As
professional translators, we invest a great deal of time and energy in ensuring
that the quality of our translations is up to scratch.
Reviewing,
tweaking the odd word, catching typos and then proofing all over again is all
part of the art of producing an accurate translation.
However, when
it comes to localization, not everyone is quite so on the ball. Companies that
rely on machine translation open themselves up to potential localization fails
every time they do so.
After all, a
computer can’t provide localization services, only the translation element of the task (and even the quality
of that can be questionable – but that’s a whole other topic to explore!).
As such, the
internet is rife with examples of companies that have failed to localize their
content before presenting it to foreign audiences. We’ve selected some of the
juiciest examples for you to enjoy.
The importance of professional translation and
localization
Before we take
a look at these localization fails, it’s worth remembering just how important professional translationservices and
localization services are.
Businesses
around the world rely on these services to deliver their messages accurately in
order to operate efficiently. Whether the translation relates to business to
business or business to client interactions, there’s no room for anything other
than the highest quality translations.
Failing to
translate and localize content properly can damage a company’s reputation. In
some instances, it can cause people to laugh at the company for a silly
blunder, but in others the repercussions are more serious. A company that
offends an audience through a cultural gaffe may not find it so easy to recover
from the mistake and can lose revenue as a result.
That’s why
localization is so important. Sadly, in the examples below, the companies in
question didn’t quite get it right.
