First, let’s go back to basics: Latin America is a continent of at least 20 countries, but has two main languages: Portuguese and Spanish.

Brazil has over 200 million people, more than double the population of any country in Europe, and Brazilians speak Portuguese, not Spanish. So when you prepare presentations, marketing materials, technical brochures and so on, remember that what you need is Portuguese. It’s also important to note that you need Brazilian Portuguese, which is rather different from the Portuguese spoken in Portugal.

Do not ever assume that Brazilians speak Spanish just because Brazil is in South America and almost all its neighbours speak Spanish.

I am sure that a lot of Brazilians prefer promotional literature in English rather than in Spanish. Accents in Brazil vary enormously too, which is hardly a surprise for a country that size, and so does the degree of formality used when people speak.

As you can imagine, there are also many other languages spoken in Brazil, up to 200-250 according to some statistics.

Time to break out your Spanish dictionary

Apart from Brazil, you can get by in the rest of Latin America with Spanish, due to historical ties with the Spanish Crown rather than the Portuguese Crown. There are native languages too, but Spanish really dominates the scene. This is a huge advantage: you can communicate with 400 million people in just one language.

This is, again, Latin American Spanish and not Spanish from Spain. Pronunciation varies from country to country, as does the grammar. You should translate marketing and promotional materials into some form of broad Latin American Spanish. I know from experience this isn’t an easy task, but is doable, and much better than any mainland Spanish translation. If you have the budget for it, or if your business demands it, it’s also useful to have some localised versions that apply to individual countries.

If you grab a map, you’ll see that Latin America stretches from Mexico down to the south of Chile and Argentina. Note the deserts, rainforests, mountains and all sorts of geographical barriers throughout the region. Now you can start to understand why there are so many variations of Latin American Spanish.

In Latin America, we all understand each other and can all read your brochures (the more technical, the better, in my experience) but for consumer goods in particular, you can’t afford to make mistakes. Variations will be stronger in B2C vocabulary, so make sure that your translations are suitable for the specific market you are targeting.

Don’t let your message get lost in translation

For example, “Manteca” in Uruguay means butter, but in Colombia it means lard. Avocado is “palta” in Chile, but “aguacate” in Colombia. “Cacahuate” is peanut in Mexican Spanish but in Uruguay we call them “maní”.

I remember the first time I went to Colombia and at a restaurant they asked me if I wanted to cancel my dinner, after I had already had it! I realised a bit later on that to “cancel” in Colombian Spanish (“cancelar”), means to pay. In other words, to “cancel the bill”, not to cancel the meal!

Visiting these countries can be a shock to your communication skills, too. I find that Colombians, particularly those from Bogotá, speak very clearly. In Chile, on the other hand, people not only speak very fast (same in Uruguay and Argentina), but they also skip full syllables, which doesn’t help non-native speakers at all. We also have a tendency to speak over each other, all at the same time (and rather loudly), as waiting for turns is really not in our DNA.

Also expect a broad assortment of hand gestures and facial expressions. They say that communication is mainly non-verbal, and Latin Americans are brilliant at non-verbal cues. In some countries like Argentina, Chile or Uruguay, we can be fairly informal and also use humour, irony and sarcasm quite a bit, even in business. I can see why it’s hard for non-native speakers to work it all out.

So if you are not travelling with a native speaker, ask and ask again for clarity.

Apart from Portuguese and Spanish, remember there are a few countries in Latin America that speak French (Haiti and French Guiana, for example). They speak Dutch in Suriname and English in Guyana, but they are not technically part of “Latin” America though they are both part of South America and are often grouped in with the LAC region. This region is comprised of “Latin America and the Caribbean”, which also includes English-speaking countries such as Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica.

When can you use English?

Many business people, particularly from the U.S., seem to think that everyone in Latin America can and will speak English for business. This is truly not the case in Latin America.

Some people will be very fluent, although they might lack enough “native English” to spot irony, sarcasm and some humour. Some will just about get by (they might read a technical brochure and understand it, for example, but not be able to explain things to you or ask you questions) and most will not really speak it at all.

Limiting yourself to English only will really reduce the level of business you can conduct. If there’s a non-English speaker that can add value to your business, see how you can bring them into the conversation. You can also try explaining things with gestures – YouTube can be a huge help. Keep some demos and other videos handy. Alternatively, consider hiring an interpreter or a local consultant, even if it’s just for the odd focus group, negotiation or conversation.

Especially when speaking to the decision maker, you don’t want to leave them out in the cold. They will appreciate the gesture. After all, it’s you who’s trying to do business in their country!

