Keys to successfully hiring Dutch<>English translation services
Advertising and communication agencies have very specific needs when requesting translations from Dutch or into Dutch. Whether press releases or advertising texts, this type of translation requires not only an extensive linguistic knowledge, but also a good cultural background of each country or region (Belgium, The Netherlands, in this case) and how words are used.
A good advertising translation is paramount to expanding your target audience of Dutch-speaking users. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.
Remember these tips when translating your marketing content from or into Dutch:
Know your audience
Before you start translating, decide who your target audience will be. Who do you think will be most responsive to your services or products?
Find out and limit who your target audience is going to be. In this case, if you intend translating into Dutch, think about which markets you want to reach. Only Belgium, The Netherlands…? Or maybe into other territories with large Dutch-speaking communitites? Always consider the local and dialectal variations of Dutch and how this may impact the recipient.
Also consider the age of your audience, as this will determine the style in the translation. The more you narrow your focus by directly targeting a niche market, the more likely it is that your translation from Dutch or into Dutch will attract potential buyers.
Consider all types of publications
There are many ways to enter local Dutch markets. Expand the type of advertising and informational content to cover all of your company’s social channels.
Press releases and printed advertising material are a classic, but translating your website content into Dutch and start publishing articles about products or services can be a great way to reach thousands of readers in Belgium, The Netherlands.
One option is to start a profile on a social network such as Twitter or Instagram, and specifically target Dutch. You can also start an email marketing campaign targeted at Dutch!}-speaking countries. Remember to always include these new communication formats in your English-Dutch strategies.
Translate and localize (i.e. culturally adapt into Dutch)
In the marketing world, localization refers to the adaptation of all elements (from design to cultural references) for a specific audience. A small change in an audience type will increase the response rate and the number of sales.
Even if two groups speak the same language, such as Dutch, we may need different translations for each region or country (Belgium, The Netherlands).
A good localization in Dutch helps us solve these problems: from everyday expression to date formats, weight units or forms of address used in Belgium, The Netherlands, etc.
Take every aspect into account
In an advertising translation into Dutch, not everything is text. Remember that there are also graphics, presentations and drawings that can be important to attract the attention of your Dutch-speaking users.
Changes in graphics and pictures not only affect the content, but are sometimes necessary for the readability of the translation. Sometimes we will need to make changes to accommodate the reading direction of a language (left to right or right to left), the spacing of a particular alphabet, or any features such as those specific to the Dutch language.
Always keep in mind that the space taken up by a translation may increase or decrease with respect to the original text when translating from English into Dutch or vice versa.
Do not limit your imagination
When looking for translations in Dutch for your advertising content, your initial idea in English may not work when translated into Dutch.
It is important to maintain consistency throughout the campaign: it is what will identify your brand, company or product in countries like Belgium, The Netherlands… Remember that a literal translation of an English witty expression will most probably not work in Dutch.
Throughout the translation project, always think about which types of Dutch-speaking users your campaign is targeting. Be open to new ideas so your message does not get lost in translation.
How do you say “Dutch” in Dutch?
Of the almost 24 million Dutch-speaking (nederlands in Dutch) people in the Netherlands, Belgium (Flemish) and South Africa (Afrikaans), almost 90% have access to the Internet.
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A quick overview of the Dutch language
Dutch originates from the Franconian dialect of Low German. In the 12th century it became the literary language of Middle Dutch.
From the seventeenth century the new Dutch became a fully independent language, and in South Africa it evolved into a dialect language called Afrikaans (also known as "Cape Dutch").
Dutch is a West Germanic language with about 28 million speakers, mainly in the Netherlands and Belgium. There are small Dutch-speaking communities in northern France around Dunkirk. Dutch is also spoken in Aruba, the Netherlands Antilles, Suriname and Indonesia.
The official or standard form of Dutch is known as Algemeen Beschaafd Nederlands (ABN), 'General Civilised Dutch'. It is taught in schools and used by the authorities in the Netherlands, Flanders (Belgium), Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles. An association known as Taalunie (Union of Languages), which was established by the governments of the Netherlands and Flanders, regulates the spelling and orthography of NBA. The alternative names for the ABN are Algemeen Nederlands (AN) and Standaardnederlands, Standard Dutch.
Dutch dialects spoken in Belgium are known as Flemish (Vlaams). They differ somewhat from the Dutch spoken in the Netherlands in intonation and pronunciation, and there are small differences in vocabulary, including words borrowed from French and English that are not found in standard Dutch.
The Dutch language evolved from the Lower Franconian dialect (Niederfränkisch) of Low German. The first known example of a document written in Old Franconian appears in a 9th century Latin manuscript, the Laws of the Salic Franks, and in translations of the Psalms. Some poetry written in Middle Dutch survives, dating back to the 12th and 13th centuries. The Dutch translation of the Bible, the Staten-Bijbel, from 1619-1637, was one of the first important works of modern Dutch.