The chances of convincing a potential customer with a flawed text are low, no matter how brilliant the advertising idea may be. That is because regardless of conventions, numbers, or gestures – mistakes in the text are not only embarrassing, they suggest a careless working method to the reader. Errors in tense, incorrect hyphenation, and mistakes in punctuation and spelling disrupt the normal flow of the text – and could disturb your desired customers, as well.
Accuracy – all the way to the dot on the very last “i” – is important for texts in every language. Never just write an “n” if your Spanish text calls for an “ñ”, for example: during local elections in the southern United States, the single-language typesetter thought accents on capital letters were not absolutely necessary. A Spanish poster therefore read “VOTING BELL” (CAMPANA) instead of “CAMPAIGN” (CAMPAÑA).
Many editors and designers are not aware of the fact that typographical conventions differ from language to language. They make “corrections” in foreign-language texts without thinking; adapting them to their own standards. Typographical errors may appear to be insignificant, yet in a worst-case scenario, they could actually be damaging to the company’s international reputation. For that reason, take all of the typographical conventions of the foreign language you are using very seriously. In order to keep you from falling into the traps that are waiting on unfamiliar terrain, Schmellenkamp Communications offers you comprehensive assistance throughout all of the stages of textual editing – all the way to proofreading the final draft.