There is a wide variety of documents and files that marketing professionals work with daily. The documentation runs through the full cycle of any project, from requests for proposals (RFPs) to briefs, and finished material to project reporting and reviews.

When you’re working in multiple languages, all these documents need to be translated so teams are always on the same page.

Without the right support, this can be an uphill battle. We know you work hard to develop creative ideas that will help you client’s product or service stand out in the marketplace. As a Language Services Provider (LSP), we help our marketing clients with not only translations, but also localization and transcreation – the art of taking creative concepts and ideas authentically from one language into another, without them necessarily being direct translations.

This article focuses on the documents we see most frequently when working with marketing departments and creative agencies.

Documents Marketing Agencies Need to Have Translated

1. Request for Proposals (RFPs)

A poorly written RFP won't attract the right level of marketing companies to come to the table and quote. An incorrectly translated RFP tells agencies that the brand either doesn't care about ancillary markets in other languages or doesn't understand the importance of getting the language right.

Either way, this will raise big red flags for marketing agencies deciding whether to spend time and money responding to the RFP.

2. Proposals and Quotes

Your proposal is the difference between winning and losing the work. Your suggested solution to your client’s marketing requirement needs to be clearly articulated so they can understand how you will tackle the project or campaign and what it’s going to cost.

If the translation isn’t clear, you might not win the work. Alternatively, if you win the work, you run the risk of over-offering, which can lead to under-delivering and a dissatisfied client.

3. Project Briefs

When working on a project with people from other countries or who speak different languages, it's really important that everyone understands the plan in the same way.

The project plan tells everyone what needs to be done. If the plan isn't translated well, people might get confused and do the wrong things, which can make the project late and cost more money.

4. Contracts, Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) and Invoices

The boring but vital stuff. This is always important so that you have your house in order. We see projects handled by global teams more than ever.

If you don’t have the contractual pieces of the puzzle in place, you could risk confidentiality issues and even lawsuits with your clients.

Project management teams need to balance budgets, so it’s crucial to have all agreed documentation regarding rates in place, including specifying what currency freelancers and partners are being paid in.

5. Market Research

A lot of time and energy goes into looking at demographics, audience segmentation, and building personas so that the developed creative concepts get the most traction with the intended audience.

The translation of this information will have a huge influence on where and how money is spent.

6. Marketing Copy

The end product. These are the deliverables of the campaign and include all forms of communication, including social media posts, email marketing, direct mail, and anything else that brings the value of a product, service, or brand to the target audience's attention.

These will need to be faithfully translated or transcreated to drive people towards the call to action and entice them to do something that moves your client’s business forward.

7. Marketing Plans and Strategy

Outside of individual projects and campaigns, marketing plans and strategy documents outline how a brand will tackle a market. This means a consistent route forward into all territories, in all languages.

Translations need to be accurate as these are the blueprints for brand activity, will likely involve localization efforts, and will be digested by multiple agencies, which are often international, national, and local.  

8. Project Reports and Reviews

Clients want to know where their money is going and what the progress of a campaign is at any moment. Reports and reviews during a project or campaign keep them on track, often across multiple teams working in multiple mediums.

When the campaign is delivered, clients usually want to know what traction they’re getting from the audience for their spend.

In marketing it can be hard to determine return on investment (ROI), because this isn’t sales, but these reports need to be translated accurately and authentically to round out a campaign contract and, crucially, to keep that client coming back.

Getting Your Message Right

Sure, it takes attention to detail and a team of skilled linguists, but it doesn’t have to be difficult.

A good LSP can guide you through the process regardless of what type of documents you’re translating. And if you need more specific transcreation or localization assistance, they can support you there too.

Get a Quote for Your Translation Project

If you’ve got translation requirements that you need help with, we’d love to sit down and talk with you about it.

Consultations are free and there’s no obligation.

With LinguaLinx, you won't ever have to worry about your message getting lost as it’s translated. You know you're in good hands as we’re ISO 17100 and ISO 9001 compliant, have over twenty years of professional translation experience, and have earned the trust of organizations around the world.