The ATA Chronicle - September/October 2020 - 25

FEATURE

BY ROBIN LIMMEROTH

accurate descriptions of these concepts
because even various experts use them
interchangeably. So, let's break down
the terminology.
Market: This can be a physical or virtual
place to buy or sell something. It's also an
identified category of buyers or potential
buyers, like the snack foods market or
the market for arthritis medication.
Marketing: Describes the activities
and processes that promote products
or services, including communication,
advertising, and distribution.
Market Research: The process of
collecting, analyzing, and interpreting
information about a market, product, or
service, the customers it targets, and the
place where customers obtain it.

Photo by Bernard Hermant on Unsplash

An Introduction to Translation
in Market(ing) Research
Market(ing) research is an integral part of every business venture and its
results impact our everyday lives. This very diverse sector offers plenty of
interesting opportunities for translators.

W

hether we're aware of it or
not, the results of market(ing)
research are all around us.
The products we use, commercials we
watch, and logos we see-all of these
and much more have been analyzed and
tested with market research to measure
their effectiveness before the companies
behind them make major decisions
or large investments in product
development and advertising.
This can be a very exciting sector for
translators with plenty of interesting job
opportunities. Because the material is so
diverse, within the span of a week you
may be translating about moisturizer,
www.atanet.org

pizza, dried fruit, the off-label
prescription practices of physicians, and
opinions about fracking (i.e., hydraulic
fracturing, which is the process of
drilling into the ground before a highpressure water mixture is directed at the
rock to release the gas inside).
Before jumping in, however, it's vital
to have a thorough understanding
of what markets, marketing, market
research, and market(ing) research are.
I'm using (ing) here when discussing
market(ing) research to emphasize that
there's a great deal of overlap between
it and market research. It's almost
impossible to create separate and

Market(ing) Research: The collection
of data related to marketing, which is
then analyzed and interpreted before
use in marketing decision-making. It
generally incorporates market research
and product and consumer research.
What kind of data is collected in
market(ing) research? So, let's say a
major U.S. potato chip manufacturer
decides to see if the market in another
country is viable for them. The initial
step would be finding someone to
collect and analyze information on the
following in that country:
■	

The snack foods market in general,
along with the potato chip market;

■	

Potato chip buyers and consumers;

■	

Pricing structures;

■	

Competitors already on the market; and

■	

Specific potato chip flavor preferences,
including any that are unique to the
target country.

WHY IS MARKET(ING)
RESEARCH NECESSARY?
A business cannot be successful without
obtaining accurate and comprehensive
information before making major
financial investments. Every aspect of
the products you use (e.g., packaging,
color scheme, varieties, size, price,
American Translators Association

25
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The ATA Chronicle - September/October 2020

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