Dynamic Export » translation

Risks in freight

Adeline Teoh — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 04:46:11 +0000

In the world of goods export, there’s more to risk minimisation than bubble wrap. Here’s how to view your packaging inside and out.

As far as freight mistakes go, Ross Gluer, general manager for the International division at TNT, says he’s seen some disasters stem due to exporters failing to follow simple precautions. One of the most common mistakes concerns boxes stacked crookedly on a pallet. “If they’re not stacked straight, the sides start to collapse, and if they’re too high it breaks its own back,” he says.

Unfortunately, many exporters think the plastic shrinkwrap that covers the pallet will prevent their cargo from suffering this fate, but in fact misaligned boxes will cause the wrap to tear, which leads to the boxes becoming exposed to the elements and at risk of collapse. And if a box does become separated from its peers, you’d better make sure it has been labelled. “If the customer doesn’t have a label on each box in a pallet and they separate, they take those cartons to an unrecognisable, unsendable, unprocessable area and they can just sit there,” explains Gluer.

While the experience of losing a couple of boxes in transit doesn’t sound too bad, Gluer adds that product shrinkage can be catastrophic. “A lot of receivers will only accept goods if they’re all present, they will not accept part delivery. If the other bit can’t be found then the question is, what happens to stuff you still have? Do you send it back, do you hold it? Do customs hold it? Will it incur storage charges? And if a pallet does collapse it’s not only going to be damaged, it’s going to be late,” he says.

It’s the exporter’s inability to deliver the products as promised that has the most significant effect on business, he believes. “People have insurance against damage and you can recover costs one way or another but, as a rule, you can’t recover your reputation.”

Gluer recommends exporters use standard pallets certified for export use, and keep the cargo to a manageable height; a 1.2 x 1.2-metre pallet should only be stacked to 1.2 metres to form a cube. “Keeping a fairly even height to width ratio means it is most likely not to get damaged, and it’s likely to stay dry because the shrinkwrap won’t be pulled around or torn,” Gluer explains.

And invest in decent packaging, don’t have it as an afterthought. “Don’t get skimpy,” says Gluer. “Build it in on day one. Don’t think, ‘I’ve done all my costings, gosh, I need another two to three percent for packaging’. Get it right from day one in the commercial considerations.”

Part and parcel

Another risk in packaging involves legal compliance and suitable marketing, which is especially important for people who sell to consumers in the international market. Exporters should firstly ensure that the physical packaging meets the requirements of the destination country; for example, food packaging needs to meet food grade standards of the market, which may be different from Australia’s.

Additionally, labels need to meet market requirements, says Ian Harrison, CEO of the Australian Made, Australian Grown (AMAG) Campaign: “You just need to be aware of the labelling claim requirements in the country where the product is being sold.”

Having the packaging and labelling right before entering a market is a key part of becoming export-ready, he advises. “All these things—packaging, compliance matters, costings, distribution arrangements, logistical arrangements—really do need to be considered and done properly before a business simply starts to spend money or export product.”

Exporters thus need to be aware of any difference in terminology between Australian indicators and other markets. Harrison gives the example of the USA, where ‘Product of’ and ‘Made in’ do not correspond to their Australian counterparts: “‘Made in America’ is a very high level of compliance similar to that of ‘Product of Australia’, whereas ‘Product of America’ is a lower category much the same as when we use ‘Made in Australia’, where there can be something like 50 percent of imported product,” he says. “The most important thing for an exporter to have in mind is that when they’re selling product in another country it’s the laws in that other country that apply.”

The chamber of commerce network handles the paperwork for country of origin certification for the customs system, which will ensure that the correct tariffs apply. “Those documents are important, particularly where we have free-trade agreements with other countries,” adds Harrison.

