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February 26, 2013 Transcript of #CommsChat on multilingual tweeting

Last week’s #CommsChat took an interesting look at the use of language on Twitter. We were joined by Chris Woods (@chrismwoods) from Hanover, who has developed a programme of simultaneous multilingual tweeting. Throughout the hour we heard from others on the way social media is used everywhere from Finland to Wales to China.

Take a look at some highlighted tweets:

@chrismwoods Multilingual tweeting: Using Twitter to engage with your organisation’s customers or stakeholders in their own language

@Helenw7 It can make employees feel valued and ‘part of the wider team’ if global companies recognise diff language

@vysia you get more meaningful interactions, like going on abroad and trying to speak a native language. Natives > receptive

@jgombita A3. It’s one thing to claim you are a multinational company, it’s another thing to demonstrate it to stakeholders thru tweets!

@Marshallmedia diddorol iawn heno o safbwynt ieithyddol – very interesting #commschat tonight looking at language.

@chrismwoods Do you value customers & stakeholders more if they speak English? Probably no. So tweet their language

And the full transcript


  

 RT :   they can be a rare breed! hard to find and difficult to hold on to… #commschat -9:01 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 Head spinning RT :It also depends on situation say Paraguay uses Spanish & Guarani, locally you can use both on Twitter #commschat -9:00 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 Many thx to  for a very interesting chat tonight. Hope you learned as much as I did. As always, transcript up in AM #commschat -9:00 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

    they can be a rare breed! hard to find and difficult to hold on to… #commschat-9:00 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  I’d monitor that very closely, the written word doesn’t have any connotations! #commschat -8:59 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 wow the hour’s gone by v quickly tonight! And unlike the Oscars, #commschat does not run over its allotted time…#commschat -8:59 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

   that’s a very good point and that’s why it’s most important that social media teams don’t sit silos. #CommsChat -8:58 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT :   yes, though remember it’s fallible as it doesn’t detect cultural nuances, or sarcasm #commschat -8:58 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

   But only to monitor.. All posts and replies are from Polish speaking staff.. V.important#commschat -8:57 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  Not a mess. It’s the same if you operate offline. You are a company but have diff. ppl to spk to diff customers #CommsChat -8:57 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

    Precisely. I’d use someone who can speak both languages #commschat -8:57 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

   yes, though remember it’s fallible as it doesn’t detect cultural nuances, or sarcasm#commschat -8:56 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT : Agreed! RT : why not create prelaunch buzz, in local language, through twitter?#commschat -8:55 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  It depends what kind of people you are engaging. If customers then multiple accounts. If stakeholders of an int. org,1. #CommsChat -8:55 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 Agreed! RT :  why not create prelaunch buzz, in local language, through twitter? #commschat-8:54 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  that way you proactively manage upfront your ‘first impressions’ on the new market #commschat -8:54 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

   Agree. I manage several social media accounts including a Polish fb page. Rely on google translate. #commschat -8:54 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  why not create prelaunch buzz, in local language, through twitter? #commschat -8:53 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

   thanks! #CommsChat -8:53 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

    What a mess! I guess it can be done if both languages are similar. Not advisable.#commschat -8:53 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT :   Google translate is good for listening but not for tweeting! #CommsChat -8:53 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT :   Google translate is good for listening but not for tweeting!#CommsChat -8:52 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

   very good point – important that the twitter handlers communicate and make sure messages are synced #commschat -8:52 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT :   Google translate is good for listening but not for tweeting! #CommsChat -8:52 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 With #socialmedia u can have a presence in a new mkt before u arrive there. Test proposition without a focus group.#CommsChat  -8:52 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

    Google translate is good for listening but not for tweeting! #CommsChat -8:51 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

    What do you recommend? #CommsChat -8:51 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 Anyone have thoughts on businesses accessing new and/or emerging markets via multilingual social media?#commschat -8:51 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

   I meant (a) Spanish Twitter account listens to (b) French account but replies to Spanish Tweets using (a). #CommsChat -8:49 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  Would be quite interesting to see how a travel hub/airline company, eg, Heathrow, can implement multilingual tweeting #commschat -8:49 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 How to decide best use of resources , whether multiple accounts or crossfeed stream. Which process easier to manage? #commschat -8:49 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 . English is a very dominant language in Wales. But Tere seems to be a growth in the number tweeting in Welsh of late. #commschat -8:48 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 Interesting… MT : Google Translate is an important tool for a social media manager. Helps listening at least. #commschat -8:48 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT :   Definitely agree. A lot gets lost in translation. Need to be VERY culturally aware#commschat -8:48 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

   I agree. However, Google Translate is an important tool for a social media manager. Helps listening at least. #CommsChat -8:47 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  for a business like yours it makes sense because you work in different markets and ppl can follow their local feed#commschat -8:47 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  thanks for coming to my #commschat rescue Josh with dual language  example. -8:47 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT : It depends on what your co. or organisation is doing/targeting. Sometimes doesn’t make sense to have several streams #commschat -8:47 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 Last topic, but an important one from the corporate perspective: How can social media ease the transition into new markets? #commschat -8:46 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  wow, multiples! Impressive. Found another dual gov’t:  . See Terms of Use!http://t.co/yT7Y5TpHLJ #commschat -8:46 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT : RT : Curious, whats more common, a single feed or dual/multiples? For example, and  #commschat -8:46 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

   hrm, as one off maybe yes, but if done regularly can be frustrating sifting through a multilingual feed #commschat -8:46 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 Interesting discussion of the need for orgs to use a foreign language to reach out to new audiences at their level#CommsChat -8:45 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 I guess in the dual v separate debate it matters if the feeds are in separate geographical spaces or not #commschat -8:45 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT : #commschat dual language feeds v separate monolingual feeds always raise passions in Wales, several examples of both exist here.  -8:44 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

