20 Nov /18

Will Your Export Business Take on the Challenge of Asia, Post-Brexit?

Will Your Export Business Take on the Challenge of Asia, Post-Brexit?
Will Your Export Business Take on the Challenge of Asia, Post-Brexit? – EVS Translations

As Brexit looms, we take a moment to think about how it could shape language demand for UK businesses.

A 2017 report from the British Council ranked the languages most important to UK business commenting:

“Brexit has given urgency to the UK’s quest to be a major international trading partner beyond Europe…Both within and beyond Europe, we will need to reach out beyond English”.

 

The results were:

Rank Language
   1  Spanish
   2  Mandarin
   3  French
   4  Arabic
   5  German
   6  Italian
   7  Dutch
   8  Portuguese
   9  Japanese
 10  Russian

 

A lot of talk in the media has surrounded opportunities which may exist for UK businesses in Asia, post-Brexit. British Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox spoke to The Korea Herald recently about “unlocking wealth in the two countries’ services industries”, while Japan’s Prime Minister spoke to The Financial Times saying the UK would be welcomed with “open arms” into the Pacific free trade pact. And China…well… its large-scale opportunities are never far from the collective conscious of UK business. Interestingly, while Mandarin placed second in the British Council’s report, and Japan came in at number 9, there was no sign of Korean. Post-Brexit, could this look quite different?

But many would-be exporters and SMEs can be daunted by the prospect of entering overseas markets, especially beyond Europe and English-speaking nations. That’s not simply because of perceived language and cultural barriers, however. Other factors, including navigating the different regulatory environments, can also be stumbling blocks for UK businesses.

But if a ‘hard-Brexit’ becomes reality, will this push those UK businesses which already have an eye on Asian markets, to take a bold step forward? And from the language perspective what will be the strategy? Recruitment with increased demand from candidates for language skills or partnership with a language services provider? Or a mixture of both?

EVS Translations works with many SMEs who are entering into multiple overseas markets and require everything from website to legal translations. For smaller SMEs it often starts with the European languages and expands from there. One manufacturer we work with, about to take its first steps into the Japanese market, requires both print and digital marketing materials as well as technical product information. The business is already very firmly established in multiple European countries but the synergy of its products with the Japanese market makes it a no-brainer for business growth. And, while European languages are still the bread-and-butter of the UK language services industry, the major translation providers are making sure they are well-equipped for servicing a growing demand for Asian languages.

A lot of this hangs on the Brexit outcome, which is now just around the corner. It’s not an easy time to make predictions, but many roads point to Asia.