Recently, I have spent a lot of time thinking about how to expand my copywriting business to fill a market need for the global communications industry. I read an Inc. article about the burgeoning language translations business and since been brainingstorming how to cash in. My first thought was business to business translations. It is a highly saturated market but the barriers to entry are low and the overhead is minimal. It involves finding certified translators through the American Translators Association, then promoting yourself to other companies as a translator. If you're a small player, however, it's best to find a niche like legal or medical translations, increasing your chances of success in a marketplace crowded by generalists.
Then, there are marketing translations (also known as transcreation, cultural adaptation, ect). This service is for companies entering emerging markets such as China, Brazil or Russia (or any other market with a different culture and language). Not only do you need your marketing materials translated, you need them adapted to a particular ethnic group... so you don't end up offending your target audience. As case studies will reveal, your content must be adapted in detail to ensure a smooth entry into emerging markets. Companies such as Textappeal offer these cultural adaptation services for global brands.
But there's so many American companies headed overseas that we often forget that organizations in emerging markets are coming here. If you go on most Chinese websites, whether it be a government, school, medical, or business institution, they have some English version. Usually, it's poorly written without consideration to detail, grammar, or other mechanics. Maybe this is where I can fit in. Of course, the trick is how to convince authorities in emerging markets that English writing on their website is important. Not to mention, how to market to them. Assuming I can sell my services to the various institutions that need high quality English copywriting, maybe I can find a lucrative niche.
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