Recently, I was talking with a friend of mine from London about what we were planning for the upcoming weekend. I mentioned we were hoping to have a big family breakfast with scrambled eggs and homemade biscuits.

That’s when she looked at me with a strange expression on her face.  “Biscuits?” she asked. “For breakfast?” 

You see, in the UK and most of Europe, the English word biscuit refers to what Americans would call a cookie or cracker, which is usually sweet, hard or crispy, and often has a cream filling, icing/frosting, chocolate chips, etc. 

In the USA, biscuits are small, round leavened breads – slightly crispy and golden brown on the outside, fluffy and melt-in-your-mouth soft on the inside.  They’re not sweetened and are typically a breakfast food, often eaten with scrambled or fried eggs, sausage, bacon, ham, cheese, or butter and jam/jelly.  In the south, buttermilk biscuits and white “country” gravy are popular. Is it the healthiest breakfast? Not at all. But oh, so yummy.

Why am I writing about biscuits? Simply to remind you that regional differences in word-choice and phrasing can have a dramatic impact on your business success internationally.

My friend was disgusted when I mentioned having biscuits and eggs for breakfast. We were both speaking English, but our minds had conjured very different images and emotions from just that one word. It was startling, confusing, disconnecting, and it threw off the whole conversation.

We laughed about it, of course. And it was educational. But when you’re writing to customers or business partners online, in brochures, or via email, you don’t get to know immediately if they’ve misunderstood something. You won’t know if they’re thinking or feeling something completely different from what you’d hoped.

In your international marketing and communication, you want to connect clearly, easily, and naturally.

Before you mail your next sales letter, print a new brochure, or click send on your latest email blast, give it a “biscuit test.”  If anything is unclear (based on feedback from native regional English experts), consider creating separate communications for each target region.  It may take some extra effort, but the returns will be worth it.

Yesterday's blog covered the ways weak international business writing can destroy your brand. Now, here's a look at what can make your international communication weak along with ideas for how to strengthen it.

Weak Foundation

Strong international communication starts with a strong foundation. You can't effectively translate and/or adapt information for specific international markets if the original materials aren't written well.

People will question a company's competency — whether international or domestic — if its business communication is difficult to read and riddled with mistakes. This list from my series about how to create more effective business websites includes some important tips for making your business writing easier to read and more effective.

Bad Translation

As we've seen, bad translations can kill your message. That's obvious. So, what makes a bad translation?

► Incorrect spelling, grammar, or word choice

► Wrong style, phrasing, gist, or overall meaning

If you get help from a native-speaking professional writer, this shouldn't be a problem for you.* Yet, I continue to see bad translation examples from otherwise capable businesses. Usually, it's easy to spot the reason: outsourcing to cheap non-native speakers or skipping the human altogether and opting for fast, free translation software.

[The sound you hear is me climbing onto my soapbox.] Let me say this loud and clear: translation software is not accurate enough for your important business communication.

Do I think translation programs aren't useful? Of course not. I use Google Translate when I need quick help with languages. It's a quick, easy, free translation tool. But I have yet to find translation software that can capture the nuances of emotion and appeal in real human speech patterns. (I'll assume I can skip the lecture on why a non-native speaker can't help you.)

* Be sure to find a writer that fits your audience, taking into account the differences in regional dialects and spelling. For example, British English won't work for an American audience and vice versa.

Wrong Perspective

So, if your translation is flawless, your business communication is effective, right? Not necessarily. In fact, probably not. Technically, your translation may be accurate. You may have used all the right grammar, spelling, style, phrasing, etc. But there's a vital element missing: adapting the message to the audience's perspective.

What matters to people in your own country, may not be important to others. Likewise, people in your target audience may have certain viewpoints, concerns, problems, or character traits that you don't give a second thought.

Take the time to understand what matters to your audience. Customize your data, examples, case studies, and anecdotes with locally familiar and applicable ones. Just be sure you're getting the right perspective. Avoid falling into the stereotype trap.

Improper or Awkward Formatting

As you know, design, formatting, packaging, and writing all work together to give an impression of your brand. Your words won't have a chance if people are distracted by your format or, even worse, offended by something.

