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Lost In Translation: Existence of the Language Barrier in Global Advertising

The quest to put one message across to the whole world – conveying an effective thrust and thus promoting a single product has become a holy grail to advertisers worldwide. The onslaught of globalization pushed this along with media, to the forefront where the untapped potential of communicating beyond national borders was developed. Advertising and marketing strategies of yesteryears are different for every continent and country, but not anymore. Nowadays, it is common to develop a uniform strategy to be employed worldwide. Thus, this development suggests that the intermittent problem of cultural differences have apparently been broken. The beauty of international advertising is the creation of a unified brand that can be recognized everywhere you go, no matter what language it may be in. A few examples of these worldwide brands are Nike with, “Just do it,” M&M’s with, “melts in your mouth, not in your hand,” and KFC with, “Finger lickin’ good!” Although, globalization erases the differences and aims to forge unity, we can’t deny that the very physical differences in our culture like language assists to prove otherwise – that there are still certain aspects of our life that cannot be put in as the same no matter how brilliant the campaign may be. However, supporters of international advertising desists this claim and provide us with a different perspective intending to make the concept of a global village true.

Background

Since communication is the primary key to international advertising, it is beneficial to look at how standardization in this field has developed and encountered opposition within international communication literature. The concept of advertising standardization was first introduced by Elinder (1961, p.27) and was supported by Levitt (1983, p.4) but under the name of globalization. According to this school of thought, media and other related technologies have homogenized consumer tastes and that whatever differences there may be in preferences are considered superficial only. Another school of thought is the adaptation strategy which states that consumer differences are actually widening and that shared preferences do not necessarily result to same consumer behavior. The third opinion offers a compromise which states that the suitability of advertising standardization will depend on the situation - the type of product, consumer characteristics or even environmental factors involved. (Jain 1989, p.4)

Role of Advertising Research

No advertising campaign will be as effective without the help of a good advertising research. Several research methods are used to be able to quantify relevant facts needed for the promotion of the product. In fact, the research even draws from other related fields such as business and marketing. An example of this is the country of origin which is a concept regularly used in international business studies. This means that the country of origin image refers to buyers’ opinions, which may be based on actual experiences or on consumer inferences about the relative quality of goods that are produced in various countries. To some extent, then, advertising messages have the potential to shape or change consumers images about country of origin. Advertising research does not only include these marketing and business research but also oftentimes delve as far as anthropology or social studies to have a better grasp of communicating across cultures. In doing advertising research, it is significant to note that special importance is also accorded to personal value orientation which aims to study the relationship of personal values to consumer behavior. Personal values are beliefs held by individuals and are usually the idea of how one ought to act. Some of these personal values originated from the teachings of a society. Though these personal views may be interpreted differently by different people, the general idea remains the same. It is considered that widely held personal opinions of a majority in a certain area means that it can also be called cultural values. (Englis 1994, p.44) Since personal values are so closely intertwined with the cultural sphere, it has become necessary to conceptualize a holistic research on cultural differences especially in the arena of international advertising. A painstaking research sometimes manages to escape obvious cross-cultural blunders on language differences and other specific customs. Although more subtle mistakes can be made, a detailed and all encompassing advertising research will be able to point these out. (Englis 1994, p.94)

Inescapable Cultural Differences

Culture is a multi-faceted topic which embraces everything from socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions to all other products of human work and thought. It is understood that there will be inescapable cultural differences based on the different historical background a country is coming from. There are three major topics under culture that have often been subjected to misinterpretations and social slip-ups. These are: religion, gender and language. Religion, is a topic most people would definitely not discuss with a stranger or even a passing acquaintance. The many differences in opinion regarding worship and the customs involved in it can spark a lot of arguments. Moreover, the constant pressure to increase the population of the denomination is an added factor to religion being a common topic that invites social blunders and misinterpretations. Thus, it is very difficult to propose an international advertising campaign on a religious product without causing protests or rumors. Another topic that falls under this is gender. Cultural differences based on gender are known to almost all societies. (Gilly 1988, p.76) In relation to advertising, it is necessary to relate gender to language because language solidifies human reality and social interaction. Although the dichotomy between male and female language has been identified, the impact of “genderization” on the language used in advertising has not been widely researched. Therefore, studying the impact will help advertisers formulate different advertising strategies to better equip products in a male and a female perspective. Third, language is not just confined into expressing gender differences but life in general. It is the vehicle through which culture is transmitted. The subtle nuances of words and phrases are so intricate that advertisers have to be very careful in engaging a worldwide campaign that will satisfy these differences. Moreover, the physical diversity of connotations and meanings behind words is yet another sensitive issue that advertisers have to contend with.

Language: Root cultural barrier

Although there are widely spoken languages in the world such as English, Spanish and Chinese, the problem of language as a cultural barrier is still present and looming. Being the primary vehicle of expression, language becomes the root cultural barrier that differentiates people from one area to another. As language plays a heavy role in advertising, it is noted that the specific use of words makes or breaks the effectiveness of an advertisement.

