Whether your client speaks another language, or their target audience does, there is value in public relations firms hiring bi or multilingual employees to directly work with these clients. At Regan Communications Group we have seen the value of our in-house bilingual advantage in communicating with clients or offering translation services on video projects for health care and education clients, for creating press materials and in communicating with, for example, Latino media. With our in-house bi-lingual advantage, we offer our clients the ability to target and penetrate emerging markets by effectively communicating in an array of languages.
In a business setting where the client and account executive speak different languages, a translator must interpret, thus becoming the only true human interaction the client may be having as part of their relationship with you. The ability for the account executive to speak directly to the client provides a much more efficient and productive working relationship; in other words, “cut out the middleperson!” Furthermore, the ability for the account executive to show the willingness and ability to communicate in the foreign client’s language provides an enormous advantage and will many times be the key differentiator.
Imagine you are the marketing director for a high tech company attempting to penetrate the Brazilian market and are looking to engage a PR firm to assist you in doing so. The account executive you meet with is from a very reputable PR firm but doesn’t speak much English and the meeting requires a third person for translating. You will more than likely develop a much stronger bond with the translator than the account executive.
When deciding which languages to target in potential members of your marketing and public relations team, it is important to do your research. For example, Brazil, whose primary language is Portuguese, is part of the BRIC group, standing for Brazil, Russia, India and China, whose economies have seen tremendous growth. In the coming years, there will continue to be an increase in jobs in Brazil and companies there will be expanding their operations into more countries around the world – with a great focus on the United States. There will also be an enormous amount of business opportunities in Brazil for companies in the United States during the upcoming World Cup and Olympics, both of which will be held there. Lastly, another benefit of learning Portuguese is its similarity with languages such as Spanish and Italian; learning these languages becomes much easier! If somebody knows Portuguese, they will be able to communicate effectively in “Business Spanish and Portuguese” which opens up both the Hispanic and Brazilian markets.
Parece-me que eu deveria estar definitivamente praticando meu português agora. O máximo que eu pudesse…. (Translating this can be your first step towards a bi-lingual career!)
-Elizabeth Brabants
