SUSTA ~ Southern United States Trade Association

About Us

Newsletter
(Insight)

E-Newsletter
(SUSTA News)

Press Room

INsight
SUSTA's INsight newsletter is published quarterly.

Fall 2012 INsight excerpts

Found in Translation: How Your Business Can Be Heard in Today's Marketplace
South Africa Activities Yield Sales
Applying for the Branded Program: A Step-by-Step Guide
Taiwan an Important Market for U.S. Agricultural Exports
It's Not Too Late!

Found in Translation:
How Your Business Can Be Heard in Today's Marketplace

Going Global: What does "going global" really mean? Of course it will mean a change in your business status quo, especially how you conduct your marketing strategies and how you interact with your customers. But how much change are we talking about? If your current product will be distributed where English is spoken, little may need to change. But, if you expect to enter emerging markets involving numerous languages, varying cultural differences, and where political, business and legal differences occur, you will need to prepare yourself to avoid mistakes. This is called localization, which is communicating to the market that you are pursuing. Localization is the adaptation of your material for use in a particular country or region.

Determining Materials You Need: Before deciding on a translation provider, you'll need to know what types of materials you need translated. For example, you might need brochures, a website, instruction manuals, or banners. Some of these materials will require a technical expertise or specialization. Determine a budget for your translation work.

Finding the Best Translator for Your Marketing MaterialsYour exporting business needs the best communications available to market your products effectively. You need to use a professional translation service. How do you make decisions on developing a relationship with the right translation service? Here are tips from someone who has been in the business since 1968:
         • Make sure the translation company you choose uses professional -- some are certified -- native speakers who know and understand your product and have experience in translating marketing material specific to your product. These translators and interpreters are called subject matter experts. They know the precise words and how a native would say them and use them. Further they understand the nuances of words as they are used in different contexts. They specialize not just in your product industry and types of material you are translating, but also in understanding the culture, habits and politics of the people with whom you are communicating.
         • You may choose to use machine translations. The costs are lower, but using machines is much riskier. My company, as a rule, does not advise them for commerce. While machine translations are useful to understand the general meaning of what is being translated, if comprehension accuracy is required, machines are unreliable in making precise word choices. Only a few words can make a difference in meaning. Bad enough you end up with a poor translation, but one that may subject you to embarrassment is all the worse!
         • You may use an individual translator, but do they use outside sources for proofing and editing? Or do they assume they are correct and they do not have the translated material reviewed? Remember to use a professional translation service for the best possible translation.

Judging Effectiveness of Your Translation Investment: Since you are investing in export translating, you no doubt will want to know which efforts are the most effective. Track your responses to each type of material you generate. Also track the results from the various marketing communication channels you use -- print, on-line, etc. And track the responses you get from various translators. This information will guide your future investments.

Cost Guidelines:As a rule cost will depend on cost of material, expertise of the translator and number of words. The final factor will be the language or languages you chose to use. Effective communication with your clients and prospects is an important part of developing ongoing relationships to succeed in the global marketplace. Your strategy, coupled with the right translator or interpreter, will allow you to connect to your audience word by word.

~By Lucien G. Cherel, Principal, Languages Unlimited International (LUI). LUI provides translation and interpreting services as well as original copywriting in the languages specializations you may require. Mr. Cherel can be reached for questions at lcherel@luintl.com.

South Africa Activities Yield Sales

During two SUSTA-sponsored Generic events, small companies from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia met with buyers from South Africa and got a firsthand look at the market for high-value food products in the country. Three companies exhibited with SUSTA at the Agrifood trade show in July 2012, booking $80,000 in export sales and meeting five new distributors. Together they introduced 17 new products to the market, and expect another $180,000 in sales in the coming year.

Following the show, those three companies and an additional firm participated in a trade mission to Johannesburg and Cape Town, where SUSTA arranged one-on-one meetings with buyers. Those meetings resulted in $80,000 in sales for the companies, with another $180,000 in projected sales. The participants connected with seven new distributors, and 21 new products were introduced during the mission.

