One of the most obvious realities of translation, both as a linguistic phenomenon and as a profession, is its omnipresence in the context of a global community in which all kinds of goods and services are offered and consumed within its different borders. As we know, all industries that offer a certain product and want to bring it to foreign markets must invest in an efficient localization strategy to achieve a satisfactory result, a requirement that we see in the language services industry on a daily basis. Moreover, there is growing awareness that the majority of institutions and establishments, as well as the most common activities, have cross-language mediation requirements in order to achieve their goals and reach a broader audience. In this regard, we recommend the reading Translation in the fashion industry and Language services for museums, where we discuss specific commercial industries and translation’s contribution to their development. But first let’s take a guess at which sector generates the most translations or, rather, which one has the greatest need for cross-language adaptation. The truth is that it is a difficult question to answer, since it will depend on the parameters that we follow, in addition to the fact that translation encompasses a number of different services and each industry requires one or another to a greater or lesser extent. We could, however, highlight the tourism industry, since it has a broad scope due to its global reach and the fact that it draws on other sectors to create engaging experiences for potential customers (e.g., catering, hospitality, transport, etc.). So what are the most demanded services in the tourism sector? What is the most suitable profile for language professionals? In today’s article, we will answer these questions and explore this specialty area.
To begin with, it is important to recall that tourism is one of the activities that contributes the most to many countries’ gross domestic product. That is exactly why, in such a globalized world, different services, interesting information about tourist destinations and typical materials about these activities should be made available to customers in their native language, given that the tourism sector has such a strong communicative component. After all, when we travel, most of the time we visit foreign places where languages other than our own are spoken. Therefore, when a tourism service provider decides which strategy they should implement to be successful, they should consider investing in good localization infrastructure, since it will have a much more positive impact on customers and attract a broader audience in the short and medium term. But what kind of services require translation tasks? To answer this question, let’s think about each and every one of our needs when planning a trip or an outing.
For example, in order to arrive at our destination, we have to think about transportation. To do so, we use travel portals, such as airline and railway service websites, where we have to search for a seat within a date range and accept a set of conditions. Carrying out this process in a foreign language that we don’t master can create unease and therefore decrease the sales of these businesses. That is why it is essential to turn to web content translators who know how to adapt scheduling tools to the target culture, as well as other professionals who are responsible for reproducing legal information or the marketing strategy to advertise services. Something similar happens when we book an accommodation, where potential customers need to know the specific terms of their reservation, what products, services and other amenities are included in the stay and, of course, they have the need to interact with the establishment staff to resolve any matter. This type of business can have professionals who adapt the textual content of web pages, reservation forms and information during the stay, as well as provide telephone interpretation services in order to communicate with guests who do not speak any of the languages spoken by the staff at said establishment.
Naturally, and precisely for all these reasons, tourism translation will be an almost mandatory resource for the most common leisure activities, such as at bars and restaurants, as explained in Translation in the gastronomy sector, cultural centers, guided tours, shows, etc. All these activities leave an impression on customers that they often evaluate through reviews. These reviews are usually read by potential customers to determine if the offering will meet their expectations based on other people’s experiences. Although businesses regularly resort to automatic translation engines, sometimes they do not reproduce the message correctly, thus providing strange texts that create distrust. Therefore, it is becoming more and more common to request expert help to transform this type of content, which is usually kept next to the original so that there can be no claims of censorship or bias in the translation.
Other localizable products include the translation of emails for customer communications, the translation of legal documents for contracted services, the translation of blogs and social media as a commercial or information dissemination strategy, and any advertising campaign to be launched internationally.
Thus, translation professionals must have a specific profile based on the material to be localized, as well as a domain of the channel in which it is to be disseminated, which is often associated with the use of specific tools. Likewise, they should offer translated products of the utmost quality and use engaging language that creates commitment. The tourism sector is one of the most important commercial activities and, therefore, it is essential to invest in quality language services.
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