Keys to successfully hiring Greek<>English translation services
Advertising and communication agencies have very specific needs when requesting translations from Greek or into Greek. 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 (Cyprus, Greece, in this case) and how words are used.
A good advertising translation is paramount to expanding your target audience of Greek-speaking users. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.
Remember these tips when translating your marketing content from or into Greek:
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 Greek, think about which markets you want to reach. Only Cyprus, Greece…? Or maybe into other territories with large Greek-speaking communitites? Always consider the local and dialectal variations of Greek 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 Greek or into Greek will attract potential buyers.
Consider all types of publications
There are many ways to enter local Greek 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 Greek and start publishing articles about products or services can be a great way to reach thousands of readers in Cyprus, Greece.
One option is to start a profile on a social network such as Twitter or Instagram, and specifically target Grecophones. You can also start an email marketing campaign targeted at Greek!}-speaking countries. Remember to always include these new communication formats in your English-Greek strategies.
Translate and localize (i.e. culturally adapt into Greek)
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 Greek, we may need different translations for each region or country (Cyprus, Greece).
A good localization in Greek helps us solve these problems: from everyday expression to date formats, weight units or forms of address used in Cyprus, Greece, etc.
Take every aspect into account
In an advertising translation into Greek, not everything is text. Remember that there are also graphics, presentations and drawings that can be important to attract the attention of your Greek-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 Greek 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 Greek or vice versa.
Do not limit your imagination
When looking for translations in Greek for your advertising content, your initial idea in English may not work when translated into Greek.
It is important to maintain consistency throughout the campaign: it is what will identify your brand, company or product in countries like Cyprus, Greece… Remember that a literal translation of an English witty expression will most probably not work in Greek.
Throughout the translation project, always think about which types of Greek-speaking users your campaign is targeting. Be open to new ideas so your message does not get lost in translation.
How do you say “Greek” in Greek?
Greece's 3,500 years of unbroken linguistic and written tradition is the cradle of Western culture. Greek (Ελληνική γλώσσα in Greek) has more than 10 million native speakers, of which 5 million have access to the Internet. Greek is spoken in Greece, Cyprus and in some regions of Italy.
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A quick overview of the Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European language family. The written and spoken language has been preserved uninterruptedly since the middle of the second century BC. During the Hellenistic period a common language called Koine was created.
Greek and Chinese are the oldest living written languages in the world.