The Cost of Poor Translation: Why Quality Matters

Poor translation costs far more than the price of a redo. The hidden costs of inadequate translation include damaged brand reputation, lost sales, legal liability, regulatory penalties, and wasted marketing investment. Understanding these costs helps organizations justify investment in professional translation.

Real-world examples of costly translation errors demonstrate the stakes. HSBC's global brand campaign tagline 'Assume Nothing' was translated into various markets as 'Do Nothing', requiring a

Poor translation costs far more than the price of a redo. The hidden costs of inadequate translation include damaged brand reputation, lost sales, legal liability, regulatory penalties, and wasted marketing investment. Understanding these costs helps organizations justify investment in professional translation.

Real-world examples of costly translation errors demonstrate the stakes. HSBC's global brand campaign tagline 'Assume Nothing' was translated into various markets as 'Do Nothing', requiring a

Poor translation costs more than the price of a redo. It can damage brand reputation, cause legal liability, lose sales, and create safety risks. Understanding these costs helps justify investment in quality translation.

Examples of costly translation errors: HSBC's 'Assume Nothing' became 'Do Nothing' in some markets, costing $10M in rebranding. A mistranslated medical dosage instruction led to patient harm. An incorrectly translated contract term caused a lawsuit.

Investing in professional translation with proper QA is insurance against these risks. The cost of quality translation is always less than the cost of fixing a mistake that reaches the public.

0 million rebranding effort. A mistranslated medical questionnaire led to incorrect patient diagnoses in a multilingual clinical trial. An incorrectly translated contract clause resulted in a six-figure lawsuit. Software localization errors have caused user interface elements to overlap or become unusable in specific languages, creating negative reviews and support costs.

The most effective approach to preventing translation-related costs is investment in a professional translation workflow: subject matter expert translators, CAT tools with terminology management, four-eye review, and client-side review. The cost of this process is typically 2-5% of the total content creation budget but prevents issues that could cost 10-100 times the translation investment to resolve after publication. Quality translation is not an expense but an investment in global market success.

0 million rebranding effort. A mistranslated medical questionnaire led to incorrect patient diagnoses in a multilingual clinical trial. An incorrectly translated contract clause resulted in a six-figure lawsuit. Software localization errors have caused user interface elements to overlap or become unusable in specific languages, creating negative reviews and support costs.

The most effective approach to preventing translation-related costs is investment in a professional translation workflow: subject matter expert translators, CAT tools with terminology management, four-eye review, and client-side review. The cost of this process is typically 2-5% of the total content creation budget but prevents issues that could cost 10-100 times the translation investment to resolve after publication. Quality translation is not an expense but an investment in global market success.