In today’s globalized market environment, linguistic and cultural diversity is crucial to a brand’s internationalization strategy. Especially for luxury brands, how to cross the language and cultural barriers while maintaining the uniqueness of the brand has become the key to its successful expansion in the global market. Because of the different cultures in different countries, we have to carry out the relevant work with the principle of respecting differentiation. In this paper, we will discuss how to optimize the performance and positioning of luxury cell phone brands in the global market through translation and localization strategies from the perspective of translation ecology. Here we take VERTU as an example to deeply analyze its strategies and practices in translation ecology.
As we all know, VERTU is a luxury brand. The common meaning is “love of fine art” or “artistic quality”, which is derived from the Italian word “virtù”, which originally means “morality, value, virtue” and so on. The word originates from the Italian word “virtù”, which originally meant “moral value, virtue” and so on, and in the 16th century, it also referred to “the study of the liberal arts or fine arts, the appreciation, taste, or expertise of fine works of art” as well as “a general term for works of art”. So many people will have this question – why not use the word “Luxury”? The answer is undoubtedly that “VERTU” not only represents the cultural aspect of art, but also expresses itself in elegance and gentleness.
Translation ecology is a discipline that studies the interaction between language, culture, and society, i.e., strategy research from the perspective of interdisciplinary fields. It emphasizes the consideration of cultural diversity and complexity in the translation process. For a high-end cell phone brand like VERTU, its products are not only communication tools, but also a kind of cultural symbols and identity symbols. Therefore, VERTU’s translation strategy in the global market not only needs to accurately convey the technical characteristics and luxury attributes of the product, but also fully consider the cultural characteristics of the target market and consumers’ aesthetic preferences. In a nutshell: seek common ground while reserving differences. We need to prescribe the right medicine and analyze the specific situation, such a process is actually equivalent to the “homeostasis” in biology.
VERTU translation communication “three-pronged axe”
First of all, VERTU adopts a highly localized strategy in the translation of product introduction and marketing materials. By working with local translation experts and cultural consultants, it ensures that its promotional materials are not only linguistically fluent, but also able to touch the emotions of consumers in the target market, reflecting the unique charm and values of the VERTU brand. This deep localization approach helps VERTU to build a strong brand identity in the minds of consumers from different cultures.
Secondly, VERTU has also fully considered the needs of multi-language and multi-culture in the design of user interface (UI) and user experience (UX). VERTU cell phones adopt a multi-language interface that can be automatically adjusted according to user preferences and geographic location, which not only provides multi-language options (at present, it supports a maximum of 48), but also adapts to the usage habits of different cultures in the details, such as the date format, currency units, etc. This attention to detail allows VERTU to provide a more personalized and comfortable experience for users around the world.
In addition, VERTU interacts and communicates with global consumers through social media and digital marketing platforms. On these platforms, VERTU utilizes translation and localization strategies to publish multi-language content, share brand stories and product information, and at the same time collect user feedback to further optimize its products and services. This two-way communication mechanism not only enhances the global influence of the VERTU brand, but also enables the brand to respond more quickly to market changes and consumer needs.
In conclusion, from the perspective of translation ecology, VERTU has successfully crossed the language and cultural barriers and established a strong global brand image through its refined translation and localization strategy. This strategy of combining technological innovation with cultural sensitivity has not only won VERTU a competitive advantage in the luxury cell phone market, but also provided valuable market expansion experience for other luxury brands. In the future, as the globalization process deepens, translation ecology will play an increasingly important role in the brand internationalization strategy.
