Articles and Stories

April 15, 2014

Translating and Localizing

Expanding overseas encompasses many aspects for corporate entities, and expanding to Europe is a multi-faceted venture that does not have one Euro-solution that fits all. And then comes the question: how do you go about providing your goods and services in another language?

Do you take all your English material and have it translated into the language(s) of the country? Yes you do, but in addition to translation, products and services need to be localized to appeal to that culture.

So let’s take a look at localizations by a long time favorite, McDonalds, their menu items in particular. Needless to say, no other menu is as comprehensive as the US one; other cultures might get overwhelmed by such selection.

Le Croque McDo: McDonalds France’s version of the Croque Monsieur, 2 slices of bread toasted with melted cheese and ham (McDo is what the French call McDonalds for short). All French products have the article before their name, just to sound so much more important. Big Mac becomes Le Big Mac. Check out Le McBaguette, c’est si bon! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzUH_ImEVOQ. ‘Le mec’ (pronounced exactly like Le Mc…) also means ‘The guy’ in French, very skillfully localized.

Chicken Mythic: McDonalds Italy’s version of the crispy chicken sandwich, and please do pronounce the ‘th’ as a ‘t’ only. ‘Mitico’ in Italian means nothing less than legendary! The McItaly is a burger created exclusively from Italian produce including parmigiano reggiano and pancetta, which Italians do value; no other parmesan is quite like the reggiano. Take a look at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3r0fbydNWA. The Pizzarotto, another Italian local item, looks like a baby calzone with tomato and mozzarella.

Curry Beef/Curry Chicken: Germans and their love affair with curry sauce! Not surprisingly did McDonalds Germany add a beef and a chicken burger with curry sauce to its menu, no ketchup in sight, no salad either. The Nuremburger with three traditional sausages, crispy fried onions and mustard sauce satisfies the sausage appetite of that culture. The McBaguette with tomato and mozzarella would be a healthier choice on the German menu.

McArabia: offered in Morocco and throughout the Middle East, is grilled chicken or kofta (seasoned ground meat) with salad inside a pita bread sandwich.

Gazpacho Soup (how could a real Spaniard go without?) by the cup and Capricho Manchego (chicken wrap with Manchego cheese sauce) is only offered in Spain.

Lastly, the Ruis McFeast (Rye McFeast, Finland) is made using the typical Finnish very dark rye bread, a strong element of the local food culture. It probably looks healthier than it actually is at over 500 calories and 25 grams of fat.

A Swiss Café Crème from McCafe anyone now? The cakes look quite appetizing too, a slice of cheesecake does find a place on many European McCafe menus. So it looks like there is one item that fits most if not all, in the end. Richard and Maurice McDonald would be proud!

As Mythic Travolta put it… Europe is just a little different. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxXhjFvNNGc