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If tomorrow you met an international client, a foreign investor or a business opportunity outside your country, would you be able to explain in another language, in a few seconds, what your company does?<\/p>

Try it right now:<\/strong> without thinking too much, out loud, describe your business in English (or in whichever language you need). How did it go?<\/p>

If you hesitated, got stuck or struggled to find the right words: your company needs to make sure its communication in other languages<\/strong> is professional and effective. It is not enough to \u201cget by\u201d in a language; if your message does not sound natural, clear and persuasive, your brand image<\/strong> can suffer.<\/p>

But do not worry. In this article we will show you why poor communication<\/strong> in another language can make you lose customers\u2026 and how to fix it.<\/p>

<\/h2>

Why is this test key for your business?<\/h2>

Imagine you are in a meeting with a potential international client. They ask what your company does and, although you speak their language, your answer sounds forced, with pauses and unnatural phrases. At that moment, without realising it, your credibility drops<\/strong>.<\/p>

And the worst part is not only how it sounds, but how it makes you feel<\/strong>. You realise you are not flowing, that you are missing the precise words. You start to sweat, your voice shakes a little, perhaps even your hands. You want to explain more, but you realise you are staying on the surface, without conveying everything that really makes your company special. The insecurity shows, and in business, confidence is everything<\/strong>.<\/p>

Now think about the person in front of you. What are they perceiving about you at that moment?<\/strong> They may not be fully aware of it, but something does not add up. They see a professional who hesitates, who does not communicate clearly, who seems to doubt their own business. In the business world<\/strong>, where decisions are made quickly and trust is key, this can be enough to lose an opportunity.<\/p>

Because selling is not only what you say, but how you say it<\/strong>. And if the other person does not receive your message clearly, the connection is broken<\/strong>.<\/p>

At international trade fairs and events, communication is everything<\/h2>

This does not only happen in closed business meetings<\/strong>, but also in more dynamic settings, such as international trade fairs<\/strong>, conferences or industry events.<\/p>

Think of a trade fair in Dubai, Shanghai or Berlin. You are at your stand, surrounded by potential customers who could open the doors to completely new markets. An interested buyer arrives and asks about your products. This is your moment.<\/strong> But if your answer is not clear, if your English is not precise enough or if you are not comfortable with technical language, the conversation becomes awkward.<\/p>

The same happens the other way round. At events such as ISE 2025<\/strong>, we saw exhibitors from some countries who, because of the language barrier, chose to hand out business cards instead of explaining their solutions<\/strong> to visitors. Not because their products were not innovative or interesting, but because a lack of fluency prevented them from communicating them clearly.<\/p>

And here is the key point: it is not a question of technical knowledge, but of how it is conveyed.<\/strong> You may have the best product or service, but if you cannot explain it effectively in your audience’s language, opportunities are lost.<\/strong><\/p>

<\/h2>

Do you think your English is good enough? Try this<\/h2>

If you still have doubts about the importance of effective communication<\/strong> in another language, let us do another quick test. Imagine you are on a video call with a potential foreign investor or client.<\/p>

• You have 10 seconds<\/strong> to capture their interest.<\/li>
• Explain what your company does clearly, with no pauses or hesitation.<\/li>
• Make it sound professional, natural and convincing.<\/li><\/ul>

  Now ask yourself: did it come out with the same confidence as in your native language?<\/strong><\/p>

  Most people who do this exercise realise how hard it is to sound just as persuasive in another language. Perhaps the words do not flow in the same way, perhaps you used a phrase that was too literal or your tone did not reflect the right emotion. And in business, every detail in communication counts.<\/strong> Would you buy the product, watching your presentation from the point of view of the person you are talking to?<\/p>

  How does a poor translation affect your brand image?<\/h2>

  The way you communicate in another language influences not only how you are understood<\/strong>, but also how you are perceived<\/strong>. When a message is badly structured, uses unnatural expressions or contains grammatical errors, the impression you give can be negative, even if the content itself is valuable. Your company can seem less professional, less reliable or even less prepared for the international market.<\/strong><\/p>

  Language is a reflection of the quality<\/strong> and care you put into your business. If the translation<\/strong> is not up to standard, the perception of your brand will not be either.<\/p>

  Interpreting: when every word counts in key meetings<\/h3>

  In negotiations, conferences or international meetings<\/strong>, every detail of communication can make the difference between closing a deal or losing it<\/strong>. It is not enough to understand the language; you have to know how to convey precisely<\/strong> what you mean, without losing nuance or leaving room for misunderstanding.<\/p>

  Many companies rely on their own team to handle meetings in other languages, but a small error in interpreting can completely change the meaning of a conversation<\/strong>. This is where a professional interpreter<\/strong> becomes a strategic investment: they keep communication flowing and make sure both sides understand exactly what is being negotiated.<\/p>

