Using Thai Translation services when doing business in Thailand

06 Dec Using Thai Translation services when doing business in Thailand

Thai is the national language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people. It is spoken by over 20 million people with a further 40 million people using it a secondary language. These statistics make it one of the important languages in the world. For business people, Thailand offers a great opportunity for growth and expansion. The country boasts a wealth of natural resources, strong exports and a skilled and cost-effective workforce. The 70 million population also offers a healthy customer base. With a steady economic growth and rapid developments in infrastructure, it not easy to comprehend why multiple multinationals are entering the Thai scene. Language services can help businesses achieve the following;

• Appeal to the locals

The one challenge that foreign firms face in Thailand is the language barrier. This hampers marketing campaigns and as a result market penetration. To achieve this sourcing a professional translation service is essential. It is important to start with website localization. People tend to spend more time on a website if it is written in their own language. Adapting the website to the local language can thus increase traffic as well as improving the appeal of a company. It also enables the inclusion of the cultural preferences while at the same time ensuring that the images and website organization appeals to the target audience.

• Effective business communication

Communication between partners and with employees is important in ensuring sustained business growth. Due to the huge language gap between Asian and western dialects, hiring a translation agency vital. Not only do the translators facilitate dialogues but also train some of the members of the team to improve their language skills.

To achieve the above objectives choosing a premium professional is intrinsic. The translation process is very delicate in the business world and getting a specialized translator should be high on the list. Preferably, the individual should be a native Thai speaker. In this case, he or she will have the full understanding of the cultural norms and be able to discern the subtle elements in the target language that can end up being detrimental when overlooked. An infamous example involves Ford. The automaker launched an advert in Belgium with a slogan that the marketing executives thought said ‘Every car has a great body’. Quite horribly, when translated into the local dialect, the slogan said ‘Every car has a great corpse’. You can assume the effect that error had on the appeal of the model that was being advertised.

While it’s true anybody can make mistakes, a native language translation professional can easily spot obvious errors like these which can otherwise go unnoticed by most second language speakers. Although it is not hard to find a top quality translator nowadays, it is good to evaluate the available agencies wisely. One way of doing so is by going through their customer reviews and feedbacks as well as reviewing their certifications.

Choosing the most affordable Thai translation agency can be good for business. However, this should not be at the expense of quality. However, if it is financially unfeasible to employ different specialized agencies, getting a good company that offers integrated translation services can be good value for money. A good Thai language translation service will help boost the brand identity in among the locals.