Getting translated marketing right: a seven-step review workflow

Why a workflow matters

The difference between a translation that works and one that embarrasses you is rarely the translator's skill alone. It is the process around them. A strong translator handed vague, idiom-heavy English with no context will produce something accurate but flat. The same translator with a clean source text, a clear brief and a glossary will produce copy that sounds written for its reader.

In Richmond, where many customers are bilingual, the stakes are real. A reader who notices a clumsy phrase can switch to your English page, or to a competitor's site, in seconds.

Step 1: Fix the English first

Clean source copy makes everything after it cheaper and better.

• Shorten sentences. One idea per sentence translates more reliably.
• Remove idioms and wordplay. Phrases like "we won't leave you high and dry" rarely survive translation.
• Be precise about numbers. Prices, hours, service areas and warranty terms should be written exactly, with no "around" or "approximately" unless you mean it.
• Mark what must not change. Your business name, product model numbers, licence numbers and phone number stay as they are.

Step 2: Write a proper brief

The brief tells the translator who the reader is and what the page must achieve. Include:

1. The target reader. For example: "Cantonese-speaking homeowners in Richmond, many of whom read Traditional Chinese and are comfortable with some English terms."
2. The script or variety. Traditional or Simplified Chinese, or a specific variety of the language if it matters. Our guide to Chinese scripts explains this choice.
3. The tone. Friendly and direct, formal, or something in between.
4. The action. What should the reader do next: call, text or email, and in which language will they be answered?
5. Character limits. Search ads have strict limits, and Chinese and other languages can run shorter or longer than English.

Step 3: Choose a qualified translator

Use a professional who translates into the target language as their working language and has credentials you can check. In British Columbia, the Society of Translators and Interpreters of British Columbia maintains a certification process and a public directory; it is a sensible place to start.

Ask for a sample or a short paid test on one paragraph before committing to a full site. Agree on a fee, a deadline and how revisions are handled, in writing.

Step 4: Build a glossary

A glossary is a short list of your key terms and their approved translations. For a renovation firm it might include "strata", "permit", "estimate" and the names of your services. For a retailer, product categories and policy terms.

The glossary keeps ads, web pages and review replies consistent, and it saves money every time you add new copy. Ask your translator to propose it, and keep it with your marketing files.

Step 5: Add an independent second reader

The person who translated a text is the worst person to proofread it, for the same reason writers miss their own typos. A second fluent reader should check:

• Accuracy: does it say what the English says?
• Naturalness: does it sound like something a local business would write?
• Local fit: are terms the ones Richmond customers actually use?
• Consistency: does it follow the glossary?

The second reader can be another professional, or a trusted bilingual staff member who knows your services. What matters is that they read critically and feel free to question the translator.

Step 6: Check it in place

A translation that reads well in a document can still break on a page or in an ad.

• Test on real phones, in both iOS and Android browsers, and check that every character renders properly.
• Check line breaks and buttons. Text that is longer or shorter than English can push layouts out of shape.
• Confirm structure. Each language should have its own page at its own address, one language per page, with a visible link to the other versions.
• Call the number yourself. Make sure the greeting and the person answering match the language of the page.

This is part of our multilingual website service, but any web developer can follow the same checklist.

Step 7: Keep versions in sync

Translated pages decay faster than English ones, because updates are easy to forget.

• Log every English change. Any change to prices, hours, services or offers should trigger a translation update.
• Review quarterly. Once a quarter, compare each language version against the English and fix drift.
• Track feedback. Note any comments from customers about wording, and pass them to your translator.
• Re-check ads. Seasonal offers and new services need translated ads as well as pages.

A simple timeline and budget template

Use this as a planning starting point and replace the figures with real quotes.

Budget for translation and review as their own line, separate from your marketing plan, so you can see what each language really costs. Our pricing page includes a worked example.

Mistakes we see most often

• Skipping the brief. The translator has to guess the reader, and the copy ends up generic.
• No second reader. Small errors reach customers, and trust drops.
• Machine translation left as final copy. It is fluent-looking but often wrong in tone or terminology.
• Out-of-date translated prices. Customers notice, and some will hold you to the lower figure.

If you would like help running this workflow, see the services hub or call, text or email with the pages you want translated.