If you know what you’re doing then affiliate marketing can be a very lucrative industry. Once you have a system in place which can effectively attract and direct traffic towards a sale, then you have the ideal model for online advertising. But there’s a lot more to be made through affiliate marketing after you consider localisation and translation services . A lot of global economic growth is occurring in non-English speaking countries so it’s certainly worth translating marketing material into other languages if you intend to access them. Internet users don’t all speak English! These days it is important to remember that Spanish, Arabic and Russian are all increasingly important online.
Localisation isn’t just a case of translating. It’s also about understanding cultural differences and how they effect sales. There are major cultural differences between countries which speak the same language. For example, some localisation and copy writing services are devoted exclusively to translating between British English and United States English. Most Americans are not really familiar with the different spellings and informal terms which are found in the written English used in Britain, Australia and New Zealand. The reverse is also true but to a lesser extent. American popular culture is prevalent around the world and its books and other written material are rarely localized for export to other English speaking countries. This means most people who speak English are familiar with American English to some extent.
Anyone who has, through personal endeavor or experience, become familiar with the numerous differences in spelling, grammar and word use of two dialects, can justifiably and ethically undertake localisation work in either dialect. Even those less familiar with such rules could conceivably produce a passable translation with the aid of an online guide, but this would negatively impact the time it would take them to complete their work and certainly does not account for the nuanced cultural differences that must be considered.
When you hire an affiliate marketer, you expect them to be good with words and good with people. Their people skills are acquired through their knowledge of those around them, which is a part of their culture, personality and identity. There’s no reason to believe that their knowledge extends to every culture in the world, which is why localisation at a cultural level is so important, not just translation of the language itself. Even huge brands like Coca Cola have failed to realize this in the past, with disastrous results. When Coca Cola was first introduced into China they named it Ke-Kou-Ke-La without knowing that this means “bite the wax tadpole” or “female horse stuffed with wax”, depending on the dialect. By the time they realized the mistake, it was already plastered across thousands of signs in China.
Take this example as a warning and learn from the mistakes of others. Localisation of affiliate marketing campaigns is a must if you want to access global markets.
