With the majority of consumer sales opportunities located outside the US, many companies are interested in expanding their operations abroad. However, one of the most common, yet overlooked hurdles involves language barriers. By working with an international trade finance company, enterprises can more easily do business with clients that speak a different language. Trade finance companies that offer services in multiple languages can help businesses compete in the international marketplace.
Businesses can unlock profitable trade potential by overcoming language hurdles with their prospects. Although machine translation capabilities have improved over the years, they aren’t accurate enough to replace effective communication between two organizations. Dealing with documents related to export trade finance in multiple languages may seem overwhelming, but with the right strategic partners, any business can start selling in other countries.
Encountering Language Challenges in International Business
Many small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) recognize the immense opportunities for expansion in foreign markets, but they need help to overcome the various challenges of doing business internationally. Legal considerations, cultural differences, and financial barriers present issues in and of themselves. As if these difficulties weren’t intimidating enough, many companies cannot communicate effectively with teams located in foreign countries.
Retailers and e-commerce brands that want to reach more online spenders internationally need to offer their services in various languages. Unfortunately, most businesses can’t support this dynamic, resulting in lost sales opportunities. Machine translation programs are not reliable tools. Most small businesses are left in a dilemma in which they can’t afford a multilingual sales team and won’t entrust their operations to technology.
How Language Barriers Affect Global Trade
Each nation has different rules regarding cross-border trade. For example, some countries may require permits, licenses, and other specific certificates depending on the type of goods being shipped. These complex legal barriers become more challenging between countries with different languages and cultural standards.
Language Requirements for Trade Finance Documents
International companies need to present trade finance documents in an appropriate language. For example, Letters of Credit (L/Cs) are usually submitted in the official language of the issuer’s country. Exporters should be aware of the following considerations for L/Cs and other trade finance records.
- Some L/Cs will specify an issuing language.
- Regulations may allow issuing documents in any language.
- When two or more languages are approved, documents may have to be presented in both languages.
- Discrepancies between languages in different versions of the same document can result in delays and disruptions.
Legal documents that require translation may pose the risk of language discrepancies if the document is not translated by someone who is a master of the foreign language at hand. In addition to providing expertise on legal documents in multiple languages, regional teams at international trade finance firms can share insights into market trends, potential risks, and location-specific details that help companies make informed sales moves. Understanding payment processing terms, import fees, exchange rates, and other financial implications require the knowledge of a professional with regional expertise.
Final Thoughts
Onsite support from local market experts can help detect language discrepancies before they cause problems with the transaction. For example, manufacturers of electronic devices may fail to fully understand payment processing fee provisions in foreign countries due to language barriers.
International trade finance companies enable exporters to meet the country’s import and export requirements through a network of multilingual and regional support teams. With an international trade finance company like Tradewind Finance, you can leverage the language skills of different regional teams to navigate legal documents and market conditions and opportunities.
