Translation and marketing

Translation,is to say one thing in other words.
Marketing,is to understand customer need and build profitable relationship.

Those two things may seem very different at a first glance. But let's take a good look at them.

The definition of translation tells us that when you say something in other words you are translating.But what happens before you have to speak out? Yes, to understand what the original text/author wanted to express. You then must know well the original and the target languages before you can do the translation.

Marketing, by doing market investigation and research, undestands the customer need.It must understand it well to plan the right mix (product, price, place and promotion).The marketing mix is perceived by the market via Ads, publicity, packaging,website,etc.This is another kind of expression.

From the above analysis we can see the common thing of the two: undestand and express. So, from this point of view, they are the same. Only the translation is conveying information from one side to the other while the marketing is returning things to the same market.

Both translation and marketing require very good knowledge about the source and the target.And the expression of your understanding requires wider knowledge and more complex skill. Understanding one thing does not necesssarily mean you can express the meaning well. You have to respect the custom of the target.