In a recent episode of the podcast, we sat down with Jana Krekic, Founder and CEO of YLT Translations, to discuss global growth strategies for businesses. Here are some key takeaways from our conversation:
- Proper product placement in new markets can capitalize on low competition and cheap advertising.
- Quality translations significantly boost conversions and profits, which is essential for expansion.
- Correcting poor translations is more expensive and time-consuming than doing it right initially.
- AI fails to capture the nuances of human language, which reinforces the need for human expertise in translations.
“If you have the right product for the marketplace, it can be an enormous opportunity for your brand because you don’t have a lot of competitors. Many listings are in English. The content for many listings is not great. PPC clicks are cheap.” (4:00)
Pointing out the advantages of entering a new marketplace with the right product, Jana’s quote highlights the potential for success due to low competition, poorly optimized listings, and affordable PPC advertising.
“A lot of times brands really see significant growth. Because when you fix something that is not working instantly. We’ve had some results with brands literally after two weeks, because it was just machine translation that was not converting. Then you would see a 20-25% increase in conversions and also in profit.” (12:20)
Showcasing the potential for significant growth by improving poorly translated content, Jana’s quote highlights the impact of translation quality on conversions and profit, illustrating the value of investing in high-quality translations.
“Translating word by word is not going to get you the result that you want. But the localization means it’s basically that the translators or whoever’s doing your content doesn’t stick to the text 100%.” (16:30)
Explaining the difference between translation and localization, Jana emphasized the need to adapt the content to the local culture and language nuances rather than just translating it word for word.
“So a lot of times when you get something that is a butchered text and you need to work on it and fix it, it takes twice as long than if you did the whole translation from scratch.” (17:00)
Highlighting the challenges of fixing poorly translated content, Jana stressed that it can be more time-consuming than translating from scratch, underscoring the importance of ensuring high-quality translations from the start.
“AI thinks of things logically. It thinks of things practically. It thinks of things in a narrative flow and as a process. But as humans, we think of things illogically.” (18:25)
Contrasting the logical approach of AI with the more illogical nature of human thinking, Jana’s quote highlights the limitations of AI in understanding the nuances of human language and thought processes.
“By leaving your listing in English or leaving some important parts in English, you will be targeting every other or every third customer instead of every single one on that new marketplace.” (24:20)
Emphasizing the importance of fully translating your listings into the local language of the marketplace to maximize your reach, Jana highlighted how using English can limit your audience and potentially reduce your sales opportunities.
In conclusion, Jana provided valuable insights into how businesses can effectively expand into new markets, highlighting the importance of localization, quality content, and understanding the differences between human and AI thinking.
If you’re interested in learning more about Jana or the services offered by YLT Translations, visit their website.
Listen to the full episode of the podcast here and subscribe to know when the next episode is released.
