How International Businesses Communicate Across the Globe

Atara Braun

April 11 , 2021 · 3 min

Not very long ago, the idea of translating an online presence into multiple languages felt daunting. How could it be done? The cost, the time… it all felt prohibitive. Fast forward to today and we are living in a world where two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies have an international presence. The world is indeed getting smaller, more connected, truly international – and it’s exciting. But it also means that we are required to become even better at localizing content to multiple languages while suiting material to a variety of cultural tastes in an increasingly interconnected world.

How does a company go global?

With the internet and advanced technological tools, more companies than ever are selling to international audiences, as well as working with global teams. Some companies open offices in strategic locations where they aim to make a splash in the local market, other open offices where labor is cheap and plentiful, while others – especially in a post-Covid world – are increasingly hiring remote employees in all corners of the globe.

So the question becomes; how can a company manage the experience for each internal stakeholder so that wherever a person is accessing employee information, he or she has the same experience? The answer is simple – work with a professional LSP (Language Service Provider). These teams of localization specialists work with companies to ensure that not only are their products or services internationally viable, but that material used by their teams is accessible around the world. It’s crucial that all communications to global employees – whether it’s training materials, policy updates, or information about their products and services – will be interpreted in the same way everywhere, allowing teams to work together effectively toward a common goal. For example, while pivoting their business to go digital during Covid-19, Subway found themselves needing to constantly translate and localize materials for the many countries they operate in to inform employees about updated health, safety, and operational policies in their stores.

In order to deliver internationalized and localized content that works, these localization vendors have honed skills and processes that help their clients achieve their goals, no matter the country, language, or industry.

So much to do, so little time

LSPs develop teams of skilled linguists who can take text in one language and make it “live and breath” in another. This is an art as well as a science, and LSPs make sure that the people who work with them are meticulous about the details. What do we mean when we call this a science? A good LSP will put measurable QA processes in place that will help the linguist deliver more accurate and higher quality results. As companies are becoming more and more global, they have an increased need to localize even more content into more languages, within the same time constraints. To tackle this increased amount of text and deliver in a timely fashion, LSPs create systems that work to provide optimal results – even looking beyond the abilities of human translators.

The key to reducing time and costs

Innovation and technology are what set a good LSP apart, and what makes it possible for them to keep up with the demands of modern companies. The latest AI technology, NMTPE (Neural Machine Translation with Post-Editing) is a hybrid service of the machine and human translation that delivers localized content in a fraction of the time – and with significant cost savings. As companies increase the amount of content they need to be localized, these savings become crucial in assisting them in meeting their goals at a cost they can afford.

At BLEND, we look at our clients’ needs and proactively suggest cost-saving localization solutions that will keep them achieving their goals. We pride ourselves on continually improving to deliver more accurate translations, with better customer service, at lightning speed. We understand how important your content is – and we see ourselves as true partners for our clients, ensuring we help you communicate with your audience and employees – powerfully, accurately, and in a timely manner.

And as we continue to innovate, our clients win.

Read our latest case study to learn more about how BLEND proactively suggested our NMTPE solution to help Castlight Health achieve the high-quality results they sought, as a fraction of the cost.