English to Spanish: Translating for the Travel and Tourism Industry

Traveling can be marvelous. But it is better not to take things for granted. It might as well become a freakish nightmare. Believe me. I have been there. It can be an overloaded nightmare, if service providers and customers do not speak the same language. So, beware of monolingual counterparts when you offer tourism services. Your reputation could be at stake here.

Understandable Services for a Pleasant Journey

In the travel and tourism industry, you can replace excursions due to bad weather, you can change schedules for external reasons, but clear communication has no equal. Since Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, it is essential to provide services in that language. You can achieve this by hiring bilingual staff and offering translation or interpretation as added value.

There are countless details to be considered in every travel experience. Regardless of long or short stays, the ideal goal would be to provide such high quality services that your customers will return, and recommend you. As we all know, customer experience rules the world. It only comes second to AI. Therefore, you need to stay on top of your game. A few of those relevant details are accommodation information, local customs requirements, safety guidelines, and the best places to go. Your customers need to have clear and free access to such information, so that they can make informed decisions about their trip, and enjoy it to the fullest.  

A Trusty Companion in Wanderlust

Just like any other industry, travel and tourism has its own set of specialized vocabulary. Terminology is as wide as each specific branch of the trade. A few of the areas included are transportation, activities, accommodation, cuisines, tours, and much more. All the members of staff working in this field should have a firm grasp of specific vocabulary and conversational Spanish as a basic requirement. Of course, this does not guarantee the complete absence of unexpected issues, cancellations or delays. But it could prevent unnecessary confusion and misunderstandings for Spanish-speaking travelers.

Tailoring for Diverse Landscapes

Effective translation for the travel and tourism industry does not come alone. It needs two sidekicks to guard its back and reinforce understanding. These are localization and adaptation. These steps include tailoring the content to fit Spanish-speaking tourists from different origins. There are deep and numerous distinctions in linguistic styles, cultural preferences and regional variations of your target audience. Your ultimate goal, after providing a spotless service, is making the customers feel safe and comfortable. In their own language, regardless of their location.

The Secret’s in the Sauce

Let’s face it. Accuracy is always paramount. In every industry, in every language, in every field of human knowledge. In this particular environment, inaccurate translations could lead to mutual misunderstandings, safety issues or concerns, delays, and even legal issues. A full proof quality assurance process is your secret ingredient. You could even hire native Spanish speakers to proofread the material, and make sure that it sounds natural, besides accurate.

Not Afraid of the Big Bad AI (The Jury’s Out)

This industry involves human interaction. And there are many actors and links within the travel and tourism story. With interaction comes a great responsibility. And perhaps a few wrongs and a few rights. In order to reinforce human work well done, it might not hurt to be assisted by AI tools in certain areas. Automated tools can provide utter consistency and efficiency, and they can save you a lot of time with repetitive contents. However, bear in mind that the addition of human translators to your team will provide contextual understanding and cultural awareness. 

It is, undoubtedly, a team effort. And when done right, travel and tourism can create memories that will remain in your customers’ life for many years to come.

Check out other Spanish-related articles about a wide range of topics. You can find them in our hub article below.

https://www.bureauworks.com/blog/spanish-to-english-translation-services‍