Insight · International communications

International communications: lost in translation?

By Véronique Largeau · Autumn 2026

For more than 20 years, I have worked in communications and marketing across the recreational marine industry, supporting both French and international companies, including more than 30 international brands.

International communications have therefore always been part of my job. And if there is one thing experience has taught me, it is that entering a new market is not simply a translation job. It is a communications strategy job.

Translation is part of it, of course. But communicating in another market means understanding what needs to remain the same, what needs to change, and sometimes what needs to be checked before you communicate at all.

A new market may require a different communications strategy

The first question should not be: “How do we translate this?”

It should be: “What are we trying to achieve in this market?”

A company that is well established in France but entering a new international market may need to build brand awareness and credibility before promoting individual products. An international marine company already recognised elsewhere but looking to develop its presence in France may face exactly the same challenge.

The audiences may be different. The level of brand awareness may be different. The competitive environment may be different.

And that can affect the entire communications strategy: objectives, priorities, messages, channels and actions.

A press relations campaign, a trade show, LinkedIn, newsletters, specialist media, content, partnerships or direct communication with a professional network do not automatically have the same relevance or priority from one market to another.

Adapting international communications therefore starts well before translation.

Sometimes, adaptation is very practical

Not every difference is strategic. Sometimes it is much more concrete.

Take a technical brochure.

I recently worked on content about a range of marine refrigerators sold in both Europe and North America. At first glance, adapting the content for an international English-speaking audience might seem straightforward.

But the technical information itself required attention.

The refrigerant used on some models is not the same for the European and North American markets. Capacities may need to be expressed in litres, cubic feet or both. Electrical specifications and other technical references also need to make sense for the market in which the product is actually being sold.

A straight translation would therefore not necessarily produce the right content. And that matters.

I'm not a refrigeration engineer. I don't need to be.

My job as a communications professional is to understand enough about the product to notice that there is something to question, ask the right people, verify the information and make sure that what is eventually published is accurate for its intended audience.

Sometimes the words need adapting. Sometimes the units do. Sometimes the technical specifications do. And sometimes, while working on the communications, you discover that you need to go back to the product team before you can communicate at all.

Technically correct doesn't always mean right

Language presents another challenge.

Anyone who has worked across languages knows that a sentence can be perfectly correct grammatically and still sound wrong to someone who actually works in the industry.

This becomes particularly important in a specialised sector such as recreational marine.

The terminology used by a boatbuilder may differ from that used by an equipment manufacturer. Journalists, distributors, dealers and boat owners may not necessarily use exactly the same words either.

A literal translation can therefore preserve the dictionary meaning of a word while losing its professional meaning, its nuance or simply the way people actually talk about that subject in the target market.

This is where research becomes essential.

What terminology do professionals actually use? How do specialist media describe the product? How do established companies in that market talk about the technology? Does the translation communicate what the company intended to say, rather than simply reproducing the original sentence?

Translation gives you words. Communication requires context.

Customs matter just as much

And then there are customs, what people sometimes call, a little too quickly, local “ways of doing things”.

With some Japanese brands, for example, an interview is prepared well in advance, with questions shared ahead of time. That's neither a lack of trust nor excessive rigidity, simply a different way of working that needs to be understood and respected.

I also remember a press conference organised in Shanghai, with French and Chinese officials in attendance, where exchanging business cards remained an extremely formal moment. These are customs, not details to overlook.

It also helps to know the professional calendar of the market you're addressing (public holidays, holiday periods, major industry dates) so a launch or a press operation doesn't land at the wrong moment.

Tone and register can vary too. In my work, I don't address a Spanish, Italian, British or Dutch contact in quite the same way. The level of familiarity, how much context is needed, or how directly you get to the point can all shift. Again, this isn't about applying a formula by nationality, but about knowing your contacts and your market well enough to adapt how you communicate.

AI helps. Judgement still matters.

AI has made this work considerably easier. I use it too.

It is extremely useful for translation, terminology research, comparing formulations, exploring a subject or identifying points that may require further investigation.

But getting an answer in a few seconds doesn't remove the need to question that answer.

You still need to recognise when something looks strange. You need to know when a technical term deserves checking, when a translation is too literal or when information taken from one market may not apply to another.

In other words, the tool can help you find an answer. Experience helps you realise that you need to ask the question in the first place.

That requires judgement, critical thinking and knowledge of the industry.

And sometimes, the best tool is your network

I don't pretend to speak every language or know every recreational marine market inside out. And I certainly won't claim otherwise.

What I do know is how to research, question and verify. And after more than 20 years in this industry, I also know people.

Over the years, working with international brands, specialist media, marine professionals and partners in different countries has created a network I can rely on when necessary.

Sometimes that means checking whether a particular term is really the one professionals use locally. Sometimes it means asking someone to challenge an interpretation. Sometimes it simply means picking up the phone and asking: “Does this actually make sense to you?”

Knowing who to ask is part of the job too.

From France to international markets, and back again

For a French recreational marine company looking to develop internationally, translating a website, brochure, social media content or press release into English can be a useful starting point.

But it does not create an international communications strategy.

The company still needs to determine what it wants to achieve in the target market, who it needs to reach, what it should say, which channels make sense and which actions deserve priority.

The same principle applies in the other direction.

For an international recreational marine company looking to build its presence in France, translating existing materials into French is useful. But the French market may require different priorities, messages, channels or communications actions.

And in both directions, adaptation does not mean changing everything for the sake of it. Quite the opposite.

Part of the job is knowing what can remain exactly as it is, what needs a small adjustment and what genuinely needs to be reconsidered.

Where I come in

This is where I work: between France and international recreational marine markets, helping companies adapt their communications rather than simply translate them.

That can mean working on the strategy itself, adapting content and messaging, handling French or international media relations, supporting communications around key industry events, or simply providing the senior communications perspective needed to ask the right questions before something goes out.

Remote when it makes sense. On the ground when it matters.

And always with the same principle: understand the objective, understand the market, then decide what actually needs adapting.

Because international communications are not about changing everything. They are about making sure that what you say, how you say it and where you say it make sense to the people you are trying to reach.