Language and Gender

Stereotypes for both males and females have been integrated into our still patriarchal society. Therefore, this created a language that is mostly male and mostly female rather than a neutral form of communication. By the 1960s, feminists began to dissect women’s use of language and it is found to reflect cultural imperatives calling for niceness, politeness, ladylike expression, and concern for the feelings of others. Women’s style is described by Firestone (1971) as “personal, subjective, emotional, descriptive” in contrast to men’s “vigorous, spare, hard-hitting, objective” expression. (p.165) Thus, there are three qualities characteristic of women’s language: propriety, hesitancy, and verbal excess. (Lakoff 1975, p.45) Propriety in word choice emphasizes dual sexist standards because women are expected to talk lady-like. Curses are considered taboo for women while men can use harsh words and be considered manly. The expectation of perfect grammar and diction choice on women harks back to women’s role as the keeper of the cultural flame. It reinforces the tradition that women are regarded as guardians of the language, primarily as educators and librarians. Hesitancy is also rooted from keeping bounds to propriety. Women generally avoid saying their points of view with declarative statements in order to avoid potential conflict with those who might disagree. Instigating conflict is considered unladylike. Another way to express uncertainty is to use filler and hedge words that undercut ideas so that they may be stated, but not sufficiently strongly to provoke disagreement. Empty adjectives and meaningless expressions are also often used to underplay the statements. In relation to women’s tendencies to use filler or hedge words is the rise of verbal excess. Another kind of excess is being hyperbolic when frequent underlining or italicizing of words and expressions occurs, when unremarkable comments end with exclamation points, and when emphatic words are sprinkled throughout. Although advertising in general is often condemned for exaggeration and amplification, it is important to note that some forms of overstatement are more attributed to women’s use of language than men’s. It has become an important part in an advertiser’s job to understand the nuances between the use of language of both men and women in order to create realistic dialogues for their advertisements. The characters in an advertisement should speak the language that can be understood by the target consumer to make the ad all the more effective. Sometimes, when there is a need for a woman’s role in a men’s product ad, it more often than not employs the use of women’s language that will generate supreme contrast from the said men’s product. This goes the same way too for a man in a woman’s product advertisement. In international advertising, aside from contending with the basic differences between men and women, it also has to consider that the differences between genders vary among other cultures. But a solution to this dilemma is to call on basic male and female qualities ingrained in history. There are typical male characteristics of being strong and emotionally guarded as opposed to female characteristics of being weak and emotional. Another solution to this problem is to call on stereotypical male and female roles – the male as the provider and the female as the keeper of the home. Although the force of gender equality made some of these stereotypes not true anymore, the basic roles and characteristics of men and women are deeply ingrained in the social consciousness that they still can be understood in the modern times.

Overcoming the language barrier

When designing a worldwide advertising campaign, the most important thing that international companies should remember is to decide whether they will create a standardized campaign or make varied advertisements for select countries. Language is always a key element in discussing standardization. There are cases where all the execution elements of a worldwide campaign are the same except for the language. But this is not a common scenario because most advertisers agree that the message becomes more effective when put in the vernacular instead of one standardized language. In a study made by Duncan and Ramaprasad (1999), it is interesting to note that their findings revealed that Western advertising agencies standardize execution and style more and language less in contrast to non-Western agencies. Furthermore, they also use standardization in almost all key elements more than their non-Western counterparts. (p.64) With the results of this particular study, one can say that the trend today leans toward standardizing language less since all the top agencies originate from the West.

Conclusion

International advertising has come a long way with tying various bonds and breaking different borders across the world. The recognition of a product whether it is placed in an area far from home, immediately signifies effectivity and value. With the aim of forming a global village with the plethora of products the world has to offer, global advertising has successfully worked well with media in making this true. However, cultural barriers are still in place throughout the world. An idea of a woman in China can be different from a woman in the United States or that from Nigeria. With language as the primary tool for expressing these ideas, global advertising has a tough way of contending with these cultural differences because of the very physical difference in language and its various interpretations. Thus, a study has concluded that although standardization has been put to effect, only execution and strategy are almost always standardized. Language, which is considered a separate element, still balances the line. This goes to show that it is a common belief that language is still a barrier that can hinder the effectiveness of a message. The various interpretations that can be gleaned will diminish the single thrust that the product wants to promote. However, there are techniques in advertising that can get a message across without the use of words. Imagery can be as powerful as words and it does not have the added complication of translation. Language can both be a hindrance and a tool; it is how one will use it that will determine its purpose. Since global advertising aims to promote a product that can stick to people’s minds and affect consumerist behavior, international ad campaigns need to be clear and concise - so that the message of the product’s philosophy will not get lost in translation, so to speak.

REFERENCE LIST

Duncan, T. & Ramaprasad, J. 1995, “Standardized Multinational Advertising: The Influencing Factors”, Journal of Advertising, vol. 24, no.3, 55-68.

Elinder, E. 1961, “International Advertisers Must Devise Universal Ads, Dump Separate National Ones, Swedish Adman Avers.” Advertising Age, no. 27, 21 – 34.

Englis, B. B. (ed.) 1994, Global and Multinational Advertising, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Hillsdale, New Jersey.

Firestone S. 1971, The dialectic of sex: The case for feminist revolutions, New York, Bantam Books.

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Onkvisit, S. & Shaw, J. 1999, “Standardized International Advertising: Some Research Issues and Implications Journal of Advertising Research”, vol. 39, no. 6, 19-24.