Exporting involves communication and business relationships, where language is not merely a technical means of presenting products, but a complex system of codes shaped by local language and culture, business practices, and the customs and conventions of the target country.
Translating company presentations, catalogues, social media content, company profiles and product listings for marketplaces carries a risk of misinterpretation. For example, in some countries, the word “bottle” may be understood as referring to a container rather than a unit of finished product. Similarly, advertising content, with its distinctive creative elements, can have a negative impact if contextual and cultural nuances are not taken into account.
Advanced AI Translation That Understands Context
Exporting companies therefore face the challenge of translating large volumes of documents and content, often without the tools needed to assess how their communications will be received by international audiences.
The limitation of traditional translation, even when linguistically accurate, is that it tends to focus on technical and grammatical structures without fully accounting for context and its evolution. This involves not only the culture of the destination country, but also emerging trends that influence different customer segments.
To address this need, specialised platforms for advanced translation are emerging. These AI-native systems can draw on both linguistic and contextual information to produce translations tailored to specific target markets and customer segments.
One of the best-known AI-powered translation platforms is DeepL, which allows users to adjust translations to different communication styles, from formal to conversational, and to adapt content to its intended audience.
The platform offers several useful features. One particularly valuable tool is its Glossary, which enables companies to define and standardise their terminology. Product names, patents, proprietary technologies, slogans and technical terms can be translated consistently, ensuring uniformity across catalogues, manuals, commercial quotations and websites.
More advanced versions also allow users to select the tone of their communications, making it more formal or direct depending on the cultural expectations of the target market.
Through its APIs, DeepL can also be integrated with corporate websites, e-commerce platforms and business management systems, automating parts of the translation process.
International Buyers Value Video Content: A Communication Strategy for Exporters
Alongside the growing need for context-aware translation, another important trend has emerged in recent years: the increasing interest in video content, including among purchasing managers.
Videos are an effective way to introduce a company, as they allow potential customers to see its management team, local environment, facilities and production processes. To achieve the desired impact, however, they must convey a message that is consistent with the cultural and business context of the target audience.
Before contacting a potential supplier, many international buyers gather information online, comparing websites, LinkedIn profiles, YouTube channels and specialised platforms. Video content can play an important role in this process by helping companies showcase their expertise, demonstrate production processes and introduce their management teams.
Advanced AI platforms now make it possible to produce dubbed videos using increasingly natural-sounding synthetic voices, create professional voice-overs and, in some cases, automatically synchronise lip movements with the translated audio.
Other solutions enable companies to use digital avatars for presentations, product updates and regular communications without having to organise new video shoots each time.
For an SME, this means that a single corporate video or product demonstration can be produced and quickly distributed in English, French, German, Spanish and many other languages. Companies can also choose to add subtitles in different languages, reducing production time and costs compared with traditional methods.
One example of an AI-powered platform for creating multilingual corporate videos is Synthesia, a leading solution in the sector alongside alternatives such as HeyGen. These platforms can turn written scripts into videos featuring realistic digital avatars and translate content into more than 100 languages, with automatic lip-syncing capabilities.