give you the "Oh, that is nice" line and underline the familiarity you want to establish with your audience. I used to make those mistakes too.
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Sea of Sameness

The world is overflowing with wonderful products and services, but with so much abundance, things tend to overlap, and some marketers have difficulty figuring out what their unique selling points (USPs) are. They have trouble zeroing in on, say, how slim their smartphone is or how spiritually rewarding their yoga programs are.

You know you’re not the only one…

One key trend of successful business is personalization, the skill of creating different personas and profiles that offer customized experiences based on a customer's needs and tastes.

I once wrote the Korean text for a big tech company's new data software. My tone was friendly but detailed, which was the norm... but that was the problem. The target audience was a group of managers in the IT industry, so I had to adjust my tone to sound more “B2B”, and the content had to stay concise, as they already had experience with big data. So that was my mistake; I didn’t personalize the language properly.

Your copywriters and content writers aren’t authors. They wouldn't really think about their own writing style. The key is to adopt a tone that will attract “your readers”. They have to know this stuff too.
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​Hit the right market
with the right “niche words”

​In business, the right words hit like targeted missiles. Think about it: most of your marketing content consists of words — ads, social media posts, videos, websites, articles, head copy, body text, emails, and booklets… And sole translation isn’t enough. Not even close.

Translation: Your content ► Their content
Language localization: Your idea X their needs

There are many key abilities that machines will simply never have. No machine could ever sympathize with your sentiments or replicate their essence in new words. Your ideas, ideals, and motivations cannot be reduced to just coding and data. Your readers should feel YOU, not what a machine thinks is the closest approximation. That's a highly specialized skill reserved for other humans.

But then what can you do? Use a niche voice and tone to change your readers' minds. And this requires a creative, critical sense of their native language and the cultural expertise of a local who also has a specialization in your industry. That is the right array of tools you need to hit the market effectively.

So who can do this for you? Local copywriters, content writers, and creative translators who speak your language fluently and have the necessary marketing background in your industry.

Let me tell you a story: A few months ago, I was sitting on the sofa with my mom, having a peaceful weekend and just watching TV without much on my mind. But somewhere in a flood of TV ads, one in particular, for an automobile company, actually caught me off guard.
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"나에게 어울리는 것보다, 나이에 어울리는 것을 찾고 있지 않았는가? (Haven’t you been trying to look for what suits your age, rather than yourself?)"

​It all clicked into place. I couldn’t simply take my eyes off it. One second, two seconds...all the way to the end. And as a driver myself, I had always thought, “Yes, at this age, I should have this car...” And that ad changed my point of view (even today it makes sense).

You see, in South Korea, as people get older, they choose new cars that suit their age... and that company was questioning it, something almost everyone takes for granted! What a sharp way to sell a perfectly good, inexpensive car without trying to pummel the viewer into submission. It was honestly the first time I had ever been blown away by the pure style of a car ad.

When you look for the most highly qualified translators, ask yourself: What if they can’t deliver and make this good enough to drive revenue in the market you're targeting? What a loss. A totally needless loss.

When it comes to content marketing, look for someone who can connect you to the "local reality" and create the optimum value with your ideas in that. Top agencies take this fact as gospel and only look for local copywriters for this reason.
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​Discover the place that truly needs you

And perhaps most important of all, don’t dive into a foreign market just because it seems like an interesting idea. Only do it IF your idea has the potential to add to the society as much as you intend to take out of it.

A while ago, I came across a YouTube channel run by a German guy named Alex. He is a self-development coach who runs HigherSelf by himself, and the most striking part is that 100% of his media content is spoken in fluent Korean. This service helps rally and guide Koreans who are struggling in their careers and personal lives. He started his YouTube channel to share his life lessons, including quitting a respectable but stressful job in South Korea.

Self-development is big in South Korea (though some say, a bit unconvincingly, that they hate it). Alex focuses on people who need his work, and those are many indeed, as his coaching programs are so full you need to wait three months or more to attend. He saw an opportunity here and decided to reach them by speaking Korean -- and that hit the spot! He wouldn't be able to coach without speaking advanced Korean, as people here who speak English fluently are far from the majority. And his customers feel more at ease participating in their native language instead. He also explains things with logic and simplicity, which Koreans appreciate, as they're fed up with all the brag and fluff in this industry.

So Alex's passion and language skills are a perfect fit for South Korea.

Remember: Your ideas cannot and will never be valuable to everyone everywhere. You’ve got to find out which audiences are eager to hear from you. Focus on them.
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Summary:
1. EVERY one of your customers has a unique and highly specific cultural background.
2. Localize and personalize your content. Find local copywriters and creative translators who are fluent in your language and discuss marketing and focusing on your industry.
3. Choose the countries and regions that truly need your services and products or just forget it.

After all, it’s about relevance. Language localization doesn’t just mean creative translation. It's about scaling the high walls between societies and cultures — people’s preferences, stereotypes, misconceptions, and values — and eventually knocking them down. Hire the ones who can tackle this challenge and prevail.
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Cebin Jeong | Content Curator
cebin@korean-it.com

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