Translating for specific target groups
Language is like a living thing – always evolving. Some of the reasons for this evolution are:
- Societal change
- Political influence
- Technological advancement
- Local peculiarities
- Incursions from other languages
Over time, new language variants evolve, including new language families with a host of local language variants, dialects, jargon, and slang. Developments like these may take hundreds of years but can also appear spontaneously and immediately impact on our daily lives. After all, language is much more than a means of communication. It helps us identify with a specific group of people and creates trust.
In terms of professional translations, it is therefore important to pinpoint the target group you wish to appeal to. Let’s not forget that there often are huge differences in how to address particular subgroups within a language family. The aim is to ensure that the end product is a good translation for your specific target group.
A great example here is German: Today, Germany has a population of around 84 million. Granted, as of 2022, around 16% of the population are non-German native speakers. Added to that, the northern part of Switzerland, most of Liechtenstein, parts of Belgium, France, and all of Austria also speak German. Pockets of native German speakers exist in Eastern Europe and South America. Overall, around 100 million people worldwide consider German as their native language. Among language learners, German is the fourth most popular language after English, French and Chinese.
In terms of the written language, a reform was enacted in Germany in 1996, aimed at simplifying the written word. This reform was not adopted in other German-speaking regions, which resulted in a definite linguistic shift away from Switzerland and Austria. As a result, Swiss German and Austrian German are now distinct variations, and target groups in these regions must be addressed in “their own language” when it comes to professional translations.
Additionally, “marketing speak” in Germany has changed dramatically over the past 20 years. Foreign cultures, popular social media influencers, and the adoption of terminology from other languages, specifically when addressing younger target groups, have had a significant impact on what is considered appropriate.
As a professional language service provider, we would like to introduce some of the aspects you need to consider before entering foreign language markets. Here, we will introduce several important languages and their cultural and societal backgrounds in various regions of the world. We will point out differences and similarities and explain where and why a “standard translation” is sufficient and where a specialized translation makes more sense.
Are you looking for translations into one or more of the above languages or have some general questions about our translation process? Get in touch today!
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