There still remains a deep cleavage between West Germany, dominated by economic liberalism and the new “Länder” (regions) of East, where mentalities are still more or less influenced by the previous communist regime. Strong cultural differences can be witnessed between regions, particularly between the Protestants in the north and the Catholic regions in the south. As a result, German translations are a rather complex topic, taking into account the linguistic and cultural complications involved.
The German communication style has the reputation of being cordial and very direct. Contrary to other cultural groups, Germans are generally only receptive to a solid and fact-based argumentation. In order to convince them and gain their confidence you always have to be rational and factual. Germans do not generally grant their confidence easily, they do not easily change a contractor and a change of mind will always come from a carefully thought-through consultation. But once convinced, they are highly loyal. These are all factors you need to keep in mind when it comes to German language translations of your business materials. Before conquering the German market, you should prepare yourself by:
• Defining a sales objective, delivery deadlines and after-sale services.
• Professionally preparing sales literature in the German language.
• Planning prices in Euro.
• Complying with norms and standards: the exporter must ensure, before any further commercial steps that the products comply with the European and German norms and security rules.
• Respecting packaging regulations: some types of packaging might, within the short term, be banned in Germany because of the technical or economic constraints of recycling. The use of reusable packaging is highly commanded. Germans are extremely environmentally conscious.
• Designating a contact person within your company who will have to fluently speak German and be able to establish a direct contact. He/she will have to become the privileged contact of the company or of the German representative.
• Being aware that the German market is really difficult to enter in and where you generally must take the place of already existing produces or providers.
These factors remind us of the important role of professional translations from and into German. It is important to speak German in commercial relations as a testimony of cultural integration and long term presence in the market. Keep in mind that the time lag for responses and decision making is generally quite fast but might be slow when the decision is risky. German business culture aims to eliminate risk as much as possible. And yet every new provider or innovation can be assimilated with risk. The institutions and administrative processes are quite efficient and women are very welcome in the business world. One important thing in German business is you must be very rigorous regarding the deadlines, commitments, services. This will help solidify your credibility with the German clients.
As you have seen through this article, entering the German market can be quite tricky. What you absolutely have to bear in mind is that you will need professional German translations provider be it Ottawa translation agency or Edmonton translation services provider. Make sure to call upon a good translation service company that will help you make your project a success.
About Author
Albert Carter is a freelancer who writes exclusively for Textronics Communications Ltd, Canada. A renowned translation agency which provides high quality translation Winnipeg services and translation Vancouver services to corporate clients located in different parts of the world.
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