Common mistakes in translating tourism texts

Culture-specific terms
We almost always come across food, events or locations that are unique to the location I’m writing about. While attempting to translate them results in a nonsensical sentence and may cause more confusion, leaving them in the original language may not be enough, either. Where I live, for example, is famous for typically British food such as cream teas and Cornish pasties – but try putting them into another language! Depending on the purpose of the text, translators may need to add an extra explanation or a gloss – and tourism companies need to allow for this extra text in their materials.
Writing to appeal – while staying on-brand
Even when a business opts for a human translator in lieu of machine translation, many translators still sometimes translate the text too literally, making it clunky and less attractive than the original. Just look at this sign that I spotted in a hotel recently:
Hotel translation
This hotel obviously has a clear brand strategy, voice and tone – in French. But this hasn’t translated very well, proving that it is also the company’s responsibility to share their vision with their translator, as well as the translator’s responsibility to ask the company about the tone that they are after. And don’t be afraid to stray from the text and be creative, if that’s what’s required. The purpose of most tourism texts is to persuade people to visit, so the language used should be vivid and unique.
Not being able to see what you’re describing
Sometimes it’s surprisingly hard to describe a place you haven’t been to, as you don’t want to give false information. We’ve often had situations where the text I’m translating isn’t very clear on where a landmark is in relation to a hiking trail, for example. In fact, just the other day a colleague of mine was having trouble translating a German tourism text: the text describes the history of the crypt in a cathedral, then starts talking about a meditation space. This gave her pause: did they hold meditation events in the crypt itself, or just in the cathedral as a whole? Surely the former would be a bit creepy!
Ambiguous texts like this require a bit of extra research in both languages, as you may have to read travel guides or reviews to find more information. But it’s always worth asking the client if they have photos to send along with the texts, to give you a better idea of what to say.
Finally, for all of the above points, sometimes it’s best to just ask the client for clarification than risk getting it wrong. Don’t be afraid to ask questions – collaboration should be encouraged. After all, the translator and the tourism company are both working towards the same goal of creating great tourism content!