A few months ago, HI-COM felt it was time to start exploring the world of livestreaming. In China, live streaming is an important element of every influencer’s toolbox, which they use to sell products or entertain their Chinese consumers and fans.

As we are based in China, livestreaming was for us a new way to explore Chinese social media and reach out to other professionals, especially foreigners based here. The aim is not to focus on one particular field of industry, but instead explore various professions and activities from sport, to animals or even magic.

Our live stream program and community goes under the name of “HI LIVE”, billed as an independent live stream-based community for international professionals and expats living and working in China. A New live show with special guests is broadcast from HI-COM’s Shanghai Headquarters every Monday night.

Launched in July 2020, the primary aim of HI LIVE is to bring together international professionals and expats living and working in China and give them a platform on which they can talk live online about their experiences of living and working in China, and also promote their business and social activities. They can also discuss their activities with other members of the community in the popular HI-LIVE Community WeChat groups. The weekly live show is currently broadcast on the Yizhibo platform every Monday evening, and in its first four months, has already covered an extremely wide range of topics relating to expats and their lives in China, such as pet care, gaming, boxing, kids’ football, health, fitness, personal development, and jewellery.

You can find our livestream on WeChat or directly on the YIZHIBO app!!

Scan this QR CODE to have join the HI-LIVE WeChat community.

New live show with guests every Monday night, stay tuned for more details!

You missed one of our live streams? Watch them again on our YouTube channel! 

HI-COM is a multilingual translation agency dedicated to providing professional translation and interpreting services to companies all over the world. Working in over 40 languages, HI-COM is the localization partner for hundreds of companies and brands. Contact us today for your free consultation!

If you would like more information regarding the translation of your documents, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Learn how specialized translation can help your business.  Expanding your business abroad may be the key to your success. Many entrepreneurs and business leaders share the desire to increase their business activity abroad.

Internationalization is a lever that guarantees sustainable economic growth. That’s why it’s important to know all the aspects that you need to take into account so that this success does not turn into failure.

Indeed, one of the biggest obstacles you may initially encounter when travelling is the language barrier. Therefore you have to know how to adapt to a clientele that consumes differently and operates in a different language.

Today we asked professional linguists and localization professionals at HI-COM Asia about how to accompany brands and businesses in their internationalisation efforts. And here are a few things your company should bear in mind when expanding to a new market.

Understand the new market and its potential new target

Advice by Olivia LIU, Marketing Channels Localization Specialist at HI-COM Shanghai:

Going international must be synonymous with understanding new markets. The clientele will be different, their way of consuming will also be different.

Each country and each new market will have a different marketing point of view regarding your goods or services.

It’s therefore essential to first conduct a market study before setting up. Then you can decide on whether you need to adapt your products and the way you usually market them.

Moreover, the destination of the new location must be studied beforehand. And go for strategic reasons in relation to your activity.

In 2019, the majority of French industrialists from different backgrounds and sectors have mostly internationalized their activity in Asia, targeting India and Indonesia in particular.

Nevertheless, destinations such as the United States and the United Kingdom may be a source of commercial tension with Brexit and other current agreements, despite the fact that these destinations remain attractive!

Thus for successful communication with these target markets it is essential to:

– Know your market and analyze whether your product and service offer needs to be adapted to the profile of your audience

– Localize your content. Whether it is your website, your communication on social networks, your product sheets etc.. This will allow you to be as close as possible to your new clientele and target!

 

High – quality specialized translation – a must have? 

Jean-Christophe Roinné, Sales Manager at HI-COM in South China Region 

Adapting technical and marketing translation is essential for finding the most efficient distributors in the South of China (and other regions) .

I meet foreign companies that are eager to enter the Chinese market every day, and they all have the same question: how do we start? One of the best ways to successfully introduce your product or service to a new market, is to cooperate with a foreign distributor who knows the local market and distribution channels!

To optimize the international distribution of your offers, have all the necessary elements translated for your foreign distribution partners, particularly:

• Technical translation of your product data sheets.
• Marketing translation of sales materials and sales support tools.
• Localization of your website
• Adaptation and localization of your communication media

So, involve a professional translation and localization agency specializing in technical and marketing translation.

Furthermore, it is important to trigger the act of buying from potential foreign clients. Through an agency such as HI-COM, with its own team of native translators with significant experience in the marketing professions, your communication abroad will be meaningful to its recipients. The words used must be in line with the target culture while disseminating an attractive commercial message consistent with your strategy.

