When it comes to foreign language translations, the skill is in the nuance. Typographical blunders. Bad grammar. Missing accent marks. Awkward or erroneous word choices. Instead of showing a familiarity with the culture, such mistakes produce the opposite impression or result in a message that is baffling, comical or downright offensive.

Despite those risks, an increasing number of American companies are striving to demonstrate that they are serious players in the global marketplace. Annual reports, packaging, ad campaigns, instruction manuals, retail catalogs, product spec sheets, and Web sites are being translated into a half dozen languages or more. And designers and corporate communications managers, who often only speak English, are being handed the daunting responsibility of getting the job done and making sure it's right. Where to begin? And what to keep in mind? We asked Benemann Translation Center and Direct Language Communications, two full-service multilingual translation agencies in San Francisco, for advice and added some tips of our own.

Choosing a Translator
1.Hire a native-language translator.
A translation is typically only as good as the translator, which is probably the best argument for hiring a professional agency staffed by native-language translators. Trained and tested in translation skills, these people are familiar with the current nuances, idioms, dialects and customs of your target country. They are also aware of the subtle connotations of words that may elude, say, a college student majoring in foreign language. It's not just English that isn't an exacting science. A thesaurus and someone semi-fluent in the language are a dangerous combination. Speaking the language is also no guarantee that the person is good at grammar, spelling or punctuation. At the same time, understand that a translator's job is to translate text as accurately as possible, not rewrite it. Do not expect copy that is badly written in English to improve in the translation.

2. Hire a translator with subject expertise.
Knowing the language isn't enough. Tougher still is understanding sophisticated subjects such as computer science, electronics, law, medicine and finance well enough to translate the meaning of the text accurately. Full-service translation agencies usually maintain a large data bank of translation specialists who are skilled and knowledgeable in a particular field. But even if your translator has a Ph.D. in the field, be sure to provide a glossary of key terms related to your company and industry.

3. Ask for references.
Before starting, request references or samples and check them.

4. Line up editors and proofreaders.
Make sure your translation service has at least one editor assigned to check the translator's draft for accuracy, style, punctuation, grammar and culturally sensitive nuances. Also, have the translated draft reviewed by the local sales representative or distributor in the target country. Mechanical or blueline proofs should also be proofread since incorrect hyphenations and accent marks are perceived as typographical errors. In some cases, they may even alter the sense of the text. Build more time into your production schedule for these extra steps.

5. Consider a single-source translation supplier.
In some companies, the choice of a translation agency is left up to individual departments. Occasionally this has led to the same product or service going by slightly different descriptions, or even different names, from piece to piece. This can confuse your audience or even mislead them into thinking you are talking about several different products.

The Design of Language
The nuance of languages goes beyond the way words sound and look. From a design standpoint, some languages run shorter than others; some run vertically; some from right to left. More than one designer has been chagrined to find that the plan to substitute German text in place of English, for instance, by "changing the black plate" isn't quite that simple. Here are some general rules, of which, unfortunately, there are always some exceptions:

• Roman-based languages (i.e., Spanish, French, German) expand by as much as 30% when translated from English.
• Asian written languages are typically briefer than English by as much as 40% since each character represents a word or thought. There are exceptions to this rule, so check with your translator.
• German and Russian words tend to be much longer than English a point to keep in mind when using wraparound type or producing a hot link on a Web site.
• Chinese has two different writing systems simplified and traditional. The right choice depends on your target audience. Dialect, idioms, anomalies and nuances differ in Taiwan, mainland China and Chinese-American communities. Make sure your translator is proficient in the language of your market audience.
• Hebrew and Arabic languages are written right to left, so page layouts should be planned accordingly.
• Traditional Asian languages (i.e., Chinese, Japanese, Korean) are written vertically and right to left, with books opening on the left, but it has become acceptable to present text in the Western style horizontal, left to right, right opening.
• Generic Spanish is a fallacy. In style and nuance, it differs in Mexico, Latin America and Spain - even Los Angeles.
• Russian, Cyrillic and Asian languages tend to have intricate letterforms and characters and often aren't readable if reversed out of a color or printed in type smaller than 9 points in size. The writing system for these languages is also so esoteric that some designers prefer to treat translated text as a computer graphic file.
• In text and visuals, avoid excessive use of Americanisms, acronyms, jargon and humor (unless you are absolutely sure your point will be universally understood). "TGIF" means nothing in countries that work six-day weeks. American jokes fall flat, especially when translated by native-language speakers who don't get the punch line.
• Translate the visuals as well as the words. Ask your translator, your local sales rep or distributor to evaluate the concept and design for potentially embarrassing connotations. Certain colors and symbols may be associated with death, royalty or a political group. Pictures of everyday scenes may baffle your audience or show an ignorance of the culture. A photo of a woman driving a car in Saudi Arabia, for instance, would be inappropriate.
• With so much translation software available, the temptation is to let a local typesetter or graphic designer who doesn't speak the language flow in translated text. If you do this, make sure that accent marks, special characters and hyphenations are used properly. Have a native-language speaker proofread carefully.
• Consider running all text on a separate black printing plate, used as a fifth color, so that four-color process can be left untouched and in register during printing.
• Think twice about wrapping type around images or running headlines or subheads in colors that will require multiple printing plates. Both could lead to technical complications and higher production and printing costs.
• Build sufficient white space into the design to accommodate text expansions. That goes for tables and charts with accompanying text too. On Web sites, remember that certain expanded languages may cause the text to crowd into the graphics or simply run off the screen. On order forms, length should also be kept in mind when requesting handwritten responses.
• Build more time into the schedule for Asian language reprints. Japanese, for instance requires a special operating system and conversion program for use on American equipment. Japanese Quark is several generations slower than the English counterpart, so extra time must be allowed.
• Think metric. Remember that the rest of the world doesn't think in pounds or feet. Include a conversion chart or convert U.S. measurements into metric. This is particularly important for retail catalogs where foreign consumers want to know comparable apparell sizes or whether an American-built appliance will fit into their home.
• Omit the "800" telephone number; currently, it is not a toll-free call from overseas.

Consider using a single translation source for manuals, specification sheets, packaging and the like, or make sure that all your translators are working from the same definitions to maintain consistency. This sometimes holds true from language to language as well.