► Make it as easy as possible for your audience to read, handle, distribute, respond to, and store your communications.

For example, in Sweden the standard business paper size is A4, which is slightly longer than what's used most often in the United States. If you're going to send a proposal to prospective clients or important documents to your business partners, consider their frustration if they can't fit the documents in their normal file drawers, binders, envelopes, or presentation folders. (The U.S. also uses a different standard hole-punch so it's best to avoid pre-punched holes.)

► Use the professionalism, courtesy, and formalities your audience prefers.

It's important to consider differences in formality and manners of address. Some countries use an informal first-name salutation for business letters and other communications, while other cultures find that disrespectful. For example, when making first contact in formal business letters to the USA, you should use Mr., Mrs., or Ms., with the recipient's last name and possibly other titles (such as M.D. or Ph.D.).

What would you add to this list? Any other important differences in business writing around the world?

Have you seen these famous examples of translation gone wrong?

"Nothing sucks like an Electrolux" (Swedish company marketing vacuums to the USA)

"Bite the Wax Tadpole" (Coca-Cola's first try at translating it's product name into Chinese)

"It won't leak in your pocket and make you pregnant." (Parker Pen marketing a ballpoint pen in Mexico)

Obviously, these highly visible mistakes can devastate an international marketing campaign. What you don't often hear about are the less visible writing mistakes that can slowly bleed your company dry. The ones that aren't plastered all over billboards and magazine ads, but handed directly to individual clients, prospects, and business partners.

I'm talking about the business communication you generate on a weekly or daily basis: letters, proposals, emails, newsletters, blog articles, memos, etc. Although not as visible as public marketing messages, writing mistakes in your international business communication are just as toxic to your brand.

Here's why:

Weak International Business Writing Undermines Your Brand's Image.

Remember the movie, "Singin' in the Rain"? Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds singing in the rain. Classic. But remember Lina Lamont? In the movie, she was a great beauty of silent films who lost her career because her terrible voice wouldn't work for the "talkies."

► Your marketing is your brand's image. Your business communication is your brand's voice. Do they match?

If you've spent countless hours and dumped your whole budget into a slick image, how will people react when what comes out of your "mouth" sounds terrible. Suddenly, your brand isn't looking so pretty anymore.

Weak International Business Writing Lowers Your Brand's Income Potential.

This seems obvious: writing that doesn't make sense or connect with your audience isn't going to do much to convince them to buy from you, choose your service, partner with you, or anything else that will bring you revenue — no matter how cool your advertising looks.

Weak International Business Writing Decreases Your Brand's Credibility / Authority / Influence.

You may have fantastic information to share, but bad translations and weak writing can lead to confusion, misunderstandings, and even ridicule. If you aren't able to connect effectively with others in your field — if you aren't able to express yourself or your ideas in a way that your international audience can easily follow — your brand certainly won't gain much footing as a leader.

One more thing:

Weak International Business Writing Can Destroy Your Personal Brand, Too.

Your international business communication is personal. It's going to a specific group of people — perhaps even a specific individual — with whom you want to communicate. It's also usually coming from a specific individual. If you, as the business owner, marketing director, sales representative, or account manager, sign your name to something, be aware of how it reflects on you, personally.

► In the next blog post, we'll talk about what can make your international business writing weak — and we'll discuss ways to strengthen yours as it crosses borders.

What funny (or just bad) translation mistakes and weak writing have you seen from international companies?

Yes. You read that right. I think translation is a bad idea. Direct, untargeted translation, that is. Why? Let me give you an example.

As I was planning a family outing last week, I turned to that handy little resource — the Web — to get information I needed from a particular Swedish company. I'm always happy when I see the UK or US flag icon on a website signaling English-language pages. It makes it much quicker and easier for me to find and absorb the information I need.

But happiness turned into frustration within a few seconds of reading the copy. Let's just say, I could forget about quick and easy information. After flipping back and forth a couple of times between the Swedish and English pages, I found the 3 main culprits.

► First, the original Swedish copy wasn't great.

► Second, they'd most likely used translation software or a translation service to directly translate the average Swedish copy into terrible English copy.

