The Language of Consumption
Every company has a different strategy when it comes to introducing a product to the global or a local market. Yet, among a variety of practices, there is one element around which every company builds its campaign: emotional and personal experiences. The “Project Underwear” study conducted by Nimdzi highlights the very basic psychology behind consumption, more specifically purchasing products and services. It asserts that we make our buying decisions in our most private moments. Shopping is an emotional experience rather than a rational one, and the most successful global companies have mastered the art of navigating through the emotional side of the consumer masses.
What Does This Mean for the Translation and Localization Industry?
The question that concerns the translation and localization industry is, “How does language play a role in this personal experience?” The answer is simple: Language is the most personal and inherent characteristic of humans, and it is the medium in which we process every life experience. That is why language is the primary tool for global companies to introduce their services to foreign markets.
It is through language that people associate themselves with the surrounding environment and life as a whole. It is how humans emotionally relate to concepts and objects. For these reasons, it is the fundamental quality that affects the decision-making process. How are our experiences shaped when it comes to a foreign language? Do we interpret, think and feel the same way when another language is involved? Psychologists at the University of Chicago have found that people are less inclined to act and think emotionally when they are involved in a foreign language. They tend to approach situations from a more pragmatical and rational perspective than when speaking their mother tongue, which is completely contradictory to the emotional experience of buying.
The Difference between Understanding and Familiarity
“Your native language is acquired from your family, from your friends, from television. It becomes infused with all these emotions,” says Sayuri Hayakawa from the University of Chicago. According to the survey of Common Sense Advisory, 65% of customers from 29 countries prefer content in their native language. 40% of them state that they will not do shopping in other languages. Encountering products and services in their native language provides consumers with a buying experience that is natural and more appealing because they can actually relate to the product.
The Role of Localization in User Decision-Making
By now, it is clear that being accessible to users in their native language is not only an advantage but a necessity for global companies. A solid manifestation of its influence was put forward by consumer-based research conducted in China. The effect of the use of classifiers in advertising language was examined. The findings showed that consumers were immediately attracted to advertisements that used classifiers for the product being promoted. Since Chinese is a language that heavily depends on classifiers in its grammatical structure, the result did not come as a surprise to the researchers.
As this research evidently reveals, even the grammar of a language can be used as an asset during the localization of ads and brands. The language of an advertisement or a website affects the mental representations associated with the product. Therefore, every linguistic aspect of the target culture has to be taken into account. The importance of having a good command of the target language comes forward in the localization process once again.
