Translating communications into different languages can be difficult and time consuming to get right. But can we simply rely on technology to provide an accurate translation?

Andrew Zielinski and Julia Petropoulos, co-leads of the Communications & Engagement practice at management consultancy Molten coordinate a lot of translation as part of client change programs.

"We'd advise against doing a machine translation – it's much better to do no translation at all than to risk inaccuracies and mixed messages."

Here's some practical advice on translating communications.

1. Translations need to convey an understanding of business
We employ a full-time translator in our Moscow office, so that any translation work we're doing gets the meaning of the intended message across, not just a simple translation of the words. But translation requires more than a version in the local language. It must also convey accurate business understanding. A lot of the time we don't just use the full-time translator, but the people involved in the project and the organization review, and refine the translation to get the right meaning across.

2. Adapt your style to the culture and don't take shortcuts
In a big telecom provider there were a number of situations where communication was being translated from German into English. Inherently the German language is more direct and "You may do this ..." translates as "You must ...". So, where there were any sensitive organizational changes, a direct translation would instantly cause resistance in, say, the UK.

In our experience there's no quick way to manage translation, and it's not advisable to take shortcuts. Rather than translate back to the original language as a test, our translator prefers to make sure that whatever the starting language is, the tone is right from the outset. It's important to check the tone and organizational meaning. If you were to translate into Russian, for example, and then back into English, it would come out with the wrong messages and intonation.

3. Always have local people review the translation
Communicators need to be aware that when they're translating, for example a CEO's message into several languages, many employees in the company will be bilingual. This means they can spot instantly what's missing or different. Effective translation does require having local people with local understanding to always review the communication, particularly in these cases.

Molten carries out a lot of translation as part of client change programs. Unfortunately, it does hold things up. A lot of the time we're in a position where we need communication very quickly, and we do have to make a call about translation. Sometimes material will just go out in English. A translation certainly adds time in terms of getting the communication turned around quickly. But you're better not to do a machine translation – it's much better to do no translation at all than to risk inaccuracies and mixed messages.

More on this topic can be found in Melcrum's report "How to communicate with a global workforce".

Until next time,

P.S Melcrum's Strategic Communication Management London Summit is being held 15-16 October and promises to be the best yet. Not many places are left, so if you haven't reserved your space, what are you waiting for? Book today!

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