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What to Know about Automotive Translate 101

Daniel Chang
Daniel Chang
Posted in Zoom Sep 5 · 7 Sep, 2022
What to Know about Automotive Translate 101

The demand for advancements in everything that makes human life easier is always busy with expectations and innovations. This is especially true for the automotive industry, where demand for the latest model and technologies is expected with every product drop. So, where does automotive translate relate to this fast-moving industry? 

Because of the speed of development and the steadily global processes set in place to assemble a single car, many automotive brands are always on the lookout for professional translators versed in automotive translate works to do the work of translation for them for every facet in their workings. There are many benefits to making not just marketing materials translated to different languages for all consumers, and the automotive industry is aware of that. 

Automotive Industry, A Globalized Industry 

Just like a simple white shirt with a hip print where every aspect, from the cotton where it is sourced to where it is sewn and where the image was printed. This is the case for car manufacturing, where individual parts and processes are done worldwide before landing at your local car dealership. 

This globalized process where communications among stakeholders who speak different languages are critical is made possible by automotive translate. This makes it possible for everyone in the globalized assembly to ensure that the car is assembled correctly. 

For the customers, translation is provided, so the optimum use where the vehicle is intended is possible given the user manuals in their native language automotive brands have provided. 

Automotive Industry and Automotive Translate

Automotive translation is imperative to connect automotive brands with their target audiences across all languages on a global scale. Automotive translation will help the customers get to know the brand and engage with the brand, which can lead to an increase in sales to boost revenue. 

In order to get this full benefit and so much more, all content from advertising materials to computer systems to the website to customer service should be translated accurately to cater to a broader set of audiences made available by our increasingly interconnected world. 

Automotive Industry and Localization

The significant role of localizing goes beyond translation of the source text, as localization aims to ensure that the translated work is on par with the cultural and contextual cues and approaches needed to engage the people in a country or a region. 

Localization keeps things appropriate and ensures that the translated works sound like it is initially intended for the place versus just being translated for it. When translations are localized, people consume the advertisement and understand the messaging within the translated work more. 

Types of Automotive Translate Works

Automative translation consists of different types of services. It is a vast field covering everything from providing manufacturing translation to efforts to increase car sales. 

Many translators concerned with automative translation will cover specific aspects of the automotive industry. This allows them to “specialize” in a particular field under automotive translation, making their work more straightforward since common vocabulary words and phrases concern one type of automotive translate work more than the other. 

Technical or User Manuals 

The most prominent work that will require a vast amount of translation in the automotive industry is user manuals. This type will also include brochures, service portfolios, and many other printed materials given to car buyers, technicians, and users in the world. 

These user manuals translated from one language to another have detailed information about the how-tos and the car’s features. It is often lengthy and will detail in a number of languages how to properly operate any vehicle. 

Any mistakes made in translating user manuals can lead to misinterpretations which can risk a positive consumer experience of the product. So, accuracy is paramount. 

Training Materials for Different Mechanics

Technically, user manuals are also there to guide mechanics on how to repair a car. But sometimes, mechanics will need to peruse a how-to on more complicated repairs and their workings, especially for service centers provided by the car manufacturer and dealers themselves. 

This is also true for the many vocational training programs for future mechanics worldwide, where translated manuals for how to do the work are needed. 

Suppose car manufacturers want to launch their car brands in a different geographical area. Workshops supporting their brand must be competent regarding the repair; this is where localized manuals will come in. 

Original Equipment Manufacturers 

Since the automotive industry is a highly industrialized and globalized system, it is not hard to understand how several manufacturers are involved in assembling one car under a famous brand name. 

Each component of a vehicle, whether the batteries, the shock absorbers, or even the brake pads, are supplied by other manufacturers for a particular car brand, and each of these car parts will come with a manual. 

These manuals will come translated depending on where they will be delivering the parts so that clients can observe proper handling of each component. 

