Today, social networks have become an integral part of a company's communication strategy. International companies targeting multicultural audiences need to ensure they deliver multilingual content tailored to the language of their target audience. Translating social media content presents unique challenges.
What are the challenges associated with translating content on social media?
Translation of published content on social networks (posts, comments, videos, etc.) has several characteristics. On the other hand, translators must adhere to certain lengths, especially for tweets on Twitter, which are limited to 280 characters. However, the number of words varies greatly between languages. Therefore, the translator must not only convey the original idea expressed in the source language, but also adapt the text to technical specifications.
Social networks have special norms, such as hashtags, and their translation poses additional challenges. Therefore, when translating on social networks, we recommend that you do not simply translate the original hashtag. Finding the most relevant hashtags in your target language for translation requires research. The question may arise as to whether hashtags can be translated at all.
On the other hand, the tone used in social networks is very specific and varies from medium to medium. It also varies by audience, company, and industry. All these factors must be taken into account when translating.
What skills do you need to translate social media?
Social media translation requires very specific skills, including high accuracy and care to comply with the media's technical specifications. In-depth knowledge of digital marketing and community management is also essential so that the norms and language styles associated with social networks are respected. Additionally, translators specializing in social media must have impeccable knowledge of the target country's culture so that the translation can be adapted to the target group.
Last but not least, social media translation requires some creativity and a high degree of adaptability to properly handle different formats such as video and post types unique to each social network. .
Therefore, for this type of digital content, it is important to hire a professional translation expert. When communicating on social networks, the image and reputation of the entire company is ultimately at risk. To maintain or improve this, we recommend engaging a professional translator who specializes in translating such content. These skills are available in over 100 languages, including German, English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, French, Dutch, Danish, and more.
What you need to know about social media translation
Translating content on social networks requires compliance with technical specifications and adaptation to the habits and behavior of Internet users. It also requires certain skills, such as a sense of creativity and a deep knowledge of the language's relevant target culture. Social networks are all about electronic reputation, so it's important to work with professional translators to develop a multilingual communication strategy.