However, country of origin labelling can have a marketing aspect to it as well, which is where AMAG comes in. As a certification trademark registered with IP Australia, ‘Australian Made’ or ‘Australian Grown’ must be used according to a set of rules under the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, which administers the Trade Practices Act. But exporters shouldn’t simply apply for the logo and slap it on, it needs to form part of a marketing strategy, says Harrison.

“An important question that all exporters need to ask themselves in the market they’re trying to sell to is, is there an advantage in the product being recognised as Australian? If there is, they should be aggressive about packaging their goods in a way that consumers can recognise or associate the product with being Australian,” Harrison advises. “If it doesn’t help the sale, then it’s in the exporter’s interest to downplay the fact. The use of AMAG can also be a marketing tool.”

The physical, legal and marketing risks in packaging can seem small, but all have the potential to ruin your exports if you fail to plan properly or heed the requirements, so make sure you check the boxes before you export.

Five translation tips for exporters

Linda LaCombe — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 01:54:40 +0000

Translating into the languages of your customers shows you are serious about doing business with them, and content that reflects the culture of the local market is key to increasing your export success.

Additionally, many countries now require documentation to be translated, such as with European product packaging.

Free machine translation can be useful to get the gist of a text, but using machine-translated text for your product documentation can have embarrassing and disastrous consequences, ranging from damage to your company image to expensive litigation.

Discussing the purpose of your translation and its intended audience with your translators can ensure a safer and more effective product.

How to get the best from a translation service:

Have a meeting or discussion with a translation service and have your technical or marketing team participate. Talk about your objectives and your export markets. Bring with you material and information about software programs used, technical documentation, websites, etc.
Ask the service to recommend different solutions to handle your translation projects based on your specific requirements and budget.
Simplify your writing style and avoid local idioms or colloquialisms: you will make the task of translation easier, and reduce misunderstandings.
Help the translator and editor familiarise themselves with your product and company, provide them with any support material, references, glossaries, etc.
Provide an accessible contact person for questions in case the translators or editors need quick answers.

—Linda LaCombe is the regional business manager at Australian Export Translation Service

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Translating Chinese whispers

Tea Dietterich — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 07:41:36 +0000

Many Australian exporters have started doing business with the Chinese. Chinese language collateral plays an important role, but there are some special considerations that must be kept in mind.

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions:

Do I need separate versions of my document in both Mandarin and Cantonese?
Mandarin and Cantonese are the names of two different spoken dialects of Chinese. Both Mandarin and Cantonese speakers however, can generally read written Chinese. The more important question to ask is whether the document is destined for the People’s Republic of China (PRC) or outside the PRC.

Can I send the same Chinese document to Taiwan, the PRC and Hong Kong?
Generally speaking, there are two forms of written Chinese: Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese. If you have documents to be used in both Taiwan and the PRC, you will normally require two separate versions. You need separate business cards for Taiwan and the PRC: the Taiwanese cannot read Simplified Chinese. When in doubt, the safe option is to choose Traditional Chinese.

What is Simplified Chinese?
Simplified Chinese, also known as Modern Chinese, was developed from the traditional form in the PRC in the late 1950s to increase the level of literacy. The complex traditional form was limiting, and was understood and used by only half the population. Around 7,000 Simplified characters replaced some 13,500 Traditional characters.

When the PRC was recognised by the United Nations in 1971, Simplified Chinese became the official written language used in China. Singapore also made it their official written language.

What is Traditional Chinese?

Traditional Chinese, also Complex (or Full Form) Chinese, is the traditional and more complex form of the written language. All Chinese communities outside Mainland China, except Singapore, use it. Traditional users consider it to be a more sophisticated form of Chinese, which is why the Taiwanese refuse to use the Simplified form; another is, as claimants to being the true rulers of China, they could not validate a system sanctioned by Mainland China.

— Tea Dietterich is president of the Australian Institute for Translators & Interpreters (AUSIT) Queensland, director of translation agency Multimedia Languages & Marketing, and an advanced NAATI translator and interpreter.