► Third, they'd obviously not bothered to ask a real live native English speaker to read through the copy after translating it.

My first thought was: "Wow. Why did they even bother? They must not think English-speaking visitors are worth their time and attention." My second thought was, "This company must not be as professional as I'd hoped."

How unfortunate. Yet, I see this kind of average, quick-fix English translation all too often on Scandinavian and European websites. My Swedish friends might call it lagom (good enough), but I call it a mistake. Why? Because your English-speaking customers will feel like they are an afterthought, rather than a priority, for you — diminishing your reputation in their eyes.

Some may argue that English-speaking customers accessing European websites should overlook poor English communications since they know it's a foreign language for those companies. That may be true when meeting people in person, but not for online and print marketing.

Everything you post on your website is a reflection of your work ethic, professionalism, expertise, and credibility. The moment you put English-language content on your website, you acknowledge that English is important to your business and clients; therefore, it requires the same effort and attention as any other marketing.

Also, consider your global exposure. It just doesn't make sense to put subpar copy on your website where it's accessible 24/7 in a language used globally for business.

English copy on your website is marketing, PR, and customer service all rolled into one. It's a golden opportunity to attract customers and boost your reputation. Don't just translate. Communicate in a way that shows you understand and value your English-speaking audience.

► Remember: an undervalued customer isn't a customer at all, but an offering to your competition.

Concerned about the quality of your website's English translation? Call or email me. I'm always happy to give you some feedback.

Saboteur #6: Pairing Powerful Copy with Weak Web Design

Imagine strolling into a boardroom to make a perfectly worded pitch to a group of prospective clients while wearing shorts and a t-shirt. You just wouldn't do it. So why would you project a second-rate image of your company where it's accessible 24 hours a day?

If you're going to sound professional (i.e., your website copy), make sure you look professional, too (i.e., your web graphics and design).

Whether you create your site yourself, use a template, or hire a professional web designer, it's up to you to ensure your website is as successful as possible. To help, here's a list of things that don't belong on a professional business website.

► Clip Art

With sites like iStock.com offering incredible graphics at affordable prices, there's just no excuse for clip art on a professional website. It's like finding stick figure drawings in a Renaissance art gallery — they don't measure up to the competition.

And while we're at it, if you plan to use portraits of yourself and/or staff, make sure they'll portray a professional image. No photos your mom took of you at the family barbecue (unless, of course, your mom is a professional photographer and you were dressed for success that day).

► Fancy fonts

While that curly, swirly script or far-out psychedelic typeface may express your personality perfectly, it's a pain to read. Feel free to get a little fancy — but play it smart. Use clear, legible, standard fonts for the bulk of your content. After all, you want to make it as easy as possible for your customers and prospects to understand what you're trying to say.

► Clutter

Even though you can add all sorts of nifty stuff to a website, it doesn't mean you should. Some websites look like a smorgasbord for web designers — a buffet of Flash graphics, ads, current weather reports, links, etc. But, if I'm going online to buy yarn, for example, I don't need to know the weather forecast.

Always consider your target audience. Include only those features that are specifically useful for them and help them connect with your business, products, and services.

Remember: white space is your friend. Don't bury your content in a heap of ads, links, and graphics.

► Auto-launch A/V

Avoid video intros and other audio/visual elements that launch automatically. Imagine a client looking up your website from her cubicle at work or while out at the local coffee shop. Great. Now, visualize the embarrassment when suddenly the theme song from Rocky blasts from her computer as she frantically looks for the mute button. Not great. (Auto-play movies and flash presentations without sound aren't much better. They can be just as frustrating, especially when someone's in a hurry.)

Music and/or video may be an integral part of your business, but allow your customers to decide for themselves when to hit play.

► White on Black

Don't use white font on a black or dark background for long chunks of text. I mentioned this already for Saboteur #4, but I'll say it again. It's too stressful for your readers' eyes. Yes, it shows how edgy and different you are, but is it worth it if people have a hard time reading it?

This list could go on and on, but I've stuck to a few of my particular pet peeves — focusing on basic visual elements, rather than code and such. If you have any website design pet peeves of your own, let me know.