A few details on how localization of websites and apps work can be found here.

Be aware that the localization of e-commerce stores or social media account requires a mastery of the digital world. We ensure that your projects are managed by linguistic experts with in-depth knowledge of e-commerce and online distribution techniques.

Read all about Specialized Translation of website/webpages here

Why ask for a website / web page translation?

Robert Harrison, Head of Production at HI-COM Shanghai:

Having a website available in one language is no longer an option in today’s world. The translation of your online content is now essential for several reasons:

– To establish your presence on the global market

– Increase your visibility in relation to the competition

– Expand your business and conquer new markets

Localizing your website and thus adapting the length of your texts is a complex task that must be carried out by content localization professionals. In fact, not all languages are the same size once translated, so the length of the text must be adapted accordingly.

• How to prepare the content to be translated 

It is possible that the content of your website may not need to be translated in its entirety or that it is not sufficiently adapted to your target market. In this case, simply send your pre-written texts so that the translation company can provide you with the translations in the same format. A professional localization company shall provide the details of how the translation shall be done. In our case, a link to your website is enough!

With HI-COM, you will get a smooth and quality translation. You need to be able to adapt your text to different languages because certain expressions or other words will not have the same effect in the final specialized translation.

• Send us the link to your site and we’ll take care of the rest!

Is your website the only source you have on hand? We are ready to work with your means and still translate your content into the desired languages, in order to provide you with texts in bilingual format ready for integration.

• Specialized Translation and integration of your content directly on your platform

Are you already using an online publishing platform for the integration of your web content? If so, simply give us access to it and we will take care of both the translation and back-end integration of your texts. This will allow you to view, validate or modify the translations instantly.

Finally, you need to take into account the layout and reading direction of the country in which you wish to localise your website.

At HI-COM, we take a 360° approach that covers, in addition to translation, a redesign more in line with your localization strategy. The goal is to help you better reach your target audience and win new customers through the quality of your content.

To do this, we work in partnership with an agency specialized in web development, in order to offer you a complete package combining specialized translation, localization, design and web development.

Don’t wait any longer! Contact us by email to learn more!

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HI-COM is a multilingual translation agency dedicated to providing professional translation and interpreting services to businesses around the world. Working with more than 40 language pairs, HI-COM is the go-to localization partner of hundreds of companies and brands!  Contact us for your free consultation today!

When it comes to dual localization, brand name translation, especially into languages such as Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic, can be very sensitive, and despite the fact the end result may only consist of one or two words or characters, the amount of time, research, and effort involved to arrive at this point can be enormous. This is especially the case in China, where one character may have several meanings, and these meanings may morph into something completely different when paired with another character.

8 out of 10 brands localize their brand name when entering foreign markets. In markets like China it is necessary because local customers may not be able to pronounce your brand’s usual name.

To illustrate this, 好（hǎo) means “Good”, and 好坏 (hǎo huài) means “Very bad”!

What is the process of brand name translation?

When working on brand name translation, it is important to follow the methods applied by professional naming agencies. The goal is not only to find a Brand translation that will mean and/or sound the same as the original, but also to make sure the new name will be positive, sound right, be original, and fit the new location’s market.

Brand names can be translated in different ways. They may reflect phonetic specifications, meaning or be more independent, or include both.

The brand name translation process includes 4 key parts:

1. Brand Image definition
2. Definition of the target audience
3. Benchmark of existing competition and their brand names
4. Brand name translation

Brand Image Definition

When conducting research on Brand Image, one should include the brand’s attributes (what type of organization it represents, what it stands for, the meaning of its logo etc.), association (the meaning and emotions that the brand name brings out), targets (the type of audience the brand is aiming for), domestic market (the category to which its loyal customers belong), and price positioning (is it a luxury, mass market or niche brand?). This research is critical for creating a successful foundation to brand name translation.

The second step is about defining key words associated with the brand. This can be done in focus group studies.  Ask your group what they think are the main associations people make when hearing your brand’s name. Then work around the key words they have used to describe your brand.

Why should you translate and localize your brand name when exporting your company?

You need to ask yourself how your customers will pronounce the name of your brand. Do they include words or sounds that may have a different meaning in another language or that could cause offence?

