#12DaysThankfulness: Day 2

The Advent calendar was first used by German Lutherans in the 19th century. It was mainly used for counting the days in December in anticipation of Christmas. It is now used in Germany mainly by Children but traditions brought forward many versions for adults as well. Nowadays it is used around the world by many Christian denominations, and also non-religious worldviews.

There are paper calendars with 24 small doors to open, one for every day, with pictures behind, little sweet treats, quotes, and prayers. There are calendars created from windows on a building, where windows are lit up on their designated days, and communities are involved in lively calendars where you can go for stories to the house of the specific day. There are homemade calendars of endless possibilities, and nowadays, also virtual calendars.

Implement this high holiday tradition of your German guests and customers and get creative with your own community – local or virtual – and make the days to Christmas, to your particular holiday celebration, or the days of December in general, exciting for all your customers and guests. Following are ideas to engage and start a conversation:

• Each opening of a window could be daily drawings for prices from your product store or digital library
• A daily window depicting a free sample presentation of your products (to taste, to hear, to see, to touch)
• Join forces as a business community: each store can present a day of the calendar and be designated to a holiday open house, a treat, a holiday story time, or crafting, depending on the business.
• Provide tips and tricks and secrets for each window of the calendar
• The calendar could be turned into a contest or scavenger hunt within the community

Using these and other activities can help you grow your email list and audience at the same time.

There is no end to possibilities in using the international language of the Holiday season.

Share your ideas with us on IG @beingtranslated, and share pictures if you are using it. Use the hashtags

#BilingualBusinessEnglishGerman, #12DaysThankfulness, #BeingTranslated

My recent project was the translation of a flyer for a local tourist bureau. It was an abstract of the county with essential info “on a glance” for individual travelers and groups, for travel agencies and business travelers. What was so special about?

By itself or on top of other international business outreach, such a flyer is an effective step to initiate outreach activity and communication with foreign tourists, travel agencies and international (local) companies.

The multi-purpose of a beautifully designed, written and translated flyer is countless.

Here are just a view ideas on its multi-use:

• post it on your website for your foreign website visitors to get an individualized Welcome in their language
• post it to Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, etc. to show your openness to other cultures
• send the flyer per email as outreach to foreign language tourist bureaus
• send the flyer within the response email to received inquiries from visitors of that language (hint: even when they inquire in your language)
• print flyer and hang it up in the local tourism office or other bureaus/convention centers/chambers of commerce for foreign by-passers
• send the flyer to international companies who meet with international clients and associations

…get creative and write further ideas in the comments below

What is the essential info that best presents your region, county, city, etc. at a glance?

There are view elements that just sums it up far and wide:

• a simplified (illustrated) map of the city/region/county/state…
• a few key info of that city, region, etc. – a paragraph fast to read and crap attention
• a bullet point list of the attractions close by and further away
• graphics of local photographer(s) with credits
• a contact person, title, address, website, phone number
• social media info
• a list of annual special events
• a table with neighboring cities and areas, the distances and the driving times

and finally: A call to action – request a kit, a brochure, etc. and a #hashtag for social networks buzz

A graphically attractive flyer with useful info is not only business-friendly, it also is cost and time efficient because you can use it year after year after year.

In your favorite graphics tool, such as In-Design, Publisher or Canva (even the comprehensive free version is sufficient), create a template that integrates all your brand elements. After the initial flyer is completed with all info and graphics, in the following year, you only need to update specific info such as events, possibly attractions and graphic artists and such.

Translators are using tools to be efficient with their translation. If you are working with the same translator or agency, you might get fee reductions due to existing translations and recycling of previous translations (more about in a next blog post where I elaborate on the human species “translators” and how to work with them).

It is one step, maybe the first, maybe the only step to reaching out to foreign tourists in their language and make them feel welcome! Imagine the ripples this one gesture can make.

With that, go create this one or two page flyer of your region or property and we can help you translate it into German language.

• launching a new product or service,
• having an email campaign where you like to engage Germans in Germany, or
• holding international meetings – online or offline on site –

Imagine, you spend a wonderful vacation in a far away city, ate in a nice restaurant, had an adventurous time with a rented bike, took an RV to cross the country, you bought a special souvenir in a store, or took a guided tour or learned cooking overseas … and then, in the mail, you receive a Christmas card from that other country and it wishes you Christmas in their language and in yours, it’s even personalized with your name or another special note that tells you, they mean YOU.

Imagine, you have a local ethnic community that buys your products and services, are your guests and visitors. Can you show them gratitude in a similar way?

Christmas and New Year cards are displayed during the holiday season, the time of giving, next to your other Christmas cards. How many time during that Christmas time did you think of that service, product, the people you met there, the memories? Quite often.

Take that hour or two to thank those who made your (business) day, and show gratitude in their language.

I put together for you a sheet with saying “Merry Christmas” and “Happy New Year” in many of the European languages for you to send a personalized note if you wish. Enter your email here and we will send the paper to you.

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