By Neetu Sinha

This article is edited from a Modlingua internship assignment submitted in July 2018. It records the author's learning at that time. Definitions have been rewritten and checked against W3C guidance on internationalization and localization.

People buy products they know about and trust. Businesses therefore need ways to tell customers what they offer, answer questions and build confidence. My assignment explored how content writing, online marketing and translation work together, especially when a business wants to reach readers in more than one language.

From traditional marketing to online marketing

Marketing used to rely mainly on mass media such as television, radio and print. Online marketing adds blogs, social media, email and websites, where a business can talk to customers directly, answer their questions and explain what a product is for. This two-way contact is one of the main differences from a single advertisement.

What content writing adds

Content writing supplies the material that online marketing needs. Blog posts, product descriptions, website pages, social media posts, white papers, email newsletters, e-books and press releases all explain a brand or product in words. Good content gives customers useful advice, tells them what a product does and shares other users' experiences. A press release can also bring a business or product to the attention of the media.

I see content writing as the way a brand holds a conversation with its customers. The writing should show what the brand stands for, such as responsibility toward society, respect for culture or the ability to innovate, without making claims that cannot be supported.

Why translation matters

Online marketing in several languages helps a brand reach people who would not read the original text. Translation is what makes that possible, but it works best as part of a wider plan to adapt the product for each audience.

The W3C explanation of internationalization and localization describes internationalization as preparing a product or document so that it can be adapted for different languages, cultures and regions, and localization as the adaptation itself. In my assignment I described this as two phases. The first prepares the product so that it carries no hidden assumptions about one place or culture. The second makes it relevant to a specific market, for example by using local date and time formats and wording that suits the audience.

Points a translator should keep in mind

• Dialects and regional variation: the same language can differ from one region or country to another.
• Currencies, units and formats: these need to match local practice.
• Culture, customs and food habits: references that work in one market may confuse or offend in another.
• Religious and cultural references: they need particular care.

Key takeaways

• Content writing gives marketing its substance, and translation widens its audience.
• Internationalization prepares a product for adaptation, and localization adapts it for a particular market.
• A translator who understands marketing goals can make better choices than one who only converts words.

Related reading: Neetu Sinha's earlier Modlingua assignment is at modlingua.com/assignment/1154.