Unlocking the truth about translation challenges faced by companies operating in the GCC

You embark on the job thinking it was going to be as simple as reading the document and understanding its content. And then you feel the anxiety rise in your chest as you are repeatedly urged to deliver as quickly as possible. It is simply not as easily feasible as it was expected to be, and itis soon realized that the necessary professional qualification is crucial for quality translation and timely delivery.
Indeed, translation has proven to have significant implications on doing business in the GCC. International and multinational companies and organizations operatingin the GCC face numerous communication challenges and are more and more aware of the enhanced decision-making benefits and improved communication that proper translation services can offer. The need for local language skills (Arabic) isa crucial necessity, especially in government and semi government related business and customer facing roles where speaking or using the corporate linguafranca (generally English) is not widely accepted.
Themyth about using internal resources to translate messages and facilitate negotiations and different points of view may not be practically possible underall work circumstances. Many contextual considerations need to be observed when setting linguistic expectations in a multinational business environment. Cognitive differences, as simple as they may seem, they can impact the speaker/reader as well as the business causing serious misunderstandings orforming wrong perceptions, if not carefully stated. The reality is that communication failure can potentially cost your company a lot more than you imagined.
Multinational organizations operating in the GCC cannot underestimate the need for professional translation as a very powerful tool to conduct their business in the local market. Relying on an internal resource who is not a qualified translator and who is not familiar with the nuances of business communications, will lead to potential factual, contextual, grammatical or stylistic errors in the translations, which can quite possibly damage the company’s reputation and negatively impact the achievement of its goals.
The safest bet for companies is to work with a reputable and reliable language service provider to handle their documents. The error margin in translation is never going to be an absolute zero. However, putting your translation into the hands of professional experts can greatly ensure the highest possible quality of professional translations that can make a positive impact on your audience and meet your company’s quality expectations.
Watch out for our Blog series to learn more about how to choose a reliable language service provider who you can partner with to get high quality translations.