Are you willing to tap into new markets in South Africa? If so, you have to communicate effectively with your target audiences who speak different languages and belong to diverse cultures. Research has shown that 76% of customers prefer to read products’ information in their native languages even if they are written in low quality as reported by CSA Research. Thus, to bring your products or services to new markets, you should address your intended audiences in their native tongues to win their loyalty and achieve your business growth objectives.
Afrikaans is one of the most widely spoken languages in South Africa. It has the highest prevalence in South Africa with about 6.9 million people speaking it as a first language. It is also spoken in Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Swaziland and Zambia. This great significance of the language makes it necessary for businesses to translate English to Afrikaans when penetrating new South African markets where speaking Afrikaans is dominant.
In this blog post and the two upcoming articles, we will explain how to use English to Afrikaans translation services to grow your business, provide you with useful tips for choosing the optimal language translation agency, and explain the history of Afrikaans and its usage in different cultures and countries. Let’s start with exploring the importance of translating Afrikaans for your business growth and mention some of the best practices for implementing Afrikaans translation. Scroll down to find out!
The Need to Translate English into Afrikaans
Like English, Afrikaans is an Indo-European language. It was originally derived from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper which was used by the Dutch, French, and German settlers. Although the language is very similar to the Dutch language and most of its vocabulary has a Dutch origin, Afrikaans is now considered a separate language that differs in its pronunciation from standard Dutch. It has been largely impacted by a wide variety of cultures including those of the indigenous African people and the European immigrants. This rich cultural heritage of the language and its great number of speakers make it a prerequisite to utilize English to Afrikaans translation services.
Understanding the Importance of Afrikaans Translation for Your Business
When establishing your business in new South African markets where there is an immense number of Afrikaans speakers, translating your content into Afrikaans will ensure you a successful expansion and help you cement your presence in your target region.
The following are some of the key benefits of translating English to Afrikaans for your business:
Enlarging Your Customer Base
Translating your business documents, marketing materials, manuals and any other important information into Afrikaans will help you approach the highest number of customers, and; hence, increase your reach and widen your customer base. There is no doubt that English is spoken widely in South Africa and most Africans can communicate in English. However, the indigenous African populations prefer to communicate in their native languages. So, translating your business information into their mother tongues will make your product sound natural to your target customers as if it was originally made with only them in mind. They will feel welcomed and appreciated and be more willing to read your business content and make a purchase.
Increasing Your Conversions
Speaking to people in their native languages and cultures is your ticket to increase your sales rates in your target markets. For instance, if you translate your website, social media posts, brochures, and manuals into Afrikaans, you will manage to engage with a higher number of Afrikaans-speaking customers and grab their attention. They will be more interested in knowing what you offer and even recommend your products to their social circles as well. This will certainly promote your brand visibility in your new markets and increase your conversions.
Achieving Great Customer Experience
Using English-to-Afrikaans translation services will provide your potential Afrikaans-speaking customers with a smooth buyer’s journey. By selecting the right content to be translated taking into account all the cultural nuances, your prospects will navigate your product information easily without being put off, make informed decisions, and take buying actions. Undoubtedly, this will result in a better customer experience, enhanced conversion rates, and, ultimately, increased business growth.
Building Trust and Credibility
We all know that people trust brands that speak their native languages. By translating your content into Afrikaans, your potential Afrikaans-speaking customers will feel valued and understood, leading to higher levels of engagement, customer satisfaction, and loyalty. Satisfied customers are more likely to recommend your business to others, further contributing to your growth. However, mere translation will not serve your business needs. Make sure to consider their cultural aspects and events, especially when translating your creative marketing content that aims at capturing people’s attention.
Gaining a Competitive Advantage
Using Afrikaans translation to reach out to your target Afrikaans-speaking audiences gives you a competitive edge in the local market. While some businesses may overlook the importance of catering to the Afrikaans-speaking population, your commitment to providing relevant and accessible content in their language will help you stand head and shoulders among others. This unique selling point can attract new customers and position your business as a preferred choice within the market.
Best Practices for Implementing English to Afrikaans Document Translation
- Select a Trustworthy Translation Agency: To get high-quality English to Afrikaans translation services, you have to partner with a reliable language service provider with professional translators who are native speakers of Afrikaans. The agency also should layer strict quality assurance protocols that guarantee error-free translations.
- Decide Which Content Should Be Translated: Before moving further with translating your business content, decide the most important information that must be translated to attract your target Afrikaans-speaking customers. You can start with your engaging content such as marketing materials and website to provide a seamless experience for your Afrikaans-speaking customers and address their specific needs.
- Maintain Consistency in All Translated Materials: Make sure that the same tone and style of your original documents are maintained in the Afrikaans translated materials to stay consistent. This will keep your brand identity intact across different languages and result in a cohesive customer experience. Furthermore, it is crucial to prepare a list of terminologies that belong only to your business to be used in all translations. This will facilitate the translation process for translators and keep your brand identity in all the translated documents.
- Apply Localization and Cultural Adaptation: Do not ignore the importance of adapting your content to meet the requirements and cultural preferences of your target customers. Applying localization and transcreation when translating your engaging content will promote your brand visibility and foster your customer engagement and satisfaction.
The Final Thoughts
Using English-to-Afrikaans translation services when establishing your business in Afrikaans-speaking markets will open profitable opportunities for your business to grow and flourish in the South African markets. However, you have to ascertain that you select a reputable agency that can help you weigh up your options and set your priorities.
Afrolingo offers top-notch English to Afrikaans translation services that are tailor-made to meet your business needs. At Afrolingo, we always make sure that our translators are native speakers with extensive knowledge of the linguistic and cultural nuances of the target language. We have a strict quality control process to ensure that our Afrikaans translators follow our world standards in the delivered translations. Do not hesitate and contact us right now!
