How to Deal with a Language Barrier When Starting a New Business
When you set out to open a start-up company, there are so many things on your mind. There are countless steps you need to take in order to ensure the company gets off to a good start and you attract your target customer. Part of that process will be making sure you communicate your message to potential customers, which can be a lot harder if there is a language barrier.
Language barriers not only make it difficult to deal with employees, vendors, and suppliers; they can also create a wrinkle in the plans when it comes to reaching out to customers. So what’s the best way to deal with a language barrier when starting a new business? Here are some tips you can use.
Make Sure You Know the Language That Is Used in Your Target Market
This may sound like a simple tip, but it’s amazing how many times business owners have expanded to a new country believing they know the language, only to find out there are many official languages in that country. Do your research in advance. It shows respect to the new market you are targeting.
There’s No Such Thing as Faking It Until You Make It
This is not the time to bring up the famous quote “fake it until you make it” because faking that you understand another language could result in some serious legal issues. You may end up signing a contract or agreement you don’t fully understand, conveying the wrong message to your customers, and even miscommunicating with your employees. You need to be absolutely sure that you understand what others are saying to you and you need to be crystal clear with them.
Make Use of Language Translation Tools
Where it used to be that you’d have to get out a bilingual dictionary or translation guide, today you can make use of online translation tools. Google Translate can handle all kinds of different languages and is constantly adding more to its database. For example, you can now use Google Translate Hawaiian, Kyrgyz, and Xhosa, as well as 90 other languages. It will take an entire page of text and translate it within seconds, making things crystal clear for you to understand.
Start to Learn the Language Yourself
It’s also wise to start learning the basics of the language yourself. This will allow you to converse on a very simple basis, which again shows respect to your employees and customers. They will appreciate the effort you are putting in and you won’t be expected to be fluent. There are tons of apps you can use nowadays that teach you various languages. What’s great about the apps is that you can use them anywhere and they will be able to help you with the proper pronunciation.
Don’t Let It Stand in Your Way
While a language barrier can certainly throw a kink in your plans, there is no reason it has to stand in the way of your business being successful.