  Website translation: more than changing words, adapting to sell<\/h3>

  Many companies rely on machine translation<\/strong> or quick adjustments within their website template without considering fundamental aspects such as tone, brand image, SEO<\/strong> and user experience. The result: sentences that sound forced, poorly chosen keywords and a message that does not connect with the target audience.<\/p>

  • Real example:<\/strong> in Spanish, a business can optimise its website around a specific keyword, but in another language the equivalent term may not be the one the target audience searches for most.<\/li>
  • A literal translation<\/strong> can stop your page from appearing in the right search results, losing traffic and potential customers<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ul>

    SEO<\/strong> keywords also make people find you and choose you ahead of the competition.<\/p>

    Translating sales and marketing documentation: your brand in every word<\/h3>

    Brochures, catalogues, flyers, banners\u2026 All the material a potential customer receives from your company builds an image of you<\/strong>. If the translation of these documents<\/strong> is not accurate, clear and persuasive, trust in your brand weakens.<\/p>

    If a company looks after every last colour of its branding, why wouldn’t it do the same with the words that represent its business?<\/strong><\/p>

    <\/h2>

    A real case: how your website would look if you relied on machine translation<\/h2>

    To show the real impact of machine translation<\/strong> on a company’s communication, we ran a test with our own website. We took an extract of our content and ran it through Google Translate<\/strong> to compare it with our professional version.<\/p>

    The result is clear: although machine translation<\/strong> may look correct at first glance, it contains errors that affect fluency and accuracy, or it simply sounds literal and unnatural<\/strong>.<\/p>

    Let us look at some specific examples and the key differences between a machine translation<\/strong> and a professional translation<\/strong>.<\/p>

    First sentence: definition of the service<\/h3>

    Original in Spanish:<\/strong><\/p>

    “La soluci\u00f3n ling\u00fc\u00edstica del doblaje es promover una comercializaci\u00f3n internacional del proyecto audiovisual hacia el pa\u00eds de destino deseado.”<\/p><\/blockquote>

    Human translation:<\/strong><\/p>

    “The goal of dubbing is to facilitate a global distribution of an audiovisual project in another language.”<\/p><\/blockquote>

    Google Translate:<\/strong><\/p>

    “The linguistic solution for dubbing is to promote international marketing of the audiovisual project to the desired destination country.”<\/p><\/blockquote>

    Errors and improvements:<\/h4>

    • “Linguistic solution for dubbing”<\/strong> is a literal translation that sounds unnatural in English. The right wording is “The goal of dubbing”<\/strong>, which conveys the same meaning more clearly.<\/li>
    • “Promote international marketing”<\/strong> completely changes the meaning of the sentence. Dubbing is not a marketing strategy<\/strong>, but a process for adapting audiovisual content to other languages. The professional translation<\/strong> corrects this with “facilitate a global distribution”<\/strong>, which better reflects the purpose of the service.<\/li>
    • “Desired destination country”<\/strong> is an unnecessarily convoluted and unidiomatic construction. The human translation<\/strong> rephrases it so that it sounds natural, without being literal.<\/li><\/ul>

      <\/h3>

      Second sentence: quality of the service<\/h3>

      Original in Spanish:<\/strong><\/p>

      “Proporcionamos la m\u00e1xima calidad en este servicio con actores de doblaje nativos, capaces de pulir al m\u00e1ximo cualquier aspecto relacionado con la sincronizaci\u00f3n labial, la esc\u00e9nica y la cin\u00e9tica.”<\/p><\/blockquote>

      Human translation:<\/strong><\/p>

      “Our high-quality services involve mother-tongue dubbing actors who will ensure impeccable lip and kinetic synchrony as well as isochrony.”<\/p><\/blockquote>

      Google Translate:<\/strong><\/p>

      “We provide the highest quality in this service with native voice actors capable of perfecting every aspect related to lip syncing, stagecraft, and kinetics.”<\/p><\/blockquote>

      Errors and improvements:<\/h4>

      • “Native voice actors”<\/strong> is not wrong, but “mother-tongue dubbing actors”<\/strong> is a more precise term in the context of dubbing.<\/li>
      • “Lip syncing”<\/strong> is too colloquial; in a professional context “lip synchrony”<\/strong> sounds better.<\/li>
      • “Stagecraft and kinetics”<\/strong> do not mean the same as the Spanish terms. “Kinetic synchrony”<\/strong> is a more suitable term for describing synchronisation work in dubbing.<\/li>
      • The professional translation<\/strong> includes “isochrony”<\/strong>, a term specific to dubbing that the machine translation<\/strong> omitted completely.<\/li><\/ul>

