But hold on. Localisation goes beyond simple translation. It’s about understanding cultural nuances. Holidays like New Year’s Day don’t mean the same thing everywhere. Summer in your region may be winter for someone else, or worse, they may be facing a crisis in their country. Your emails need to be culturally sensitive.

The power of speaking the right language

The stats are clear:

• 56.2% of recipients prefer content in their native language over price.
• 40% of consumers are open to making purchases in unfamiliar languages.
• 1 in 5 Americans speaks a language other than English. Relying on English alone limits your reach in the US.
• Localised emails can see open rates skyrocket by a whopping 1,000% and click-through rates climb by 30%.

The challenges of going global

Let’s address the elephant in the room – managing multilingual email campaigns. Here’s what can keep you up at night:

1. Translation woes

• Accuracy: How do you ensure accurate translation, especially for languages with complex grammar or idioms (think Japanese or German)?
• In-house vs. professional: Should you use internal resources with bilingual employees or outsource to professional translation services? Both approaches have their merits. In-house resources can provide a deeper understanding of your brand voice, while professional services can guarantee accuracy and cultural sensitivity for a wider range of languages.
• Consistency: It is crucial to maintain consistent terminology and tone across all languages. Develop a style guide that outlines the brand voice, preferred translations for critical terms, and cultural nuances to consider.

2. Segment your audience

• Data collection: Gather user language preferences during sign-up or through surveys. Employ IP geolocation tools (be mindful of privacy regulations, such as GDPR) to make educated guesses about user location and language.
• Dynamic segments: Use email marketing platforms that allow you to create dynamic segments based on customer data, such as location, past purchases, and language preference. This ensures that targeted messages resonate with each recipient.
• Time zones: To optimise open rates, schedule email delivery based on recipients’ time zones. Tools such as marketing automation platforms can automate this process.

3. Holistic customer experience

• Landing pages: Ensure that landing pages referenced in your emails are translated and culturally adapted. This includes buttons, calls to action, and product descriptions.
• Other channels: Maintain consistency across all customer touchpoints, including SMS, push notifications, app content, and even call centre interactions. This builds trust and reinforces your brand message.

4. Technical hurdles

• System limitations: Different email marketing platforms offer varying levels of localisation support. Research which platforms allow you to do the following:
• Translate entire emails, including subject lines
• Manage different date and time formats
• Handle right-to-left languages (such as Arabic)
• Personalise content with merge tags in different languages
• Formatting issues: Consider how character length and sentence structure vary across languages. Adapt layouts and calls to action to ensure everything fits and looks visually appealing.

5. The legal labyrinth

As you expand your language pool, legal considerations become more complex. Here are some key areas to keep in mind:

• Data privacy: When collecting and storing user language preferences, ensure compliance with data privacy regulations, such as GDPR and CCPA (General Data Protection Regulation and California Consumer Privacy Act).
• Unsubscribes: Provide unsubscribe options in all languages and comply with local regulations regarding unsubscribe requests.
• Terms and Conditions: Translate your terms and conditions into all supported languages and make them easily accessible to users.

Beyond the obvious

Here’s a deeper dive into the challenges you might not be expecting:

Hidden issues

• Merge tags: Ensure proper translation and functionality of merge tags (e.g., %Firstname%) for personalised greetings and content.
• Dynamic content: Dynamic content blocks that showcase products or offers need to be translated and culturally adapted.
• Subject lines: Craft compelling subject lines that resonate in each language. Be sensitive to cultural nuances and character restrictions.
• Images: Visuals can be powerful communication tools, but they require localisation considerations. Here’s what to keep in mind:
• Cultural appropriateness: Avoid images that may be offensive or have different meanings in certain cultures.
• Text overlays: If your images contain text, translate it or recreate the image with localised text.
• Body language and symbols: Be aware of how body language and symbols are interpreted across cultures. For example, a thumbs-up may be a negative gesture in some countries.
• Formatting (word length): Sentences and words vary in length from language to language. Make sure your email layout adapts to accommodate longer translations without compromising readability.
• Different layouts (social media): If you're promoting your email campaign through social media channels, consider the different layouts and character limits of each platform. Tailor your content accordingly.
• Right-to-left vs. left-to-right (RTL vs. LTR): Languages such as Arabic and Hebrew are read from right to left. Your email marketing platform should allow you to create RTL layouts to ensure proper formatting and user experience.

New language onboarding

Adding a new language to your email marketing mix requires careful planning. Here are some steps to consider:

• Market research: Determine the target audience for the new language and research relevant cultural nuances.
• Terminology mapping: Develop a comprehensive glossary that maps key terms and brand messages into the new language.
• Translation and quality assurance: Use a professional translation service with target language and marketing expertise. Implement a thorough quality assurance process to ensure accuracy and cultural appropriateness.

The path to multilingual email nirvana

There’s light at the end of the tunnel! Here are some tips to streamline your multilingual journey:

• Embrace technology: Translation tools are your friends. Look for options that seamlessly integrate with your email marketing platform. Tools such as machine translation can be a starting point, but always use human review and editing to ensure accuracy and cultural sensitivity.
• Invest in quality: Never underestimate the power of human expertise. Pair technology with professional translation services for key markets, especially those with complex languages or cultural nuances.
• Start small, scale smart: Start with a few high-impact languages, and build your way up. This will allow you to refine your processes and identify potential challenges before a full-scale rollout.
• Data is king: Use analytics to understand customer language preferences and tailor campaigns accordingly. Analyse open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates across different languages to identify areas for improvement.
• Focus on user experience: Prioritise a seamless user experience across all languages. Ensure consistency in tone, visuals, and messaging across all touchpoints.
• Build a team: Assemble a team with the expertise to manage your multilingual campaigns. This could include translators, marketing specialists, and data analysts with international marketing experience.

The takeaway

Conquering the world one inbox at a time starts with clear communication. By embracing localisation, you’ll forge deeper connections with your audience, boost engagement, and unlock the true potential of email marketing. Remember, it’s about more than just translating words; it’s about understanding cultures and making your customers feel valued. Now, go forth and conquer the global inbox – but don’t forget to get some sleep along the way!