Separated by a common language

When requested by a client to translate material into English, Lloyd International Translations (LIT) first asks “For which market – United Kingdom (UK) or United States (US)?” This question is not as surprising as it might seem.

Over the years, commentators as diverse as George Bernard Shaw, Alastair Cooke and Winston Churchill have all famously said that Britain and America are two nations separated by a common language. And today, despite the ‘standardisation’ effects of the Internet and globalisation, there are significant differences in how English is written and spoken around the world. This is because English has evolved differently in each of the countries where it is used, through absorbing the indigenous and immigrant languages and cultures. This process has given rise to new spellings, grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, dialects, idioms and meanings, which differ from one country to another.

Not only are there differences between written and spoken British English and American English, but also Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, South African, Indian and West Indian English. And, of course, the usage of other languages varies between countries, for example:

	French in France and French in Canada, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland, Haiti and fifteen African countries where it is the official language;
	South-American Spanish and Spanish in Spain;
	Portuguese in Portugal and Brazil, Angola, Macau, Mozambique and Portuguese India; and
	Simplified and Traditional Chinese.

Variations in spelling are usually obvious, e.g. (UK) ‘cheque’ and (US) ‘check’; as are differences in pronunciation, e.g. (UK) ‘priv-acy’ and (US) ‘priy-vacy’, and punctuation, e.g. rules about accents on upper case letters differ between Canadian French and European French.

Some words are, however, completely different in the ‘same’ language. For example, a ‘mobile phone’ in the UK is a ‘cell’ or ‘cell-phone’ in the US, while Germans speaking in English are likely to refer to it as a ‘handy’.

Different meanings are often more subtle and prone to misunderstanding. How many people know that to ‘table’ a motion at a meeting in the US means to shelve it for discussion later, whereas in the UK it means to put it up for immediate discussion – exactly the opposite? Or that to ‘slate’ something in the UK means to criticise it, whereas in the US it means to plan it.

It pays, therefore, to localize documents, web sites or software to make them more friendly to local users in different countries even if they ‘share the same language’. If not correctly adapted for the locale, differences in language usage can cause confusion and even offence. Furthermore, when it comes to effectiveness, studies show that people are significantly more responsive when a document or web site looks and feels familiar. For example, when Express by Holiday Inn launched a British version of its US site, the company’s Internet sales rose by 30% (source: A Tale of Two Cities, Roger Collis, International Herald Tribune).

When adapting content for different markets, it is essential to:

	specify precisely which target language is required;
	understand how the target language is written and spoken;
	be aware of local cultural and political sensitivities and social conventions; and
	take into account literacy levels, legal standards and accounting practices.

Successful localization involves a lot more than translation. As well as adapting technical terminology, time, date formats (dd/mm/yy in UK English or mm/dd/yy in US English), currencies and measures (imperial or metric), localization should also address those intangible aspects that determine how people from a specific country perceive and react to images and messages.

Humour, imagery, page size and screen layout are all part of the cultural nuances and aesthetic preferences that make a document or web site more user-friendly. For example, a web site which uses the metaphor of the white pages (the US phone directory) to help users find individuals’ contact details looks unfamiliar in the UK. Similarly, references to national sports such as football often fall flat, as do literary metaphors as they are rooted in local tradition. Given the potential for misunderstandings it is advisable to avoid ambiguous text and graphics.

Lloyd International Translations is a leading specialist provider of multilingual solutions, including technical translations, software and web site localization, and document creation. We understand that it is vital your message is professionally conveyed to your target audience in a language and style sympathetic to the market place. Lloyd International’s extensive experience in localization enables us to deal with all the issues that need to be addressed.

By using in-country mother tongue professional translators who are fully conversant with the target language and cultural conventions, and have relevant industry experience, LIT can accurately translate a wide range of material into every commercial language, including different versions of the ‘same’ language. As well as adapting text and graphics to meet local cultural conventions, standards and practices, we can also design and implement elegant technical solutions to ensure that international versions of your web site are integrated with existing architecture and infrastructure.

For more information call us on +44 (0)1829 730050 or mail us. Contact: Jill Fifoot, Sales & Marketing Director.

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