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All companies have many regulations and business requirements to comply with today – plus additional scrutiny from enforcers and public commentary alike. It may seem like a never-ending list: not only doing what’s right for the business, but for humanity and for the planet, too. Corporate websites have sections for accessibility; commitment to employees; measures for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); global corporate responsibility; ecological sustainability; and more. Many are striving to find ways to use inclusive language globally. In some situations, it’s a balancing act: you not only have to do the right thing, but in the right way, with accurate disclosures, and above all, continue to be true to customer expectations without making claims that aren’t backed up in reality – so-called “washing.”
Wikipedia defines “bluewashing” as overstating a company's commitment to responsible social practices. “Greenwashing” applies to exaggerations of actions to help the planet; for example, major bank HSBC was recently accused of misleading customers and “greenwashing” its reputation by publishing an advertisement that declared large spending on ecological initiatives while forgetting to mention involvement in financing fossil fuels.
There are other pitfalls entertainment producers in particular must beware of. “Blackwashing” – the practice of replacing a traditionally white character with a Black person. “Whitewashing” is just the opposite, the portrayal of a person of color by a white character. “Racebending?” That’s casting characters with actors of a different racial origin to the script or book.
Why is any of this important to localization teams? Because not only must they manage translation (and more and more, interpreting) that pays attention to all of these areas, but also because there’s a depth of knowledge and understanding within these teams that can benefit other groups within the organization.
We are not suggesting that the localization team claim responsibility for anything and everything within the global customer – and brand – experience. But we do predict a closer involvement of corporate functions and those responsible for language access, beginning with accessibility and localization. This is already happening in a few insightful companies. We encourage global businesses to consider bringing the teams with these responsibilities under the same umbrella. And the catalyst may turn out to be the exponential growth of video content – not only for marketing, but also as the delivery mechanism for customer care and support.
What is more important than making all content appropriate for and accessible to all? Shouldn’t an organization’s team of language and cultural experts play a role? We think so – do you?
Senior Analyst
Focuses on translation management systems, plus helping CSA Research’s clients gain insights into the technologies, pricing, and business processes key to executive buy-in
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