Marketing Translations 

Another apparent field of automotive translate work concerns marketing materials needed by various car brands to advertise their products to all audiences worldwide. These automotive translations are converted to all forms of advertisement media, from posters to billboards to television commercials, and blown up for billboards. 

Although creatives are concerned with making these materials, automotive translators are there to ensure that all advertisement materials will have accurate and localized translation depending on where the advertisement will be endorsed. 

Human Machine Interface or In-Care Software

Human-machine interfaces are the voice controls, touch-sensitive surfaces, and other more ingenious features of modern cars. Voice controls are the most significant part of most human-machine interfaces, and they allow hand-free control of the vehicles as well as provide us directions via GPS. 

Since not all drivers will speak English or any native language of famous car manufacturers, translators are needed in order to provide translated voice-overs for car HMIs to help everyone speaking another language get the most out of their vehicles.

Design Resources 

Some car brands will have multiple factories to ensure that everyone who wants their products is provided with the car of their dreams. The production methods need to be translated and localized worldwide to assure that every factory in every country is observing the same production standards and are keeping the same quality assurance expected of the brand. 

Every design process, most especially the CAD drawings, is expected to be translated with the duo of the designer and translator working side by side. This ensures that every incomprehension or nuance in the translation is corrected in case of miscomprehension. 

Safety Documentation

Another necessary translation work that is part of the automotive translation is converting safety documents from one language to another. Designing, manufacturing, and operating each vehicle will procure large numbers of safety guidelines to ensure protection for every person involved, from the engineers to the customers. 

This is where automotive translators will come in since each safety document will need to be translated accurately to every language where the product will be manufactured and sold. Aside from safety guidelines, potential risks for technical mistakes are also summarized and translated. 

Website Translation 

Automotive translate work for an automotive website is another realm of translation work for this industry. Statistics point to only 20% of the world’s population being able to speak, read, and understand English. If a brand is looking to expand its reach abroad, ensuring that translation is available for its website is essential since it can be the first thing consumers are being introduced to the brand. 

If websites are translated into several languages for virtually all consumers in the world, they do not just keep up with the bigger competition but can also get ahead of others. This is important, especially if a brand wants to expand its reach abroad. 

Automotive Translate

Importance of Translating Automotive Content and Document

Automotive translate services play a significant role in virtually every stage of the automotive process, from parts development to production and manufacturing to sales and marketing. Every single one of the vehicle-related documents and records is translated into a different language to make sure that every target group will understand the text in their language. Other than the importance of understanding, why do automotive brands need translation? 

Translation Affects Automotive Sales

Since translation will make all automotive texts understandable in several languages, it gives it the avenue for more people to engage with the brand. Sales is usually an aspect concerning both the sales and the marketing team. With the many digital marketing strategies that automotive brands can adopt, this opens the chance to find new non-English speaking customers that will increase sales. 

Every sale will require an instruction manual that will make it possible for the customer to know the specifics of the vehicle. Having it available to read in their mother tongue will ensure they can do so without any hitch. 

Translating Meets Demand 

One of many brands’ marketing strategies is to listen to their customer’s demands. They do this with the market research they do in their research department (if it is a bigger brand) or by asking for customer feedback which will tell them what they are good at or what they can still improve to keep their customers satisfied. 

Customer preferences include the language they are comfortable using to communicate with a brand. If a brand is able to provide easy translation in all their workings, but especially in customer service in answering questions fast and efficiently, customers are more satisfied, and their demands are met easily. 

Translating Increases Confidence on the Brand

Providing translations, especially on an automotive brand’s website, can increase a client’s confidence and trust in the brand. However, localization in translation must be well-implemented. 

Any confusing and misleading message or cultural references to remain hip for every customer will make you lose more than gain them. In order to ensure that translations are correct and localized across the realm, a brand should look into working with a well-seasoned automotive translator to ensure correctness. 

