Expanding into new markets is an exciting step for any business, but ensuring your content translates effectively is more complex than it first appears. Marketers often assume that translation is a straightforward word-for-word process, yet without careful planning, messages can lose impact, become culturally irrelevant, or even create unintended misunderstandings.
To help businesses approach multilingual content with confidence, we’ve developed the RESONATES Framework – a best-practice guide for marketers ensuring their content connects with audiences across languages and cultures.
Why Translation Requires More Than Just Words
When launching marketing campaigns internationally, content needs to do more than just be grammatically correct in another language – it needs to resonate. This means considering cultural relevance, tone, audience expectations, and local market nuances from the start.
A common mistake is treating translation as an afterthought, adapting content only after it’s been finalised in English. Instead, an effective multilingual content strategy should be built into the planning process to avoid costly reworks and ensure the message remains powerful across different regions.
The RESONATES Framework provides a structured approach to achieving this.
1. R – Relevant to the Audience
A marketing message that works well in one country may not make sense in another. Relevance means understanding the target audience’s cultural values, expectations, and linguistic preferences.
For example, humour is often culture-specific – what’s funny in the UK may not translate well in Germany or Japan. Similarly, concepts around formality, persuasion, and emotional appeal vary widely. A “hard sell” approach may work in the US but could feel too aggressive in Scandinavian markets, where a subtler style is preferred.
Best practice: Before translating content, research your target audience’s preferences, market expectations, and what motivates them to engage with your brand.
2. E – Engaging and Clear
Engagement starts with clarity. Content should be concise, straightforward, and free from jargon that could be difficult to translate or understand in other languages.
Idioms, metaphors, and culturally specific references often create confusion when directly translated. Imagine launching a campaign using phrases like “hit the ground running” or “think outside the box.” Without careful adaptation, these could become meaningless – or worse, misleading – when translated literally.
Best practice: Use simple, direct language that translates well. If idioms or wordplay are essential, work with professional translators to find culturally relevant alternatives rather than relying on direct translations.
3. S – Strategic and Scalable
Multilingual content needs to be efficient to manage and scalable for future growth. If businesses expand into multiple markets, handling translations ad hoc can quickly become overwhelming.
Without a structured approach, companies’ risk:
- Inconsistent messaging across different regions
- Increased translation costs due to duplication of effort
- Delays in campaign rollouts due to last-minute content adaptations
Best practice: Use a centralised content management system (CMS) and translation memory tools to store and manage translated content efficiently. This helps ensure consistency and reduces costs over time.
4. O – Optimised for Localisation
Localisation is the process of adapting content beyond translation to reflect cultural nuances, local trends, and practical considerations like currency, date formats, and imagery.
For example, a UK-based brand using a winter campaign with imagery of snow and woolly jumpers might find that this doesn’t connect in Australia, where December means summer. A localised approach would adapt the imagery and messaging to fit seasonal expectations.
Best practice: Plan for localisation early by designing content that is adaptable, flexible, and easy to modify for different markets.
5. N – Natural and Culturally Appropriate
Good translation should feel as if it was originally written in the target language. Overly literal translations can sound unnatural and fail to engage audiences.
For example, many global brands have struggled with literal translations that miss the mark:
- KFC’s “Finger-lickin’ good” became “Eat your fingers off” in Chinese.
- Pepsi’s “Come alive with the Pepsi Generation” was mistranslated in Taiwan as “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the dead.”
Best practice: Invest in native-speaking translators who understand both the language and cultural nuances of the target audience to ensure a natural tone and message fit.
6. A – Accurate and Aligned with Brand Voice
Your brand voice should remain consistent across all languages while ensuring linguistic and technical accuracy. If different translations of your content send mixed messages, it weakens brand identity.
For example, a luxury brand should maintain a sophisticated, elegant tone in every language, while a youth-oriented brand should ensure its tone remains fresh and relatable across different cultures.
Best practice: Create brand style guides and glossaries to ensure that tone, key terminology, and messaging remain consistent across all translations.
7. T – Tested and Refined
Even professionally translated content should be tested before launch. What looks good in a translation tool may not work well in real-world usage.
- Does the message still have the intended impact?
- Does the translation read fluently and naturally?
- Have local reviewers confirmed that there are no cultural or contextual issues?
Best practice: Run content reviews with native speakers in each market to spot-check clarity, accuracy, and audience perception before launching campaigns.
8. E – Efficiently Managed with the Right Tools
Managing multilingual content requires the right technology. A disorganised approach – such as relying on multiple spreadsheets or scattered email threads – can quickly lead to inefficiencies and errors.
Best practice: Use:
- Translation memory software to store frequently used phrases for consistency
- A translation management system (TMS) to streamline collaboration with translators
- A content management system (CMS) with multilingual support to manage global content efficiently
9. S – Sensitive to Cultural Differences
Beyond words, images, colours, symbols, and gestures can carry different meanings across cultures. Something innocent in one country may have unintended connotations elsewhere.
For example:
- In Western cultures, red often symbolises passion or urgency, while in China, it represents good fortune.
- A thumbs-up gesture is positive in many countries but offensive in parts of the Middle East.
Best practice: Ensure your visuals, colours, and branding elements are culturally appropriate for each market.
Why RESONATES is Key to Global Success
A successful multilingual content strategy isn’t just about translating words – it’s about ensuring messages connect, engage, and make an impact across different cultures.
By applying the RESONATES Framework, marketers can create more effective, culturally relevant content from the outset, reducing costly revisions and ensuring global success.
At Bubbles, we’ve helped businesses navigate these challenges, translating over 70 million words across nearly 300 languages with our team of 4,000 expert linguists. Whether you’re entering your first international market or scaling global content efforts, we ensure your message truly resonates wherever it’s heard.