        <\/h3>

        Third sentence: trust in the service provider<\/h3>

        Original in Spanish:<\/strong><\/p>

        “Conf\u00eda en Overseas para encontrar tu proveedor de servicios ling\u00fc\u00edsticos audiovisuales, contamos con un equipo que puede encargarse de cualquier tipo de proyecto de doblaje o locuci\u00f3n. Tus necesidades est\u00e1n cubiertas.”<\/p><\/blockquote>

        Human translation:<\/strong><\/p>

        “Allow Overseas to become your audiovisual services provider; our team can take on any dubbing or voiceover project. We will cater to your every need.”<\/p><\/blockquote>

        Google Translate:<\/strong><\/p>

        “Trust Overseas to find your audiovisual language service provider. We have a team that can handle any type of dubbing or voice-over project. Your needs are covered.”<\/p><\/blockquote>

        Errors and improvements:<\/h4>

        • “Trust Overseas to find your provider”<\/strong> completely changes the meaning. It sounds as if Overseas will help you find a provider, rather than Overseas being the provider<\/strong>.<\/li>
        • The human translation<\/strong> rephrases the sentence as “Allow Overseas to become your audiovisual services provider”<\/strong>, which is much clearer and more natural.<\/li>
        • “Your needs are covered.”<\/strong> is too generic and inelegant for this context. The human translation<\/strong> uses “We will cater to your every need”<\/strong>, which sounds more professional and persuasive.<\/li><\/ul>

          <\/h2>

          When can imperfect communication be enough, and when can’t it?<\/h2>

          Let us go back to the initial test. How did you feel when you tried to describe your company in another language in just 10 seconds?<\/strong> Perhaps it went more or less well, but was it as clear, natural and convincing as in your mother tongue?<\/p>

          The reality is that there are contexts in which imperfect communication<\/strong> can be acceptable. In an informal meeting<\/strong> with international clients, at a business dinner or in a spontaneous conversation at an event, the effort of communicating in another language can be valued positively.<\/p>

          But when we talk about key situations<\/strong> such as negotiation meetings, international trade fairs or conferences<\/strong>, the story is different. There is no room for doubt, mistakes or imprecise phrasing. Poor communication<\/strong> can make your company seem less professional, less prepared or less trustworthy.<\/strong><\/p>

          The same goes for written translation<\/strong>. In an internal email<\/strong> or a quick message, some mistakes can be tolerated, but when we are talking about a website, a brochure, a catalogue or any sales and marketing material<\/strong>, communication has to be impeccable. Your words are your brand.<\/strong> And if the message is not conveyed well, the image you project will not be either.<\/p>

          That is why, even if you speak a language fluently or have employees who do, relying on a professional translator<\/strong> is still the best option. A translator<\/strong> not only knows the language but understands how to adapt the message to connect with the audience, keep the right tone and make sure every word reinforces your brand image.<\/p>

          If translating one sentence well in 10 seconds is already hard, imagine all your business material.<\/strong> At Overseas Translations<\/strong>, we make sure every word reflects the quality and professionalism of your company.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          If tomorrow you met an international client, a foreign investor or a business opportunity outside your country, would you be able to explain in another language, in a few seconds, what your company does? Try it right now: without thinking too much, out loud, describe your business in English (or in whichever language you need). […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13695,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,45],"tags":[2084,2083,2094,2032,2108,2090,2091,2099,2097,2101,2096,2105,2098,2085,2092,2095,2000,2102,2104,2103,1939,2089,2093,2087,2088,2086,2106,352,2107,2100],"class_list":["post-14849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-noticias-de-ovs-translations","tag-business-interpreting","tag-business-translation","tag-communication-in-other-languages","tag-corporate-translation","tag-effective-communication-in-global-markets","tag-errors-in-machine-translation","tag-google-translate-vs-professional-translation","tag-how-to-improve-communication-in-another-language","tag-how-to-sell-in-another-language","tag-impact-of-poor-translation-on-brand-image","tag-importance-of-business-translation","tag-importance-of-localisation-in-translation","tag-improving-international-communication","tag-marketing-translation-2","tag-poor-translation-impact-on-business","tag-problems-in-international-meetings","tag-professional-translation","tag-professional-translation-for-e-commerce","tag-professional-translation-vs-machine-translation","tag-seo-optimised-website-translation","tag-translation-for-international-trade-fairs-2","tag-translation-for-sales","tag-translation-of-banners-and-flyers","tag-translation-of-brochures","tag-translation-of-business-documents","tag-translation-of-catalogues","tag-translation-services-for-international-business","tag-website-translation","tag-website-translation-to-increase-sales","tag-when-to-hire-an-interpreter-for-meetings"],"permalink_manager":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ovstranslations.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14849","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ovstranslations.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ovstranslations.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ovstranslations.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ovstranslations.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14849"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/ovstranslations.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14849\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18084,"href":"https:\/\/ovstranslations.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14849\/revisions\/18084"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ovstranslations.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ovstranslations.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ovstranslations.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ovstranslations.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}