Chillistore announces that they have been acquired by Argos Multilingual, but will remain a separate and independent subsidiary. More details here!
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Ardilaun Court, St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Dublin D02 TD28, Ireland
Last week, Irish-based tech company VoiceSage unveiled a Covid-19 “Travel Advisor Bot” on WhatsApp. The bot is designed to help international travelers navigate the new mid-pandemic travel world, via a constantly-updating database of travel information. The cool part? The Bot offers 71 languages — a product that’s considering its multilingual reach right from the get go! We’re all about it here at Chillistore, where language is our middle name. The sooner products recognize the importance of communicating and relating to their users in a variety of languages, the better situated they are for success across international markets.
VoiceSage’s technology relies on AI & Machine Learning. This kind of machine learning predicts the likelihood of using certain words, in order to translate content at a rapid pace — which makes sense when you’re translating constantly updated content in real-time. There are times, however, when a human-centered translation approach is what’s best for a certain message, market, and/or culture. If you have a product or service you’re trying to sell to a new market, it’s important that any and all translations relate to that specific market. This is where we come in. Chillistore’s experts understand that messaging goes beyond translating; it’s about resonating with a cultural identity, and leveraging that identity to sell something. Whether you’re building a message in-country, or improving upon a translation, there’s something irreplaceable about a human touch.
To learn more about VoiceSage’s new product, read openPR’s article.
Nimdzi Insights interviewed John Yunker about his 2021 Globalization Report Card. Since 2003, Yunker has created a yearly “benchmark” of the world’s globalization websites, to assess how companies take their websites global. His report card analyzes four simple criteria: Global Navigation, Global/Mobile Architecture, Global Reach, and Localization & Social. Yunker’s consistent methodology has helped companies monitor their best practices. Over the years, the average number of languages supported by companies has more than doubled, from ten to 33, representing an increasing focus on globalization.
Part of building our best practices at Chillistore means understanding global trends, which is why we found this year’s report card so fascinating. Learn more by watching Yunker’s interview here.
Have you ever had a product sell like crazy in one market and flatline in another? Perhaps you’ve experienced differing success rates between cultures and audiences, without really understanding why? The key rests in International Brand Management; it’s where — and how — inclusivity and creativity merge, to appeal to a range of audiences. Successfully marketing a brand means understanding your audience’s culture and expectations around branding. That’s where Chillistore comes in.
Every country has a different cultural approach to marketing and branding. In the United States, for instance, brands sell themselves. They state how their competitors lack, why their product is superior, and how your life would improve if you bought their product. U.S. audiences are used to being constantly inundated by market competition. Buy our sneakers and you’ll never again have knee pain! Your child needs this baby doll to be happy. Our cleaning product will catch what others don’t. You get the point. Not every culture expects this kind of marketing. Some countries, like Japan, emphasize results over words. Sure, you can claim to be the best with catch statements, but how do you prove you’re the best? Japanese audiences want proof, which is why bold statements (without evidence) aren’t usually well-received. AKA you’ll likely have lackluster results if you run around Japan telling people your product is the best…in fact, you’ll probably turn people off. Understanding a culture’s expectations and sensitivities is the first step to appealing to them.
Another step? Knowing what’s relevant to a culture and what’s not. To use the Japan example: Japan doesn’t celebrate Christmas in the same way as some other countries (especially the U.S.). For Japan, Christmas isn’t the year’s biggest commercial and celebratory event for family gatherings and gift exchanging (In fact, there’s a Japanese tradition of going to KFC on Christmas Eve!). So, a Christmas-themed campaign that’s successful in the U.S. or another Christmas-celebrating culture won’t transpose in Japan. At Chillistore, we consider alternatives that will stay true to the brand, while also considering a country’s unique culture. Is Christmas central to the core of the product? If not, we’ll propose alternative messaging approaches. If Christmas is absolutely central to the integrity of your product, then we’ll help you introduce and explain the importance of the concept. The idea is to promote the product — and all of its elements — as something that might be a nice addition to local celebrations. With this approach, the product comes across as less of an unfit imposition, and more of a helpful tool. We’ll create new content that stays true to your intentions, while also specifically targeting this new audience.
International Brand Management also requires a thorough understanding of the words, emotions, and images that sell. You’ve probably seen American movies re-titled in other countries. For example, the U.S. film, The Hangover, was advertised to the French as Very Bad Trip. While this title change may seem odd to English speakers, it was an intentional one. Sometimes, English titles perform better in France than direct translations. What sounds catchier? The Hangover or “Gueule de Bois”? Additionally, “the” is a notoriously difficult word for the French to pronounce. All of these cultural sensitivity factors might have contributed to the Very Bad Trip title.
International Brand Management is part of what we do and how we shine. Our experts know which key words, emotional appeals, and images resonate with certain audiences, and which do not. Our goal is to help you implement these, so you know when “Christmas” is welcome and when it’s not. After all, an audience that sees themselves reflected in a brand is an audience that buys.
Inclusion and diversity are taking center stage in the world — from the actions we take; to the words we say; to the changes we’re determined to implement. We’re in the business of language, which is a very fundamental part of a person’s identity. Part of our duty — which we take very seriously — is to create accurate translations and images that resonate with all people and all cultures. We don’t subscribe to binary systems, nor do we limit language to what has been used in the past. Language is evolving! It’s flexible and malleable, and so are we.