Use language to unlock the potential of the Latin American market

I don’t think you need to be a fluent Spanish or Portuguese speaker to do business in Latin America. But knowing where your limitations are, and how to overcome them, can be critical.

If you navigate a whole continent without reaching your business potential because of language, what would happen if your main competitor hired a perfectly fluent multilingual sales manager? And what would happen if you did? If you have local partners and you don’t really need to deal with clients, are you dealing effectively with those partners and distributors, or is a lack of linguistic and cultural awareness stopping you from making the most of that relationship?

In business, I believe languages are tools. They are not an end in themselves. Use your tool wisely and open up Latin America for your business.

The post How to communicate effectively and grow your business in Latin America appeared first on Trade Ready.

Finding the right language service provider overseas is very much like looking for your ideal client. Basically, it requires you to research, build a relationship and take risks.

In the process, you may learn more about the translation industry, how it can help grow your business and, hopefully, your vision for a translation expert.

1. What To search for

In the very beginning, you will come across your first dilemma: human or machine translation? Well, Google Translate, or any other automatic translator for that matter, is like the F-word – you don’t want to say it out-loud in public.

GT might help you with your casual communications, but bear in mind that outside informal contexts, it may get you into trouble.

Right now, I hear you saying “But it’s free!” or “I’ve got a small budget!”

I know it’s disappointing, but automation doesn’t solve everything and, for the sake of your international business plans, you really want to avoid translation blunders.

From the outset, you’ll need to invest in several linguistic aspects—copywriting, translating, adapting, editing, and proofreading, just to mention a few —if you expect a higher success rate when internationalizing your business.

So, whether you reach out for a sole translation expert or a translation company during your research, you’ll need to focus on a collaborative approach, one that allows both parties to consistently build a relationship of trust and growth through good business practices.

Then, you no longer look for any translator to simply translate your literature into Spanish.

You want a native Spanish translation expert. A close resourceful collaborator, who can work with other experts when your project needs it, and whose expertise enables engagement of the Spanish-speaking audience with your brand, products or services.

Such a translator should not only have full proficiency in translation competencies and subject area expertise, but also in-depth understanding of the challenges, issues and pains you and your company face, in order to be able to assist you in pursuing your commercial objectives.

For example, your analytics show some interest in your products from a few Spanish-speaking markets and you’d like to poke them a little harder by re-using company videos. Your translation-budget is limited, and due to the considerable Spanish variations across Latin America, you opt out of the localization strategy.

Instead, your translation expert could ‘culturally curate’ these videos and optimize them with International Spanish subtitles. That way, you give your audience a nudge to speed up their buying decision-making process by demonstrating you care about their language needs.

2. Why you need a translation expert

You’re probably wondering “Hey, I speak Spanish. Why would I need a translation expert?!”

It’s necessary because you’d prefer to focus on developing your cultural and communicational skills, rather than your translating competencies, in order to excel at face-to-face encounters, informal meetings, trade shows, interviews or long distance calls.

Your ultimate goal is driving business and keeping the relationship with your potential clients alive. So, let the translation experts be your support when it comes to dealing with the linguistic aspects of your international business plans.

3. Where to find them

Finding in-country accredited professionals should not be that hard, since most of them are listed at translators’ associations.  For example, in Argentina, it’s customary to find them at Colegios de Traductores. These are official registries whose certified members are sworn translation practitioners and bound to confidentiality by law.

You can also ask for referrals from governmental agencies, such as Global Affairs Canada, and international chambers of commerce. For example, in Santa Fe City, Argentina, CaCESFe helps members with translation services. Think of institutions that are closest to you or your potential clients.

4. How to handle the selection process

Thanks to the Internet, you can easily google translators’ professional websites and surf social media to get to know them. But, in order to establish your own assessment process and vet translators accordingly, you will have to contact them personally and start a conversation. Use email, chat and video-conference when necessary.

Remember these crucial tips:

• Using machine translation or having no budget for coping with the linguistic aspects of your international business plans will be like trying to tame a horse without a saddle. Every business transaction carries a certain degree of risk, so try to avoid it by building a strong, personalized, straightforward relationship with your translation expert.
• Language strategies can help you seize business opportunities in the different stages of your product/service development and its introduction to a new market – for example, transcreation during its marketing or keyword translation for website SEO. The impact of translation on your target audience should be close, if not the same, to that of the original version.
• Your translation expert should be able to help you introduce your products or services across Latin America by using International Spanish, a very well-known resource among most of Spanish language professionals. Alternatively they will help to localize them if you’ve decided to target a specific segment and/or go one country at a time.

How does your business deal with the linguistic aspects of entering new international markets?

The post The 4 keys to finding the right translator for Spanish-speaking markets appeared first on Trade Ready.