Sports & cycling translation services - why is it worth using them?

Top 10 Errors in sports translations

01.No Translations At All - sounds weird?

It’s been over eight years since we started working with the bicycle industry at Localization Care, and over twenty years in cycling myself. From small jumps to 360s, and even attempting backflips and century rides, the desire to push limits and raise the bar is always there. The same goes for our custom-made service for the bicycle industry. Our efforts are paying off.

Another Eurobike show is in the books and I realized that the bicycle industry still underestimates or isn't fully aware of the importance of sports translation services. In today’s globalized world, industries need to become global brands, and information in native languages is crucial. People are more likely to buy things online when product specs are in their native language. Going global is essential to keep up with the competition.

Why target a narrow customer group when you can build a worldwide customer-friendly experience? If you lack experience in sports translations, a quick Google search will reveal many agencies. As a bicycle brand, ask yourself what you expect from a language provider. Do you want linguists who understand the sport? Do you prefer simplicity in managing translation needs? Are local distributors handling translations instead of focusing on sales? Do you understand the differences between agencies and freelancers? Do you want a translation agency that can handle all your needs in one place? If you answered ‘yes’, you understand that translation is key to your company’s growth.

Using sports translation services increases sales and customer engagement, making it easier for customers to shop in their native language. It raises customer satisfaction and enhances your brand’s identity and customer experience.

Fun fact: Do you know that within the same cost of a high-end race bike, you could have your website translated into 4 European languages and pump that ROI up by 1000%?

02.Pure AI & MT (Machine Translation) content

It’s something everyone’s talking about nowadays. Cheap and ready in the blink of an eye, but is it good for your needs? If your goal is to build up your brand awesomeness, it cannot be your sole solution. I won’t say that it is not helpful. You have to understand and accept all the pros and cons of it. There’s a way to make AI & MT translation much better. It's called Machine Translation Post-Editing (MTPE), and it’s a text editing service performed by a translator. In this way, you will get rid of the most annoying errors. Still, using MT for marketing or creative texts such as product presentations or press releases is highly questionable. You know, that meme is just around the corner.

Homework: Combine the costs and time needed to create your shiny brand new online shop. Quite a sum and effort, right?

Are you going cheap on translations now?

03.Going with full force while wearing blinkers

“I want it all.” When you decide to move forward with sports translations, you should carefully check your tactic. What do you need, and what do you expect? What are the countries you’re most interested in, and which would need an extra boost? Maybe your products don’t sell that well in Eastern Europe, since most customers prefer to buy in their target language? Make the necessary planning, see a bigger picture, and set your long-term goals.

Don’t get me wrong, we love big projects. But even more, we love satisfied customers and we value partnership, not pure numbers. Let’s talk and find a way to lead you to global success that sets you on the right track for years.

04.Not having a “do not translate” list

This one is closely connected to the next point on the list. Creating a “do not translate” list is a brilliant way of making sure everything goes as you expected. Especially, while you (or your representatives & distributors for that matter) shouldn’t double-check all the languages by yourself, to see if it was actually done according to your expectations, right?

05.Lack of consistency

Formal or informal? Is it necessary to translate the same word differently each time? Or even worse, differently in the very same document? It could be a trial of your customers’ patience. You have screw A, which suddenly becomes screw B in the next section of text for no apparent reason. Well, screw it!* Pun intended.

*Or add an extra necessary tool at the beginning of the manual - beer. I think two or three should be enough to overcome the frustration.👍

06.Not having time for a change aka ‘we are busy’

I’ve encountered this quite often and I see this picture in my head almost instantly. If you are building your brand image globally it’s worth putting an end to bad habits. Especially if you are already investing your money.

Are you not satisfied with the current results? How do you verify them? Explore new lands and solutions. Find your own translation Holy Grail! Don’t be too busy to make a good change.

Do you think 30 minutes is a lot of time?

That’s how much time we need to verify your translation strategy. In the worst-case scenario, you'll pinpoint your challenges and we'll figure out how to address them. In the best-case scenario, you'll have peace of mind knowing you're already on the right track. Why don’t you arrange a meeting with us?

07.Typos

The nightmare of every single writer and translator. You can read the same text over and over. Still, the chances you have missed something are rather high. Luckily for you, there are spell check options in many tools. Starting with MS Office packages. You can also look for paid professional translation tools like Xbench or Verifika.

08.Grammar

Sometimes we still find an apostrophe instead of an accent in a translation. It seems unprofessional and very old school, like it was back in the age of dinosaurs, and nowadays we all have the language options available on our computers. If you handle your translation needs in-house, that’s great for your company – you have someone who knows your product inside and out. In most cases, though, it’s hard to find such good linguists (we do have them!). However, it’s worth doing an extra check. Proofreading by proficient and experienced native linguists will solve this once and for all.

09.Metrics

In English source texts there is usually no space between numbers and hyphens as well as numbers and measuring units (e.g. mm). Each language has its own rules for such instances. In German, for example, there's a need to add spaces between numbers and hyphens as well as between numbers and measuring units. E.g. 1-1/4" to 1-1/8" tapered steerer vs. konischer Gabelschaft 1 1/4" auf 1 1/8", or 80-150mm (e.g. 80-150mm travel) vs. 140 – 160 mm.

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10.Terminology

This one is as simple as it gets. Having translators who are up to date with the industry news and standards is crucial here. Even better when they are riders, too – like us. Moreover, glossaries are something you can seriously take a closer look at and become close friends with. Easy-peasy, right?

■ Well, chainring vs. cogs vs. sprockets vs. cassette, or headtube vs. steerer – I bet you know the difference. How about your language provider?

■ Or how about the front/rear derailleur? In English, the derailleur can describe the front and rear shifting mechanism. Therefore, the differentiation is made by adding the words “front” and “rear”. In German there is a specific term for front derailleur (Umwerfer) and for rear derailleur (Schaltwerk);

■ Let's talk about gender. In Italian you can find translations like per uomo/donna or per uomini/per donne – these translations are too literal and sound strange. You should use da uomo/da donna;

■ And yeah, flat mount – as an industry brake mount standard, better leave it as it is;

■ Speaking of dropper post/seatpost – while some countries may use the English term, others won’t. For example, in French it should be tige de selle télescopique;

For people outside the bicycle world, even the simplest terms will be problematic. Guess what will happen when you want to introduce your new suspension platform or brake re-bleeding manual.

Quite a lot to handle, right?

Sports & cycling translation agency - Localization Care

Well, not so much if you stop for a second, take a long, deep breath, and think it through before you engage in the translation of yours. Better yet, consult with professionals (us!) and we’ll create your perfect strategy in regard to getting your brand global. This is what we’ve been doing for over 60 of the leading bicycle brands, and this is what we love doing!

In our sports translation agency with careful planning, active discussion, and basically working together rather than the “forgive and forget” attitude you could be on the quite opposite side of that whole meme situation. This is what you deserve! So why don’t you try this for yourself? As in right now!

Let’s ride together and your rear fork won’t bottom down* ever again!

That being said, I’m looking forward to hearing from you. What are your current issues? Have you noticed any of the above in your projects? How have you been dealing with those so far?

*Couldn't help myself, again.