The expansion of Chinese social media platforms like WeChat, Weibo, and Red presents businesses with unprecedented access to the world’s largest consumer market. And for Australian businesses and organisations these platforms represent a huge captive audience locally that can also be a stepping stone to the main game in China. However, it is important to realise that direct translations from English to Chinese often fall short in engaging this audience. Success in Chinese social media hinges on considering cultural nuances, language, style, and audience interests.
Why Direct Translations Fall Short
Cultural disparities
Significant cultural differences between English and Chinese audiences mean content designed for English speakers might not resonate with Chinese consumers. Avoiding offence and alienation requires awareness of cultural context, sensitivities, and Chinese audience preferences. Social media is littered with shocking gaffes including big brands like Nike, Mercedes-Benz and Dolce & Gabbana – the latter of which (eating pizza with chopsticks) heralded accusations of racism.
Linguistic complexities
Chinese, a language with multiple dialects, presents challenges for direct translations, which often miss original meanings or essence. Differences in grammar, sentence structure, and expressions necessitate fluency and skill in crafting content that appeals to Chinese audiences. Nike makes an appearance here too when it crafted some special shoes for Chinese new year – one shoe had ‘get rich’ and the other ‘fortune arrives’ emblazoned – sounds good, right! Except put them together it means “getting fat” (“fa fu”)!
Unique audience style and interests
Chinese social media users possess distinct styles and interests, making direct translations appear out-of-touch or irrelevant. Marketers must familiarise themselves with popular trends, themes, and formats that resonate with Chinese users. For example, slapping a cultural icon like a zodiac rooster on a product for Chinese New Year fails to address design aesthetics and may even make the item look like a cheap counterfeit.
Captivating headings and visuals
Headings and visuals must also be adapted to capture the attention of Chinese social media users compelling them to click through. Direct translations may not achieve desired responses, and visuals suitable for English-speaking audiences might not appeal to Chinese users. Foreign brands often like grungy nostalgia in visuals whereas Chinese appreciate modernity and sophisticated imagery.
Understanding Chinese Social Media Use
Chinese users gravitate towards social media for entertainment, information, and connection. They prefer easily-consumed, short content like videos, live streams, and interactive experiences. Platforms like Douyin (TikTok), Red and Kuaishou reflect this preference for bite-sized content. WEChat, however is where they navigate for information and detail and writing style comes to the fore. Chinese consumers also rely on social media for product information, reviews, and recommendations. Influencers, or Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), significantly impact consumer behaviour in China. Collaborating with KOLs can be an effective strategy for businesses entering Chinese markets.
Leveraging Effective Copywriting
To craft engaging Chinese social media content, marketers should:
- Know the audience: Research the target demographic, interests, preferences, and behaviours to develop content that resonates.
- Adapt to platforms: Tailor content to specific platforms, focusing on popular formats and features.
- Partner with local experts: Collaborate with native Chinese copywriters, designers, and influencers who understand culture, language, and audience preferences.
- Monitor and assess: Track engagement metrics, such as likes, shares, comments, and click-through rates, to optimise content and strategies.
Go Viral for the Right Reason
For Chinese audiences – wherever they are – social media is a communication tool, but it is also their default search engine for making decisions about suppliers or purchases. If readers like your content, more people will find you. Alternatively, if they don’t like your content, or something negative is discovered – the viral results will have the opposite effect.
CHIN realises that it is risky for a client to have content published in another language where they feel like they have lost control. CHIN has overcome this hurdle for its clients so they can be rest confident that we’ve considered all the above aspects.
To find out how CHIN can protect you from the negative and make sure your content is well received and rated, get in touch with our friendly marketing team for a no-obligation discussion