When it comes to translating your company name or even your product name, it’s important to ask yourself these questions. You can either transliterate the name which means create a name that sounds like your brand or one that is spelt similarly. Or you can also transcreate which means creating a name that has the same meaning as your brand name even if the spelling is quite different.

At HI-COM we offer both of these services to help you expand your market especially in China, where the native language looks and sounds completely unlike Latin languages.

Find more about brand name translation here!

For example, your focus group thinks that your brand is associated with modern fashion and ethical/responsible products. When describing high quality association, they use words like young, good quality, design, and fresh. And ethical association was all about sharing, support, and charity. Even with such limited information, brands like TOM’s come to mind. The goal is to create a new brand name that will not distract from the brand’s current image but at the same time, ensure it sticks in the minds of the brand’s new audience.

Definition of the target audience

The goal of this research is to find out who are we talking to. The Brand’s market research and your marketing strategy will be at their most useful here. If you are working on a brand name translation of a famous cognac brand that wants to enter China market, your market may be:

• 25-35 years old (demographic), youngsters and young-at-heart who are looking for a subtle and modern cognac
• They are energetic, modern, sophisticated drinker

Benchmark of existing competition and their brand names

One of the most important tasks here is to determine who the relevant competitors are, analyze their names and find similar trends.

Take into account the origins of your competitors, as translated and original names may play by different rules. Try to see what similarities the translated names have. Can you apply these trends to your brand name translation?

Brand name translation – putting it all down

Now, when you have all you need, you can now start the actual brand name translation process. Decide on how important it is to be close to your original name phonetically. See how many syllables the brand name has, and (if you work with Chinese brand translation) what meaning each syllable shall have. Pay attention to cultural norms and habits. For example, Hyundai Accent had consistently declining sales in the Russian market, until it was renamed as Solaris.

Of course, a strong linguistic background is required to choose the best variations, that will not sound strange together.

How big brands translate brand names to Chinese

It is very important to leave brand name translation work to the pros, otherwise you might end up on the pages of “failed marketing” articles. But be careful, even pros can fail. Therefore it is important to double check your results with an extra focus group before you make it official.

1. Funny on the ear

A buzz around AirBnB’s new Chinese name 爱彼迎 （àibǐyíng) appeared after the seemingly innocent characters 爱 (love) and 迎 （welcome) (which does not mean, but sounds like another character 淫 (yín) with meaning of “”lust, excessive, loose” ）were separated by a second character 彼, making the name sound a little like a word for female genitalia. The original meaning of 彼 is “those”, but its spelling is not so important, as it sounds the same. And considering that the business of Air BnB is based on inviting strangers to your home, this may give some a strange impression of the company’s main line of business…

2. Brand name translation: Missing the point

Examples of major campaigns such as KFC’s “finger-lickin’ good” being translated to “bite your fingers off” in China a few decades ago, and Pepsi’s “Now it’s Pepsi for those who think young” translated as, “New Pepsi is for people with the minds of children” have basically become classics in failed marketing.

3. Brand name translation: Irrelevant meaning 

When translating a brand name, keep in mind that the characters have to remind a customer of your scope of business. So if you are in the automotive industry, pick characters that represent speed, safety or even an animal like a “precious horse” (BMW with their 宝马 （bǎomǎ）), or a tiger on a road (Land Rover with 路虎（lùhǔ) ). If you work in the IT business, opt for words relating to “ideas”, “progress” or “knowledge”.

When Google picked 谷歌（gǔgē）, which literally means “a village song”, their supporters were, let’s say, a bit confused.  And in the case of Best Buy,  百思买 （bǎisīmǎi） their name is more of a warning: think a hundred times before buying!

4. Skipping a translation 

So as you can see, it’s a minefield out there. No wonder some companies have never localized their brand name in China. Look at GAP, or Facebook, for example. But if the first one has 3 letters and somehow fits into local minds, the second one is called by the users as they please which can be a good excuse to turn a brand into a joke (脸书（liǎnshū））, and in the worst case scenario an English name of a brand will be long/complicated/unmemorable for Chinese customers, so they will just not talk about it, putting a stop to word-of-mouth. This actually happened to Hermes; for the first few years, Chinese customers simply did not talk about the brand, giving the company no choice but to pick a Chinese name.

You would think that companies as big and as prestigious as Hermes would know better and would never make poor judgment on such an important task as brand name translation, but apparently no one is immune. So think twice before deciding to do such a job in-house.

