When it comes to marketing and advertising in foreign languages, paying attention to nuance has always been imperative (case in point: the Ford Pinto not translating well in Brazil). While these concerns used to be limited to marketing in other countries, “Now they apply inside the United States as more than 60 million people — about one in five legal residents — speak a language other than English at home,” says Louis F. Provenzano Jr., President and CEO of Language Line Services.
In a recent column in MediaPost’s MarketingDaily blog, Provenzano states there are almost 200 languages now spoken nationwide by legal residents. That’s a daunting statistic for marketing and advertising executives trying to reach these audiences but a tremendous opportunity, he explains.
“Studies show that people are four times more likely to purchase goods and services when presented with buying opportunities ‘in-language’,” Provenzano states in the article.