Applying for the Branded Program: Step-by-Step Guide

Sometimes companies begin to apply for the Branded program, but something stops them in their tracks – the person filling out the application doesn’t know how to answer one question, staff isn’t sure where to find the information they need, or specific budget information is not available to complete a funding request. But with a little extra preparation, these companies can become approved Branded participants more quickly than they realize. So what should you gather or prepare to make the Branded application process as smooth and simple as possible? With these key tools at your side, you should be able to breeze through the paperwork and get down to conducting your export promotions in no time:
     • Company information – have a copy of your company’s Dun and Bradstreet business report handy so that you can quickly answer questions that might otherwise hold you up, such as your company’s DUNS number, primary NAICS code, number of employees, and affiliates. If you’ve applied for the Branded program in the past, previous applications are also a great way to have this information handy and save you some time investigating.
     • Marketing plans – if you already have an international marketing plan drawn up for the coming year, use that as your blueprint to fill in the countries and activities that will be part of your Branded application. Trade show names and dates, as well as a listing of other planned activities, will give a complete overview of what you are planning to do with Branded funds once your company is approved.
     • Budget worksheets – know how much you are planning to spend on each promotion, such as advertising, so that you can quickly fill in the numbers needed for each budget table in the application. Building your budget request is an easy process if you’ve already done the math; if you haven’t, visit our Basics of Exporting handbook online for worksheets to help you calculate your spending on trade shows and other promotional activities.

Using these components will help you pull together a detailed and complete Branded application, which helps the review process and can speed up your approval for the program. If you aren’t sure what additional information may be needed, or have questions about where you can find the answers to some questions that have you stuck on one page, contact our Branded staff at 504-568-5986 or branded@susta.org for additional guidance. Think your question may be a common one? Check our frequently asked questions at www.susta.org/services/map_faq.html for answers anytime. Don’t let a few blank questions stand between you and 50% reimbursement for your marketing expenses – complete your Branded application today!

Taiwan an Important Market for U.S. Agricultural Exports

Taiwan is a small island nation, which is roughly the size of the Netherlands, and is home to a population of approximately 23 million people. Taiwan is one of the fastest growing economies in the world with over 10 percent growth in GDP in 2010. What most people don’t realize is that this small island is an important market for U.S. agricultural exports.

Taiwan is the 6th largest export market for U.S. food and agricultural products. Not including forest products, U.S. agricultural exports totaled approximately $3.3 billion in 2011, with approximately 25 percent of this total being consumer-oriented agricultural products. The majority of these products are red meats, poultry, fresh fruits, and processed fruits and vegetables. Taiwan has the highest per capita consumption of U.S. food and agricultural products outside of the U.S. and Canada. Since only one-fourth of Taiwan’s land is arable, it relies heavily on imported food products. U.S. agricultural exports account for between 35 and 40 percent of Taiwan’s agricultural imports each year.

There is an increasing demand in the food industry for more Western-style food items, and convenience is a major factor in what consumers in Taiwan purchase as double income families and single unit households are becoming the norm.

Companies in the SUSTA region should consider Taiwan for all of these reasons, but also because it an excellent platform for U.S. companies considering mainland China because of their similar language and customs. Many large companies in the food industry in Taiwan are also successfully doing business in mainland China.

Current trends in Taiwan are leaning towards health foods and convenience/ready-to-eat products. Also, over the past few years, the number of convenience stores has continued to grow, and as these convenience stores diversify and provide different products and services to their customers, these stores are beginning to take market share away from the hypermarkets like Carrefour. In addition to shelf-stable products, there is also interest in fresh fruits and vegetables in the market as well as some seafood products.

The Taipei International Food Show, more commonly known as Food Taipei, is one of Asia’s most important food shows. In 2012, Food Taipei welcomed over 61,000 visitors. This show is a popular platform for U.S. companies to launch products in Taiwan and mainland China. For the fifth year SUSTA will be organizing an activity at the U.S. Pavilion at Food Taipei 2013, which will take place June 26-29, 2013. Please contact SUSTA for more information on how to participate.

~By Jonathan Van Balen, Import-Export Advisor, Kentucky Department of Agriculture

It's Not Too Late

Still promoting products overseas in 2012? Branded funds are available! If your company could use reimbursement for half your marketing costs, call today to see how you can join our Branded program!

Disclaimer | Webmaster: webmaster@susta.org