Localization of marketing texts from German to Czech requires professionals

If your company is already on the global market and you have a branch in the Czech Republic, you will undoubtedly need your marketing texts translated into Czech.

This was exactly the case for our client BAUHAUS – a multinational chain of DIY stores for both professional craftsmen and hobbyists. The German headquarters of this company produces marketing texts that are then distributed to its branches, where the texts are localized.

In this case, we translated blog posts – texts used by the Czech branch for different online marketing communication channels (social media, newsletters, website, blog, etc.).

What is the difference between translation and translation with marketing proofreading?

Translation is the conversion of a text from one language into another. The important factors are factual correctness, the accuracy of the translation and equivalent meaning. Straightforward translations like this are suitable for technical manuals, legal texts or patent applications.

Translation with marketing proofreading ensures that the final text speaks effectively to the target group, i.e. it localizes it. The result is an attractive, fun to read, authentic text of which the tone of voice corresponds with the language and expectations of the target group. In addition, the text is adapted to the cultural environment and customs of the target country. To achieve this, we use the services of marketing specialists, translators, proofreaders and copywriters.

The straightforward translation of marketing texts is just not good enough.

The process

Preparation is crucial

Firstly, we needed to decide the desirable tone of voice for communications. We used an already existing Style Guide containing the rules for corporate communications and basic keywords, as used by the company for online marketing, for this and amended it with profiles of the target groups (so-called buyer personas). The Style Guide and glossary were then used throughout all the steps of the localization process, so that the texts were stylistically and terminologically consistent.

The next step was to extract the texts and amend them according to the accompanying visual materials. Infographics, photos and other objects are not subject to translation, but they are visual aids for understanding the texts. The job is easier for the translators, proofreaders and copywriters if they have reference pictures at their disposal.

Putting the team together and getting down to business

The last preparatory step was to put together a team. This consisted of the following people:

Translator – takes care of the transfer of texts from German into Czech.
Editor – checks if everything is translated.
Copywriter – stylizes the text in a way that makes it easy to read, feel authentic, and is attractive for the target group. They also adapt it to the Czech cultural environment and customs (e.g. the difference between Czech and German ways of barbecuing, the levels of gender equality, references to laws, etc.).
Linguistic proofreader – adjusts the stylized text in terms of grammar, stylistics and typography. They focus on the overall feeling of the final text.

The most demanding creative requirements are placed on the copywriter. Not only do they need to adjust the stylistics of the text in such way that feels natural to Czech readers, since German is very different in this regard, but they also have to deal with the wide range of topics they handle. This includes, among other things, instructions for building a garden pond, tips for making a barbeque, lawnmower maintenance instructions and recommendations for taking care of fruit trees.

Some articles are easy to adapt from Czech into German. However, the original texts sometimes include statements that might be inaccurate or misleading from the perspective of either the Czech language or Czech cultural environment. Such information needs to be carefully verified and if needs be, changed. This considerably increases the demands placed on the whole process in comparison to monothematic texts.

Worthwhile result

The feedback from BAUHAUS made us happy. Our hard work had made a positive impact on the quality of the final texts: it was beyond their expectations. Without any further adjustments, the client could immediately use the texts in the current edition of their newsletter, as well as across their other online communication channels. The client’s feedback speaks for itself:

„The translations are really well-done; we hardly made any adjustments. We only adjusted some small details, which can be considered highly subjective ones. The content and the stylistics of the texts were flawless. Thank you very much.“