Communication is essential in daily life, yet when we travel, communication becomes more difficult due to language barriers. When tourists travel to a new country, there is a high chance of miscommunication between the newcomers and the locals. By using hand signals and some basic tourist vocabulary, there will usually be a reasonable understanding on both sides. However, when trying to understand more complex information, translations become necessary. This is especially true in the travel and tourism industry, where good translation can aid authentic communication and create a positive customer experience.

An Increase in Worldwide Travel

Thanks to a general increase in worldwide travel, there is a greater demand for translation services from the tourist industry. Companies involved in travel and tourism usually try to make sure that individuals who are travelling to other countries have a pleasant experience. This makes it more likely that the customer will consider using the company’s services again when they next travel abroad.

The last thing that companies within the travel and tourism industry want is for people to remember a holiday for all the wrong reasons. This is why having an effective translation service is important in the tourism industry. A good example of this can be found in many people’s experience when visiting tourist attractions abroad, such as museums and art galleries, or reading a local hotel‘s guide books.

Humorous and Damaging Inaccuracies in Translation

For example, it has been noted that there are several situations in which attempts to translate totally different languages, such as Chinese, into English for easier communication with tourists has resulted in inaccuracies.

These errors can often be humorous, but which could also potentially be irritating to the tourist trying to understand. It could also affect tourists’ perceptions of the attraction or even the country as a whole because bad translations can prevent us from fully enjoying or appreciating a cultural experience.

Indeed, although many countries are affected by this lack of accuracy in translation, tourism still remains a large source of economic growth for many nations. Many countries look to tourism to boost economic development, such as India, which is popular with Western visitors interested in the rich history and art of the country.

Highly industrialised countries, such as France and Germany, also have a booming tourism industry, which makes translation services important in the West.

Localisation in Translation Services

Many companies in the travel and tourism industry use in-country translators in an attempt to reflect the true culture of the country that is being visited through effective localisation. This allows tourists to have a more authentic experience and attain a better understanding of the real country and culture, offering a more subtle insight than a basic translation.

These expert translators are essential when it comes to translating all types of material, such as travel guides or tour materials. Fully bilingual translators will help the tourists understand the history and culture of the country or landmark they are reading about in tourist guides. This greater ease of communication also benefits the travel company as it allows the translator to ‘upsell‘ other holiday options and activities.

Benefits of Translation to Travel Companies 

Tourism companies have found themselves needing these expert translators due to the need to adapt their materials to a wide range of different languages as worldwide travel becomes the norm.

This investment in translation is now seen as an essential approach within the tourism industry because it helps the company to more effectively connect with a wider audience.

Implementing reliable translation and localisation services will help popular tourist attractions to attract and retain visitors. By providing high quality translations and proper localisation, communication is much easier across cultures, allowing tourists to gain a more realistic and positive appreciation for the country they are visiting.

Equally, travel and tourism companies will be able to satisfy their customers and have an opportunity of upselling, thus helping the growth of their business.

The world’s languages and cultures are hugely  diverse and proper translation is an essential requirement when it comes to booking flights or creating marketing materials. With high quality translation services, travellers, holiday resorts, tourist attractions and travel companies all benefit and countries can be appreciated in their true light.

This guest post is edited from a submission by Rilind Elezaj. Rilind is an experienced digital marketing specialist with a demonstrated history of working in the marketing and advertising industry. Rilind possesses a strong entrepreneurial mindset and in his methodological approach integrates web development and other digital marketing solutions to create hybrid strategies that bring the best results.