Localization of communication to the foreign market: what to translate and what to build anew

Communication localization is about adapting the company’s message to the language, culture, and questions of customers in another country, rather than simply translating the text. You translate what is neutral: data, technical descriptions, and formalities. You rebuild what touches on values, humor, credibility, and the way to convince the customer.

Reading time: 9 min · Strategy · Commplace® since 1996

Location of communication: what it differs from translation

Translation transforms words from one language into another. The localization of communication goes further: it checks whether the message still works in a different context after translation. A sentence that sounds confident and professional in Poland may sound awkward, too casual, or simply incomprehensible after literal translation.

The difference has business consequences. A company that only translates often is perceived as foreign and unreliable, even if the offer is good. The client does not see the linguistic error; instead, they see a lack of understanding of their market. Therefore, when positioning marketing content, not only the vocabulary changes, but also the order of arguments, examples, evidence, and tone.

A good rule is to separate three levels: translation (language), adaptation (context and examples), and reconstruction (new message built from scratch for a given market).

Translation and localization: what to translate and what to build from scratch

Not everything needs to be rebuilt. If you start from scratch, you waste time and money. If you translate everything literally, you lose credibility. The table below helps you sort through the materials. This is a general guideline: in every industry and in every market, the boundaries are a bit different.

Remember that translating a technical description requires a different person than translating an advertising slogan. The first must know industry terminology, while the second knows the language of persuasion. Assigning both tasks to one translator without specifying what the text is about is a common cause of corrections and delays.

Decision test: translate, adapt or build anew

Ask five questions for each material. The answers will show how deeply you need to change it. It is best if you conduct the test with someone from the target market, because your own impression may be wrong.

The test is worth repeating after the first few months, because customers in the new market speak about their needs differently than we assumed at the beginning. The materials that were only translated at the beginning often prove unsuitable for adaptation after a few business conversations. This is a normal way of learning the market.

1. Is the material based on references that a client from another country would recognize (places, companies, events, regulations)?
2. Do clients in this market ask different questions than clients in Poland?
3. Does the way of argumentation (emotions, data, humor, brevity) suit the local expectations?
4. Do the names, passwords and abbreviations have unintended meanings in this language?
5. Does the local competitor talk about the same thing in a completely different way?

How to interpret the result

If the answer to all questions is „no,” a translation with corrections is sufficient. If „yes” appears for one or two, adaptation is needed. If for three or more, it is worth building the material from scratch, using the facts from the original. This is not a scientific rule, but a practical division that helps communicate as a team.

Multilingual website: what to plan

A multilingual site is not just a button to change the language. It is a separate version of the website that has its own structure, its own content on the most important subpages, and a person responsible for updates. Automatic translation can be helpful as a starting point, but it should not be the final version for the customer, who assesses your credibility.

Plan which subpages you actually need in the new language. Often just a few are enough: the home page, the offer, the completed projects, about the company and contact information. The rest can be added when the first inquiries come in. Also make sure the naming consistency between the versions is maintained and that the search engine knows which version is for which country.

Also check whether the multilingual website includes local contact forms, date and currency formats, and the formal requirements applicable in the given country (this is not legal advice; please confirm details with a lawyer).

• Choose a few pages that need to be in the new language from day one.
• Assign a person who is responsible for the content in that language.
• Determine who checks the translations (preferably a native speaker of the language with industry knowledge).
• Prepare a glossary of names and terms so that they are consistent throughout the page.
• Schedule updates: who and when updates the version after the changes in Polish.

Brand messaging to the foreign market: name, slogan, tone

The brand’s message to the foreign market is based on three elements: the name, the slogan and the tone. The company or product name may have an undesirable meaning in another language or be difficult to pronounce. Check this at the planning stage, not after the materials are printed.

A password often cannot be translated literally because it relies on a play on words or a cultural association. In that case, it is worth creating an equivalent password in the new language that conveys the idea rather than the sound. The tone, or the way to speak to the customer, also requires adjustment: in some markets directness is valued, in others restraint.

If checking the name or identification proves to be a serious obstacle to the transaction, consider changing it. We write about when it makes sense in the text about rebranding before expansion.

An illustrative example: a service company in Poland uses a slogan based on a folk saying. After literal translation, the sentence is understandable but meaningless because there is no such association in the new language. It is more sensible to write a new slogan that conveys the very idea, for example the promise of peace and predictability, in a way that is natural to the local customer.

The process of locating marketing content step by step

A good localization process is simple and repeatable. Thanks to it, every new material goes through the same stages and doesn’t depend on who is actually preparing it. Below is a version that can be implemented in a small team without additional tools.

It is also a good idea to establish in advance who has the final say when the translator and the sales team have different opinions. Usually, it is best for the decision to be made by someone who knows the market and the customer, rather than someone who knows the language best. Responsibility for one dictionary and one version of materials reduces chaos and disputes.

1. Determine for whom and why material is being created in a given market.
2. Gather the facts and evidence that you will verify on-site (data, references, examples).
3. Prepare the source version without references specific to Poland.
4. Have a translation or adaptation commissioned by someone who knows the language and the industry.
5. Ask the other person from the market to read and give comments.
6. Write down the agreed-upon names and dates in a dictionary and use them consistently.
7. After a few weeks, check the customer responses and improve what didn’t work.

How Commplace works with communication localization

We work like a doctor: diagnosis, tests, plan, implementation, control. At the localization stage, diagnosis is an overview of existing materials and a decision test. Tests are a comparison with the competition in the target market. The plan is a list of materials with a decision: we translate, adapt, or build from scratch. Implementation is the work on texts and the website. Control is checking the customer’s reaction.

Commplace has been operating since 1996 (30 years in the industry), and the Navigators team combines brand strategy with communication. We describe our approach to strategy on the website. communication strategy. Pricing after a short conversation and an initial diagnosis.

If you are working on entering a specific market, check it out too. plan for the first six months on the German market and marketing checklist for expansion. You can find a broader strategic background in the text about five decisions before expansion.

When a translation alone is enough

There are situations where localization is not necessary. Technical documentation, manuals, product data, and formal documents usually require precise translation, not creative re-formatting. Similarly, if you operate in a culturally and linguistically very similar market, and your customers are educated in a similar context, the differences may be minor.

Location makes sense where it affects the buying decision: on the website, in the offer, in sales materials, and in media contacts. If the budget is limited, start with the three most important materials, and add the rest after the first results. It’s better to have three polished materials than thirty translated to the bone.

If you are not sure which group a given material belongs to, take a quick test: show it to two people from the market and ask them to describe what the offer is in their own words. If the answers differ from yours, an adaptation is needed.

Source: preparation by the Commplace® editorial team. The numerical examples are illustrative and based on explicit assumptions; they do not constitute legal advice or guarantees of results.