Ideally, if a company wants to connect with foreign customers it should speak and write in their language, right? I learned this lesson the hard way during a recent five-month stint in northern France: It’s really hard to build relationships with people who don’t speak your language. That experience sensitized me to the struggles of communicating with foreign customers.

Many sites with international audiences get their webpages translated.

With the web there is no excuse for not speaking your customers’ language(s). It’s fairly simple to do – especially considering that the web search query website translation services pulls up 1,270,000 hits on Google (speaking of Google, their site is translated into roughly 115 languages).

However, there are some organizations that just don’t get it that (and I know this is hard to grasp) people who can’t read English can’t read English. For example, this well-intentioned “Non-English Request” buried in pages and pages of English will never be understood by foreign viewers. They probably won’t ever find it.

If you are providing services or opportunities to French speakers, what language should you employ to make the offer? English?

Your grammar doesn’t have to be perfect to reap the benefits of talking with customers in their language. By honestly trying to meet people on their own turf, you can turn strangers into friends and friends into customers without looking completely out of touch in markets your want to develop.

It seems to me this is the way God operates — not waiting for people to learn some heavenly language, but communicating in the local vernacular.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
— John 1:14 New International Version

I admit that implies a big mission statement. If we think our work begins and ends with manufacturing and selling widgets, okay, I guess. But if we are engaged in building mutually beneficial relationships with customers in ways that create sustainable value and makes the world better…it seems to me that makes it worth putting out the effort to make ourselves understood.

Try Translating this article using Google Translate (we don’t guarantee the accuracy or readability of the translation; only that it will look cool. Since looking cool falls somewhat short of full-on communication, think twice about installing Google Translate on your website and then breaking your arm trying to pat yourself on the back).