Translation software tools may be useful in company expansions

According to USA Today, although many companies decide to expand their businesses overseas, it is sometimes not as easy as it sounds. There are many obstacles in doing so, with one of the biggest challenges being a new language and culture.


SME Web recently reported that many companies that have expanded their businesses have seen the devastating effects of incorrect translations. For example, when the American video game Call of Duty was released in Japan, gamers in this Asian nation misunderstood how to play the game due to a translation error. In English, one character says, "Remember, no Russian." However, when this was translated to Japanese it said, "Kill 'em; they're Russians," leaving Japanese players mistakenly killing Russian characters in the game.


The news outlet stated that when companies are preparing to translate their texts, they should focus on more than getting the words right. Culture must also be taken into consideration. For example, when Colgate expanded into France they named their toothpaste Cue. Unfortunately, they did not know enough about French culture to know that this is also the name of a popular pornography magazine.


Corporate professionals who are planning to expand their businesses may want to invest in translation software tools before making an embarrassing grammar or spelling blunder.