If you’re in the travel business, small scale or large scale, you can’t ignore the importance of translation – communicating directly with your customers, in their own language. A translation strategy worked for Marriott International, and it can work for you.
Marriott is the world’s largest hotel chain with over 1,500 properties in over 140 countries, and 11 brands. They’re so big that just one brand, Starwood, has its own Director of Digital Product and Globalization and they translated over 19 million words in 2016. Their 16 key languages include Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), French, German, Spanish, Japanese and Italian. They have to translate information on hotels worldwide into each of these major languages.
How does Marriott manage translation?
These ideas are not just relevant to a large organisation but can be applied to translation for travel companies of all sizes.
- Batch your submissions, so your translation agency can undertake translations together, reducing time spent in start up and project management.
- Keep a record of common translations across the chain, so that translation time and cost can be reduced
How about Localisation?
- A lot of content is held online, but individual hotels translate their own menus or in-room materials, which means they are tailored to each hotel’s clientele.
Other clever hotel-specific translation
- Clients can enter their name in a variety of scripts – Cyrillic, Japanese or Chinese characters – but the online systems translate names into a format that receptionists in other countries can understand.
This would be hard to replicate, but is evidence of thinking about making systems as friendly as possible for overseas clients. It’s that kind of thinking you need to apply to your translations – even on a smaller scale it’s all about adding value, making people feel comfortable. You’re in the hospitality business, so be hospitable! Use translation to differentiate your travel or hotel business.
By effective use of translation your travel business can reach out to a worldwide market – reach out to Accutranslate and let us help you! 0800 466 1335 or info@accutranslate.co.uk