One of the most important ways language and identity converge is in the form of pronouns. A person’s pronouns are how they present themselves to the world. While some languages (like English) have established multiple gender-inclusive solutions, others have yet to do the same. Romance languages, for example, denote a gender for everything. How is one to create inclusive solutions within a highly gendered language? Accepting that language should reflect people — their needs, identities, and choices — is the first step, and it’s our first step at Chillistore. We are ready to find solutions that transition away from old, stale systems, and move toward modern and inclusive solutions.
In addition to inclusive language, we also create inclusive images and visuals. We work on video subtitling for hearing impaired audiences, as well as develop complex image descriptions in the target language for blind audiences. The challenge of these projects lies at the intersection of inclusivity and accessibility. For example, in English, “X” can denote gender neutrality, such as in the word, “Latinx.” However, the “X” isn’t screen-reader friendly, meaning the technology cannot transcribe texts like “delX.” We’re working on finding unique solutions to this problem. It’s a process, but it’s one about which we’re passionate.
While we don’t think Localization is the only key to addressing complex social issues, our industry happens to be one that’s uniquely positioned to both contribute to the conversation, as well as propose solutions. After all, an emphasis on inclusion and diversity is in our DNA, and has always been what gives us life. Starting with our founder, Anna Woodward Kennedy— a Latinx woman living and running a business in Ireland. It’s never easy moving to a new country, but moving to a new country, starting a business, and making waves in a male-dominated industry? Now that takes real gumption. Anna has had a front row seat to the biases female entrepreneurs experience (which, unfortunately, still exist), and has made a conscious effort to employ female leaders. Anna’s experience informs Chillistore’s continued goal of making our community feel safe, respected, and comfortable.
So what steps are we taking? In addition to hiring a female-led team, Chillistore hosts Bias and Compassion workshops for our freelancers, where we discuss the importance of inclusive, diverse language. We have a zero-tolerance policy for any display of bias, racism, misogyny, or lack of general respect. We monitor the behaviors of our freelancers and translators, and are not afraid to dismiss people after a first offense. Maintaining a safe environment means walking like we talk. And at Chillistore, we believe in walking inclusively and in engaging with diversity. There’s no other way to exist.
We are not afraid to learn as we go, which is key to implementing real change. We’re not afraid of mistakes, but we are ready to address hiccups and learn from them.
At Chillistore, we specialize in third party review and Language Quality Assurance (LQA). Perhaps if you have a lot of experience in the translation industry, you know exactly what we do and what we mean by “quality.” For those who are less experienced — and in the interest of providing a quality blog post that’s digestible for everyone — we’re going to break it down for you.
What differentiates us from Language Service Providers (LSPs) is that we don’t translate content; translators translate content. We come in after the initial translation and provide feedback — we review the translated content for language errors, inconsistent wording, and cohesive brand representation. To put it simply, we make sure your content reads well, sounds good, and is true to your brand.
How does our process benefit the customer? So often, translation is about quantity and not quality. Translators are pressed for time and want to translate as much copy as possible, which leaves room for errors and inconsistencies. (Even one wrong letter can change the entire meaning of a sentence. Ask Siri about this. She’ll relate). We provide our own team of Language Experts who work directly with LSPs, to address translation issues and make sure content is relevant for the brand and culture.
A great example of this is a project that was intended for a Brazilian audience. The client had an English translation with the phrase, “dive bars.” In English, we automatically understand this to mean a grungy place with cheap beer (and maybe pool) that we enjoy on days when nothing seems to go right. We get a visual of the atmosphere, the clientele, and the relatability of the experience. Chances are, most countries have a version of a cheap, slightly suspicious (but always entertaining!) roadside bar where the beer is cold and you know the owner by name (because he never leaves). But what about the countries where people don’t drink? A “dive bar” won’t resonate with them. A local neighborhood restaurant or food stall, however, probably will. In this example, taking the time to think about the cultural references is crucial. The client needed to be cognisant of these differences, in order to effectively sell their product.
Even if a country does drink, there’s also the issue of the language. In other countries, like Brazil, “dive bar” might translate to a bar for divers. Readers might get a visual of customers in flippers and floaties trying to procure cheap beer. Should divers be allowed to drink before submerging into water? Is there a sobriety test before putting on a wetsuit and grabbing your oxygen tank? Should we call someone?? Changing the language to “boteco” — the Portuguese equivalent of “dive bar” — would have accurately targeted the Brazilian market. Understanding and respecting cultural references is crucial in our business.
But how would a busy translator know about this cultural difference? That’s where we come in! Our Subject Matter Experts point out discrepancies and suggest more appropriate alternatives.
We also take things a step further, by combining our language expertise with technical knowledge. Our linguists test your products, to make sure they run smoothly and make sense in-context. We check that your words are consistent across products, services, and platforms, and help craft a tailored SEO strategy. Chillistore’s goal is to function as an extension of your business. You focus on your business, and we provide a resilient, end-to-end, total quality management program.
This is what we mean when we say “quality.” Your finalized translation won’t only read accurately, but will also be true to the culture and market you wish to address.
To learn more about Chillistore and the quality we provide, visit www.chillistore.com.
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