Content Moderation has become a necessity as the internet has allowed people to express themselves in negative or even dangerous ways. Moderation was also born out of a need for real-time customer service. But are Translation services needed for content moderation or is it just overkill? In today’s blog, Akorbi discusses the positives and pitfalls of content moderation as a translation service. 

Related Post: Multilingual Content Moderation: Challenges of Monitoring Misinformation for Language Services

Expand Customer Service & Outreach

Your business is finally reaching a global audience. This is what you’ve been working toward all these years. Orders are coming in, shipments are going out, and everything seems to be running smoothly. Suddenly there’s a bad review on social media and you can’t understand why. This is followed by a blog comment that is bashing your brand. It’s from a customer in another country. You know you need to respond to alleviate their frustration and solve the issues. 

But how? 

The Content Moderator

A content moderator’s job is to watch for these things and react expeditiously to calm customers’ frustrations while mitigating any damage to your business. But if your moderator doesn’t speak the language of the customer, it could open you up for further issues. 

Content moderators may have a degree in communication or marketing, and they might speak a little of another language. But unless they have studied languages and cultures, your content moderator can easily misunderstand the actual issue, further exacerbating the situation. 

The Language Barrier 

Did you know that a word in one language may have a completely different meaning in another? For instance, in French, the word “libraire” means bookstore. Someone who doesn’t speak fluent French could look at that and assume it means the English word “library.” This may seem innocent, but to a frustrated customer in need of customer service support, it will add to their irritation. 

A highly trained translator would recognize this subtle difference and be able to translate the message more effectively, leaving the customer down the correct path. Good translation specialists not only speak the native language and can translate the words, but they have also studied the culture. This intimate understanding can help global companies from making offensive, and sometimes irreparable, mistakes. 

An Emoji Nightmare 

Estimates indicate emojis are used by about 90 percent of the world’s online population. We love them. They allow us to communicate a feeling or activity in a split second – anger, love, joy, silliness, playing golf, holding a baby. The list goes on. 

Emojis give the recipient a view of what is going on in our life at that moment without the use of words. In a world that carries more than 7,000 languages, you might think that the emoji is the perfect way to communicate with someone from another country. But the reality is that it can actually be detrimental. 

Here are some examples: 

Waving Hand Emoji: In America, this means an innocent ‘hello’. But in mainland China, it means you’re breaking off the relationship. 

Thumbs Up Emoji: In America, this is a sign of understanding and approval and a message to continue, go ahead, proceed. However, in Nigeria, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq, it means “sit on it”, which is one of the worst things you can say to another person in that culture. 

A trained translation expert working as a content moderator for a global company will know these cultural intricacies and be able to address any issues. This creates a greater customer service experience for your customers and more positive feedback in online reviews and comments. Positive feedback and customer outreach can lead to positive revenue growth. 

Akorbi offers six different translation services to assist your company, including multilingual content development. 

Related Post: 5 Reasons Why Your Menus Must Be Accurate in Multiple Languages for Food Delivery Systems

Akorbi’s Translation Services 

Akorbi prides itself on delivering world-class language services to companies all over the globe. We work in more than 170 languages worldwide. Contact Akorbi online or call 1-877-4-AKORBI for more information on our translation services.

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