In the early 2000s, Dosirak instant noodles from Korea entered the Russian market. “Dosirak” is what is written on the Korean packaging to this day. The product did not sell well as the brand name sounded too funny to local ears (associated with a “person who has very frequent bowel movements”), and the noodles were renamed to “Доширак” (Doshirak). Given that the letter “sh” doesn’t exist in Korean language.

Looking for a trustworthy professional with experience in China in brand naming? Then HI-COM is here for you! We are an international multilingual expert that makes communication easy, professional and engaging. With our rich pool of resources all over China and an ever-ready international team, HI-COM will make sure your message is fully understood, localized according to the highest standards, and delivered on time! Contact our team today!

Beware of marketing your product as ‘the best’ or ‘the greatest’.  In China, this could land you a fine or even get your business license revoked…read on to find out more… Today we talk about advertising law in China and Banned marketing terms.

2916 companies in China were penalised right after Double 11 festival 2018 for using forbidden terms in their marketing campaigns! The biggest fine paid last year was 600 000 RMB! For the past three years the amount of penalised companies is decreasing, yet not every company is paying attention to the seriousness of the issue.

While there are many articles available on the ‘pretty’ side of advertising in China, there is less information available on the legal restrictions you face in China as a marketer.

As a translation agency, we have the privileged position of being right at the coal-face of the communication exchange.  We see first-hand the issues that arise when translating and localizing marketing content from one country to another.  The legal ramifications of translation are not so widely known and today we share some of our learnings.

On 1 September 2015, amendments to the Advertising Law for PRC meant huge changes to the type of language companies could use when describing their products or services.  The 2015 amended law prohibits the use of superlatives such as “the highest” or “the best”; no hyperbole is allowed.

Under local advertising law, the direct Chinese translations of the above advertisements would not be allowed. Chinese advertising policy states that any statements made must be measurable and able to be proven.  If statements cannot be proven, this will be deemed misleading and thus a violation of the advertising code.

The Advertising Law didn’t take long to be tested in China.  Shortly after its enactment on 1 September 2015, one of the top smartphone maker of China was investigated by Beijing officials for using the superlatives “the best” and “the most advanced” on its website. Nowadays, thousands of companies – small and large – are being penalised on a monthly basis.

In order to help our clients, HICOM offers a new service: China-specific copy-editing: compliance check! 

Here are some English phrases for which the Chinese translations would be considered as banned marketing terms under he Advertising Law in China:

• Incomparable: unparalleled; peerless: 无与伦比 / wú yǔ lún bǐ
• World leader: 世界领先 / shì jiè lǐng xiān
• Leader: 领导者 / lǐng dǎo zhě
• Number one sold: 销量第一 / xiāo liáng dì yī
• First-class technology: 顶级工艺 / dǐng jí gōng yì
• Most powerful: 能力最强 / néng lì zuì qiáng

And some English phrases that would be considered as banned marketing terms under the Advertising Law in China:

• The best
• The fastest
• The first
• 100% (almost anything actually)….
• Promotes (any health related fact)
• Good for (any health related fact)
• Etc.

Translating content from one language to another means that as well as knowing the target audience, you have to think about the local laws.  We recommend seeking professional legal advice to minimize the risk of being fined or losing your business license. Mireia Paulo, Director of the European-American Market and Overseas Investment Projects at A & Z Law Firm, states: “The creative and advertising media industries are the most dynamic industries in China, however since the implementation of the 2015 Advertising Law it is subject to far heavier regulation and restrictions. The degree of punishments for violations against advertising policies by using banned marketing terms has become more severe and violations can carry fines from 200,000 yuan (US$31,000) to 2,000,000 yuan (US$300,000) as well as the risk of having one’s business license revoked. Companies, marketers and advertising agencies would be well advised to seek professional advice from lawyers specializing in Chinese advertising law so that they can find the right balance between publicity and compliance”.

The degree of punishments for violations against advertising policies has become more severe and violations can carry fines from 200,000 yuan (US$31,000) to 2,000,000 yuan (US$300,000) as well as the risk of having one’s business license revoked.

Have you run into advertising law issues when translating marketing material in China? What do you think of these strict advertising laws?

Shoot us an email! We would love to hear from you!

For reference, a bilingual version of the Advertising Law in China article is available here.

The above comments are not intended to be relied upon as legal advice.  As we are not lawyers and not authorized to give legal advice, but we can proofread and edit your content in accordance with the advertising law regulations of China!