Impact of the Cultural Element Language in International marketing
Introduction: Any multinational firm that is consumer-oriented is said to be cultural bound. This to great extent is true because consumers of such products are members of certain cultural groupings and inclinations irrespective of their stages in life. It explains why marketers have recently turned keen ears to cultural influences on their marketing activities. ... Since there are variations in needs and marketing opportunities, it follows that an understanding of a people’s culture is important to both marketing scholars and practitioners alike. ... Many multinational firms market their products not as they are produced, but are affected by some cultural influences. It was therefore recommended that multinational corporation should embrace the marketing concept in their operation, their promotion and products adapted to the environment. The consumer should be receptive to other people’s ways of life which leads to inter-cultural socialization while the government should promote mass literacy program. Cultural elements affect the operations of multinational firms. The most influential cultural elements are language, education, religion beliefs and ethnic values, Aesthetics, social institutions, and living conditions. Language and its importance: Learning a language helps cultural understanding and business relationships. The expatriates must be at least conversational in the host language, particularly when it comes to selling in foreign countries, languages are important. A Dutch sales training expert said, “People expect to buy from sales representatives they can relate to, and who understand their language and culture”. Difference in language: All societies have complex languages that reflect the environment in which their people live. Because of varying environments, translating one language directly into another is difficult as the meanings of words differ widely among languages. ... Even though language is the basic communication tool of marketers trading in foreign lands, managers, particularly from the United States, often fail to develop a basic understanding of a foreign language, much less master the linguistic nuances that reveal unspoken attitudes and information. Similar business terms in English and Japanese language is so inherently vague that even the well educated have difficulty communicating clearly among themselves. A communication authority on the Japanese language estimates that the Japanese are able to fully understand each other only about 85 percent of the time. The Japanese often prefer English-Language contracts, in which words have specific meanings. ... Commerce and other cross-border associations can be conducted easily with other nations that share the same language. ... In countries that do not share a language with other countries (for example, Finland and Greece), there is a much greater need for citizens and marketers to study other languages in order to do business internationally. Problems with the slang language: The major blunder in language comes from mistranslation, lack of understanding of slang or idioms in the native language, and use of the wrong dialect. ... The solution to avoiding such faux pas is back translating: having one translator translate a document or ad from the original language to the intended language and having a second translator independently translate the message back to the original language. ... Language affecting advertising and labeling: Language is one of the major barriers to effective communication through advertising. ... Incautious handling of language has created problems in all countries.