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Global businesses have email translation help

Adeline Teoh — Thu, 21 May 2009 23:33:50 +0000

Google has launched a translation service for its email service Gmail, which could assist global businesses in their electronic communication.

Readers will be able to select ‘translate message to’ when receiving emails that arrive in a foreign language, after enabling the translation feature in their settings.

“If your entire company uses Gmail, email communications between people in your company can take place in the language that’s most comfortable for them,” blogged Google Translate product manager Jeff Chin. “Each person can write messages in their native language, and the recipients can translate the messages into their respective native languages.”

While the translation is not perfect, readers should be able to get “a quick gist of a message” wrote Chin.

More complex emails will probably have to wait for better translation technology.

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How to choose a translator

Tea Dietterich — Tue, 05 May 2009 05:12:28 +0000

Anyone targeting overseas markets knows the importance of correct translation of their marketing collateral and company profile. However, using the services of a translator or interpreter can be tricky.

There is nothing worse than using a translator for your overseas campaign and getting your message mixed up. We have all seen examples like these before:

Sign at a French hotel: “Please leave your values at the front desk”
Sign at a Bangkok dry cleaners: “Please drop your trousers here for best results”
Sign at a Japanese hotel: “You are invited to take advantage of the chambermaid”

These may make you giggle, but there is nothing funny about lost credibility with your clients, thousands spent on a failed advertising campaign, or complete corporate humiliation. However, acquiring and using the services of a translator and/or interpreter can raise many questions. Before you plan or commit to using the services of a translator or an interpreter, take a few moments to read this guide. Informed choices yield the best results.

Interpreter or translator?
Interpreters speak, translators write. Checkers check the translated text against the English original, and proofreaders check the text without comparing with the original. If you need your company documentation in a foreign language, you will need a translator.

If you need someone on site with you to facilitate communication with your potential or current trade partner, you will need an interpreter. If your trade partner is organising the interpreter in their country, you may want to organise your own interpreter to ensure objectivity during negotiation.

Language service is a service you pay for. Historically, exporters have been reluctant to demand the quality and accountability of any other such service due to feeling unqualified to judge. But there is no valid reason why you should not be fully involved in verifying the quality of the service you’ve received when working with a professional.

Translation and interpretation professionals are experts at communication. They should communicate any technical obstacles to translation, the reasons things do and do not work, and the rationale for everything they do in your paid employ. All you have to do is ask the questions.

Finding a translator
You need someone accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators & Interpreters of Australia (NAATI) because all translations are checked by second independent translators and proofed by editors. The editors are international journalists who make sure that the translation sounds natural and captures the hearts and minds of the target market. The international journalists translate all press releases.

Translation and interpretation practitioners are not mind readers. They need a lot of prior knowledge before they can do the job. It’s your task to provide this information. Beware the practitioner who doesn’t ask questions!

How much will it cost? Obtain quotes on written work wherever possible. In Australia, translation work is charged per 100 words. Shop around and measure the professionalism of the responses you receive. If some quotes come in at half the rate of others, you should question their experience and what is included in their service.

How long will it take? Let the translator or translation agency of written material tell you how long things should take. Make sure you let them know if something is urgent. If you want the job in 24 hours, this will entail an extra cost. However, if you want 10 pages of telecommunications tender documents completed overnight, you’ve probably left it too late. Talk to someone as soon as you know translation or interpreting will be required.

Train your translators. Don’t pay a series of people to reinvent the wheel. Every time you work with someone, you have invested in their knowledge of your problem. Sometimes you can maximise your return on investment by using the same people. Your translation agency will allocate a translation team to you and always use the same people to ensure consistency.

Check the dialect your target market speaks. South American Spanish or Madrid Spanish? North African or Gulf Arabic? Do you want English for non-English mother tongue readers? Be specific. Speak your reader’s language. Put yourself in their shoes, and focus on how your products and services can serve their needs and you will succeed.

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