Reliable translations are a vital part for any successful tourism business, but many operators do not appreciate the
value of this relatively small investment.
Tourism has become New Zealand’s largest foreign currency earner and the Asian visitors, with their limited English
knowledge, have become the fastest-growing section of the local market.
“Many NZ operators still don't provide crucial information in their customer’s own language for their Asian visitors or
customers who require translation support in other key languages,” says Hayden Barrett, Managing Director of Blue South,
one of New Zealand’s leading translation services.
“Comprehensive high-quality translations in the customer’s mother tongue can be the decisive factor in securing the
booking or missing out,” says Mr Barrett.
Blue South Translations supports leading tourism operators around the country by translating their brochures, website
content, menus and any other sales and marketing material these companies use.
Mr Barrett says that his company has a proven track record of providing a world-class translation service with over 400
translators in more than 50 countries.
“We don’t rely on machine translation software or locally-based foreign nationals, but only use translators who are
embedded in their country and language and who are also experts in specific industries and provide the terminology
appropriate for those sectors,” says Mr Barrett.
Leading New Zealand tourism operators Tourism Holdings Limited (thl) have used Blue South for many years and Product Marketing Specialist Johanna Denyer says Blue South are extremely
professional and provide top quality translations every single time. “Blue South's ability to provide a job on deadline
and with excellent service is why thl go back to them again and again," says Ms Denyer.
Mr Barrett says he understands why some companies go for cheap options because they consider translations an unnecessary
one-off cost. “In fact, first-class translations are an investment that businesses will continue to benefit from for
years to come, and just as importantly, poor translations can do major damage to your brand,” says Mr Barrett.
Languages constantly evolve and because Blue South’s translators are embedded in their countries, they will adjust their
translations to the latest trends in their language.
“Our translators will also identify any cultural sensitivities around words, phrases or illustrations in the material
that New Zealand operators may not even be aware of.”
Aside from its core translating service, many tourism operators also rely on Blue South’s graphics software to typeset
any translated content into their existing marketing material to supply a complete end-product.
“Trying to import translations can create complex issues and errors because most New Zealand graphic designers do not
have the software to do the typesetting in foreign typographies,” says Mr Barrett.
Mr Barrett says his team works with a wide variety of tourism operators and is aware that many of them are small
businesses but says that Blue South can provide a service that suits the budgets of most companies.