Localization. You know the term, right? In our parlance, it means taking some piece of communication, created in some central location (usually a big market) and doing something to it to make it understandable, palatable and motivating to the locale where it runs. Often, localization comes localized, i.e., we get a choice of photos, pre-translated texts and a menu of headlines and offers.
“All relationships are local,” right? Does it ever get better than this? Isn’t this the ultimate proof of global networks and their power?
Or is it?
How about when you are charged with localization in Japan and the creators at central use one “Asian” face to portray the entire region.
Or in Germany, and you have an offer that gives you free service and the global provider insists on using the word free, which has a different meaning than merely getting something without the exchange of currency but refers to freedom and politics.
Perhaps Russia and the instructions require you to use development tool unavailable in the market.
You get the picture.
For us, “all relationships are local” must mean just that.
We need to balance the need for global platform with the need for local insight, intelligence and the understanding and respect for budget and ROI.
We need to understand when to deviate from a plan because it really doesn’t work versus when it is because of “Not Invented Here Syndrome.” Sometimes there is a fine line of distinction. Sometimes there is not.
Localization is not a political term from some vision of a utopian world or homogenous community.
Localization needs to celebrate and deliver on those factors that make us different while leveraging those that connect us.
If not, here is the risk:
In Paris they simply stared when I spoke to them in French; I never did succeed in making those idiots understand their language.
Mark Twain
The choice: wonder why those idiots never understand our language (whatever language it might be) or take up the gauntlet and understand that it doesn’t make a difference if they understand you as long as they understand each other….
Plus, we can always try and understand them….
Most of you are aware of these, but when it comes to localisation and understanding of different cultures these are outstanding, I still can’t understand why “Bite the Wax Tadpole” never caught on for Coke.
Here’s a look at how some slogans translate into foreign languages:
When Braniff translated a slogan touting its upholstery, “Fly in
leather,” it came out in Spanish as “Fly naked.”
Coors put its slogan, “Turn it loose,” into Spanish, where it was read
as “Suffer from diarrhea.”
Chicken magnate Frank Perdue’s line, “It takes a tough man to make a
tender chicken,” sounds much more interesting in Spanish: “It takes a
sexually stimulated man to make a chicken affectionate.”
When Vicks first introduce its cough drops on the german market, they
were chagrined to learn that the german pronunciation of “v” is f -
which in german is the gutteral equivalent of “sexual penetration.”
Not to be outdone, Puffs tissues tried later to introduce its product,
only to learn that “Puff” in german is a colloquial term for a
whorehouse. The English weren’t too fond of the name either, as it’s
a highly derogatory term for a non-heterosexual.
The Chevy Nova never sold well in Spanish speaking countries. “No va”
means “it doesn’t go” in Spanish.
When Pepsi started marketing its products in China a few years back,
they translated their slogan, “Pepsi Brings You Back to Life” pretty
literally. The slogan in Chinese really meant, “Pepsi Brings Your
Ancestors Back from the Grave.”
When Coca-Cola first shipped to China, they named the product
something that when pronounced sounded like “Coca-Cola.” The only
problem was that the characters used meant “Bite the wax tadpole.”
They later changed to a set of characters that mean “Happiness in the
mouth.”
A hair products company, Clairol, introduced the “Mist Stick”, a
curling iron, into Germany only to find out that mist is slang for
manure. Not too many people had use for the manure stick.
When Gerber first started selling baby food in Africa, they used the
same packaging as here in the USA – with the cute baby on the label.
Later they found out that in Africa companies routinely put pictures
on the label of what’s inside since most people can’t read.
But just think of what Frank Perdue could have done with that slogan….