Brand Matters: Raise the Flag!
Robert Sprung Designating global audiences is risky business.
By Robert C. Sprung, TippingSprung LLC
Everything seems to be going international these days. Increasingly, the printed and on-line materials we produce are filled with different types of navigation signposts for international users.
Packaging professionals have a range of options in which to designate text in different languages. As we will see, these simple acts of designating a language present a number of pitfalls to today's packaging professional.
What's the Spanish for "Spanish"?
The act of simply listing available languages is no walk in the park.
Stating foreign words in English hardly seems user-friendly, akin to a voicemail prompt in English "press 3 if you speak Japanese." But using the translated word (e.g., "Suomi" instead of "Finnish") opens up other issues.
Native words for languages can be confusing, especially to English speakers responsible for managing or printing the material. For example, the Slovak word for Slovak is "slovencina" and the Slovene word for Slovene is "slovenscina."
Next comes the order in which the languages appear. Unless the listing is alphabetic or random, any listing might convey a sense of favoritism.
Marketing should have a clear and consistent strategy in determining which languages are included. If you have a large market in Canada and not France, it may be preferable to use a Canadian French version. Some companies splurge on both Canadian and Parisian versions.
Another signpost is language abbreviations, but there is no clear standard here. Some opt for the ISO standard language designation (which may be two-letter or three-letter), but those who wanted to differentiate between the two versions of French would be left without an option. Others use the UN's international license-plate codes, while others opt for the standard Internet country domains.
A Lesson in Geography
Perhaps the most common way of designating language is through geography, typically a map of the world. The first problem comes from multiple languages spoken in a single country (Switzerland has four official languages, Belgium at least three, and Canada two).
A label that uses the silhouette of a country may also alienate some native speakers. It hardly sends a message of sensitivity to have an Austrian click on Germany, a Canadian on France, or a Columbian on Spain to reach their local-language version.
Flag Waiving
National flags might be the most popular way to designate a locale or language, but the same caveats relating to maps apply. A software company, Trados, has cleverly addressed the issue by blending the flags of several countries into a single icon. One should also consider a small production detail—flags make sense only when viewed in color; in gray scale, many are indistinguishable.
Finally, some companies get creative with their choice of icons. Landmarks, such as Big Ben or the Eiffel Tower, can do the job of a map or flag. One might also make a splash with more-fanciful icons, such as regional food or drink, or even popular brands associated with a given locale. In any case, be sure to steer clear of what anyone might see as a negative stereotype.
Robert Sprung is CEO at TippingSprung, which offers brand strategy, naming, design, research, translation, and cross-cultural services. Visit us on the Web at www.tippingsprung.com.