Automotive Translate

Translating Gives Transparent Messaging 

If a company wants more trust from its customers, making sure that the message and goal of the brand are transparent will make them earn that. One step to ensuring transparency in the brand’s workings is making sure that these messages are conveyed by providing them with easy translation for everything, from the manuals to the website. This will put an edge on the automotive brand, and customers are also more likely to choose the same service again versus other brands or companies. 

Translating Help with Brand Consistency

If a brand wants total control of the message they are trying to convey to their customers, ensuring excellent localization of their language translation is integral. This will ensure that everything is consistent with the original language of the text, from an automotive brand’s slogan to the specifics of the car’s warranty and insurance. 

Translating Provides Better Internal Workflow

Aside from consistency in the customer service and message an automotive brand should offer and convey. Translation and well-incorporated localization are essential in a brand’s internal flow, from properly handling each part to the car’s consistent assembly in every factory to the marketing and legal side. 

Accurate automotive translate work in all aspects of a brand’s business and workflow will help ease and dynamize all processes. 

Automotive Translate for End-Users 

There are advancements in the automotive industry virtually every year, with a customer base that renews itself year by year, making it one of the most proficient industries in the world. 

Nowadays, cars are treated more like the status symbols they are versus merely a means of transportation that drives them from one place to another. Meaning that the better the features are, the more coveted they will be. One way car brands are meeting this demand is by integrating their cars into a person’s life through advancements in automation and technologies like artificial intelligence. 

Automotive translation comes hand in hand with innovation, from providing the how-tos for these modern workhorses through the user manuals to directly communicating with the customers through intelligent in-car software. All of these are done in the customer’s native language through translation. 

Automotive Translate for Manufacturers

Automotive translation for the manufacturers gives car brands and companies the means to take care of all their processes globally. It gives them an avenue to ensure that everyone in the assembly factories to the marketing and sales department worldwide is able to know the specifics of the product. 

This will guarantee that every automobile product will meet the highest standard when it comes to the right design, assembly, product performance, and safety regulation for an overall excellent customer experience. Automotive translation gives everyone the avenue to know how and what to do to remedy the complications. 

Tips for Accurate Automotive Translate Work

For the automotive translation to be effective, there are three fundamental tips a translator or any industry member should follow. 

Define Translation Style

The first thing to cement in any automotive translation work is the translation style. This is especially important when it comes to marketing strategies since the industry would want to resonate with their target audience no matter what language their materials will be translated into. 

Does the company want it to be direct to the point? Depicting only the meaning of the source text? Or do they want the translated text to be more complex, painting a positive image of the brand to influence how the consumer should feel when digesting the advertisement? 

Automotive Translate

Language Particularities

From user manuals to in-car software to safety documents to marketing materials, all of these automotive document’s translations should adapt the true meaning and all the concepts behind the source text with respect to a specific language’s particularities. 

To make the translation effective, it should depict the simplest form possible while still following the correct word usage of each word to make it concise and coherent. It is essential that any technical aspect that may have no direct translation to another language be omitted or explained in the most simple terms possible. 

Look into Cultural Aspects and Localization 

An essential part of localizing any automotive translation work is to ensure they adopt any cultural nuances and meanings behind a language. This is to ensure that their materials are culturally sensitive to the country where they will be utilized and advertised. 

One way to ensure this is achieved is by working with professional automotive translators and other experts in every country an automotive brand is targetting. The combined knowledge of automotive translate experience plus a vast understanding of the country or region’s culture will give any automotive brand a culturally salient and accurate translation for maximum engagement. 

Choosing the Best Automotive Translation Service Provider

The key to a successful and accurate automotive translation and localization is choosing a reputable and trusted translation company with experience and expertise in automotive translate works. This company should be certified and compliant in ensuring an accurate and quality translation guided by international and safety standards in translating. 

They should be able to provide top-notch translation service with rigorous quality assurance to ensure the accuracy of their work both using technology and human automotive translators and editors. Aside from that, they should also be cost-efficient as well as prompt in delivery times.