The Importance of Translation for Social Media

Read next article here: Websites 101: Translating your Page

There is no doubt that language on social media has changed the way we express ourselves. The written language is now closer than ever to the spoken language, and it has never been easier for anyone to write in front of a large audience. In Spain, for example, one of one out of every two companies is on social media and if your company also sells products and/or services abroad, you should definitely get translation and adaptation of your content to the country's social media networks. We can't emphasize enough that bad translations on social media can seriously damage your brand image. 

Factors to consider when translating for social networks

Your content on different social media platforms reflects your brand identity, and your company's particular strategy often determines the type and tone of content that conveys your brand values. Each platform has its own nuances when it comes to creating and translating content, and of course, its own obstacles: 

Custom content

Writing a post on LinkedIn or Twitter, or sharing a photo on Instagram, are two completely different things. They are different platforms aimed at different audiences. This is why content needs to be adapted for each social media platform and translated accordingly. 

Space restrictions

Some social media platforms, such as Twitter, limit text to 280 characters. Other platforms have no limits, but if the text is long, only part of it will be shown in the preview. To make sure your readers keep reading, you need to make an impact in the first few sentences. 

Urgency

Don't do tomorrow what you can do today! You can't wait a week to respond to a social media post, and if you want to get the most out of it, you need to share relevant content during that time. That's why you need to plan carefully with built-in flexibility, including social media translation services. 

 Be engaged

The key to success on social media platforms is making sure your posts reach users and bring them closer to your brand. Therefore, the content you share - and the translation - must be well-written and natural. 

 Get away from machine translation on social media. 

Close the Google Translate window now! Social media users are picky and serious about what brands share. If a message is impossible to understand, contains mistakes, or has been translated automatically, it can provoke criticism from users and affect a business's reputation. Your social media is the face of your business. Make it count, and hire a professional translation company, such as Idiomatic USA. 

 Social media translation strategy 

Within your wider social media translation strategy, the first point to consider is defining any potential language varieties (by geographical area) and the tone you wish to convey, according to the target audience you're aiming your general business strategy at on social media. It's essential to define your tone with a native speaker of the target language - someone who understands how your strategy can be conveyed without losing the essence of the content in the source language. 

Another way of tailoring your content to customers in several languages is to create different profiles depending on the geographical area they're present in. This way you can be sure that each account is adapted to each country's culture and language, and, being more relatable, this in turn will get you closer to your audience. 

 Our recommendation 

 Putting your trust in a translation company prevents you from making errors which could prove fatal for your brand: not only will you be publishing social media content in error-free, correct language, it also makes it easier to create content tailored to the target country, as the translators will be specialist, native speakers. 

Your company's image and social media reputation are at stake, so don't leave anything in the hands of those who aren't professionals - or free machine translators. In the same way that social media should be managed by the experts, content creation in other languages should be left to the professionals too. 

At Idiomatic USA we translate content for major brands' social media platforms on a daily basis, giving us a wealth of experience - and we work with native translators who specialize in digital marketing and community management. Get in touch with us here.

Read previous article here: Why It's a Good Idea to Hire a Translation Agency as a Long-term Provider