Whether you work as a SAAS company or a digital marketing agency, odds are that some of your clientele will come from abroad. While the English language is prevalent on the global scene, translation is slowly becoming an industry standard in the B2B sphere.
According to 90 Seconds, 49% of marketers have reported better return on investment from geo-targeted content translated to meet their clients’ language standards. Based on Shutterstock, 80% of marketers from the UK, Germany, and France firmly believe that translation services are essential for the successful penetration of new markets.
Both small entrepreneurs and those that work in large international corporations can benefit greatly from integrating translation into B2B negotiation endeavors. But, how do you do it correctly and still retain the existing B2B network without stepping on anyone’s toes? What are the long-term benefits of making translation services a standard part of your B2B endeavors in 2021 and beyond?
The English Language – Lingua Franca of Modern World
Let’s address the elephant in the room before we dive into translation benefits in the B2B industry. Judging by data published on Supply Gem, 52% of web content is written in English, followed by German, Russian, and Spanish. There’s no denying that English is the de facto lingua franca of today’s world. However, this doesn’t make it the best choice for B2B negotiation endeavors.
Depending on whom your stakeholders are and what markets you want to grow in, translation might be quite necessary for your B2B business. Even entrepreneurs who rely on business trips to establish networking connections with other businesses need translation services to make first contact at the very least. Since we live in the age of social distancing and COVID-19 flight restrictions, B2B translation of email correspondence and phone call translation might be required.
Meet your B2B Stakeholders Halfway
Given that cloud-based translation services have become very affordable and user-friendly, translation in the B2B industry has become something of professional courtesy. “Even if your business partners know English (or your own language), you should still make an effort to meet them halfway”, says Angela Baker, a business communication expert and writer at GetGoodGrade writing service.
Adopt a business intelligence approach and prepare for the fact that your B2B business partner may not speak your language or English for that matter. If you are meeting with a Spanish company representative, localize your content into Spanish for good measure. This will help you make good first impressions and shift the tides of negotiation in your favor.
Positive Decision-Making Influence
B2B negotiation is all about meeting each other’s expectations when it comes to mutual gain – this makes translation essential. According to Statista, the global B2B eCommerce market was valued at $12.2 trillion in 2019, with Asia-Pacific having an almost 80% market share. This means that languages such as Chinese, Russian, and Indian have become a necessity in regards to B2B negotiation. Again, the English language may be a good all-around choice for business correspondence at first glance.
However, local manufacturers, distributors, and B2B representatives will look at your brand more fondly if you adapt to their standards. Using a professional translation service which can safely localize your content between different languages can positively affect both sides’ decision-making processes. This can have significant beneficial results for your company’s performance in the target markets you choose to diversify in.
Cultural Language Appropriation
Chances are that your B2B stakeholders may have different cultural backgrounds from your own – this is almost unavoidable. While an earnest mistake may come off as charming to some company representatives, others may see your translation mistakes as serious errors in judgment. You can avoid this by going for a localization approach with the content you prepare for B2B negotiation endeavors. Using a voice assistant which can seamlessly translate content into different languages can help make your negotiation efforts smoother.
Likewise, if both you and your B2B partner use the voice translation service at the same time, the negotiation will be much quicker and efficient. Your speaking partner’s cultural background is a pivotal part of what makes careful and calculated B2B translation essential in 2020.
Extended Accessibility Features
Just as translation services can help you reach out to new clients and business partners, they can also allow others to reach out to you. B2B negotiation is a two-way street, and you can translate your website content into a variety of languages to make it more inviting.
Likewise, you can localize blog content and social media posts into different dialects to make your brand as inviting as possible. Make your business approachable and allow other brands from overseas and different territories to make first contact. That way, you will not only improve your odds at landing good B2B contracts but also improve your business’ global SEO ranking as a result.
Seamless Online Translation
You never know when and how you may be approached by a representative of a different company. Given that smart devices are widely available and used as corporate communication tools, you may have to negotiate through writing at some point. Using a dedicated browser extension, which can help translate your B2B content as you type, can make or break your negotiation efforts.
Such a tool will allow you to quickly respond to your speaking partner’s questions and to check what they meant to say. Again, B2B negotiation endeavors can go well if both parties use the same translation service to meet each other halfway. You can suggest your solution for the meeting and gauge whether the other party would be interested in using the same translation service as you.
Outdo the Competition
Lastly, the best reason to invest in translation services for your B2B negotiation endeavors is to outsmart your competition. Whether you work in eCommerce, IT, or digital service outsourcing, you are bound to face competition on the local market. By introducing translated content to your B2B content marketing and communication endeavors, you will effectively rise above other brands.
Brands in your industry which fail to meet the local expectations will quickly fall to the side and allow your business to flourish. Local market representatives and B2B companies are bound to look to your attempts at localization favorably as a result of proactive content translation. Don’t wait for your competitors to outdo you – integrate translation into your B2B strategy sooner rather than later.
In Summary
The practical benefits of negotiating with other B2B companies through translated content are worth the price of admission. You can have far more human and natural conversations with future B2B partners if both parties are happy with the language used in negotiation.
This will help you grow the brand reputation and earn trust of others in foreign markets where brands may not be used to such proactive behavior. Explore the ways in which translation services can help elevate your B2B strategy to the next level. Before you know it, you will have an efficient communication strategy to work with in terms of B2B negotiation endeavors.