   Definitely agree. A lot gets lost in translation. Need to be VERY culturally aware #commschat -8:44 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT :  #commschat there’s nothing more annoying than reading “Google-translated messages”. It’s important to have native speakers -8:44 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 #commschat dual language feeds v separate monolingual feeds always raise passions in Wales, several examples of both exist here.  -8:44 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

   drop me a line with your email#commschat -8:44 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  I think duel/multiples are becoming the norm. But that doesn’t mean that orgs/brands shouldn’t answer cross feed. #CommsChat -8:43 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  #commschat there’s nothing more annoying than reading “Google-translated messages”. It’s important to have native speakers -8:42 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT : #commschat also have fully bilingual weather service via  (S4Cweather) on twitter and online http://t.co/WnfaaFJBCb -8:42 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

   That’d be really useful. Interested in JBRIC Cheers! #commschat -8:42 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  I’d say the latter, I currently work at and we have several streams , … #commschat -8:42 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 Culture is very important. Orgs have to be prepared to break out of corp speak on social eg http://t.co/ZPLMmhPG3k#CommsChat  -8:42 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT : Curious, whats more common, a single feed or dual/multiples? For example,  and #commschat -8:42 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  I have one that, ironically, just started to follow today:  #commschat -8:41 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

    Nice one. Thanks! #commschat -8:40 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 Curious, what’s more common, a single feed or dual/multiples? For example,  and #commschat -8:40 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT :    I forgot to use #CommsChat in previous tweet. Here’s an example: http://t.co/erE6xtG6oF -8:39 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 #commschat also have fully bilingual weather service via  (S4Cweather) on twitter and onlinehttp://t.co/WnfaaFJBCb -8:39 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 One for the #commschat participants this evening.http://t.co/KG9EStFJm3 -8:39 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 #commschat  People are more likely to follow your company when you tweet in their language and provide relevant local updates -8:38 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 I guess we’re already addressing T4: What role does language and culture play in a company’s use of social media?#commschat -8:38 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

     I forgot to use #CommsChat in previous tweet. Here’s an example:http://t.co/erE6xtG6oF -8:38 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

    Fair enough. I didn’t know. Any examples? #commschat -8:38 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

    exactly – know your audience, who they are, and where they congregate, basically the 5W and 1H #commschat -8:37 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

    same as twitter with added benefits of adding emoticons, img, music, video files in every post #commschat -8:36 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT : #commschat diddorol iawn heno o safbwynt ieithyddol – very interesting #commschat tonight looking at language. -8:36 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT : #commschat diddorol iawn heno o safbwynt ieithyddol – very interesting #commschat tonight looking at language. -8:35 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

   On community? #commschatAny demographics you can share? -8:35 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

   To target your audience better, you also need to know their behaviour, psychology as well as your own biz. #commschat -8:35 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT :   also the Chinese written language is standardised #commschat -8:34 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 #commschat diddorol iawn heno o safbwynt ieithyddol – very interesting #commschat tonight looking at language. -8:34 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  How does that help improve the company’s comms? Why does it use both languages? #commschat-8:34 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT :  I tweet in Welsh and English as does the company I work for  #commschat -8:34 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

   Not as popular as doesn’t have the same breath eg: Twitter more available. Depends on community #commschat -8:34 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT :   Thanks Chris! I have to also give credit to the rest of the team too! #commschat -8:33 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

    OK! How many character are allowed with and without links? #commschat -8:33 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 If an org has a product to sell or a reputation to build among non-English speakers, it should consider multilingual tweeting. #CommsChat -8:33 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 MT : Its one thing to claim you’re a multinational company, another thing to demonstrate it to stakeholders thru tweets! #commschat -8:33 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

    Thanks Chris! I have to also give credit to the rest of the team too!#commschat -8:33 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  I tweet in Welsh and English as does the company I work for  #commschat -8:32 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

    also the Chinese written language is standardised #commschat -8:32 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 A3. It’s one thing to claim you are a multinational company, it’s another thing to demonstrate it to stakeholders thru tweets! #commschat -8:32 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 Where are your future growth markets? UK? More likely Brazil, Mexico, China, Russia. Tweet so they can understand.#CommsChat  -8:32 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  Yes I agree. Myself, I’m no linguist. I’ve just worked with some brilliant people such as  #CommsChat -8:31 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

    agree, Chinese speakers would understand the concept based on cultural understanding #commschat -8:31 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 Topic 3 is similar: How can this multilingual tweeting be beneficial to companies with international stakeholders?#commschat -8:30 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT :  IMHO one of the best use of multilingual twitter was ‘s feed during the Japan earthquake #commschat -8:29 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 Appealing to Canuck colleagues for fast pointer to a company/gov’t account tweeting in both English & French (regularly). Hashtag #commschat -8:29 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  Not sure, maybe  knows?#commschat -8:29 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

   very impressive!#CommsChat -8:29 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT :  Is Weibo popular with Chinese community outside China? #commschat -8:28 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  Being relevant & meaningful to earn loyalty & return sales/visits & recommendation. #commschat -8:27 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 . also (2) can fit lots into 140 characters in Mandarin. (3) people are more scared to complain on Weibo (or in China). #CommsChat -8:27 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 Cool! MT : Found one! The Welsh Government tweet both in Welsh and English >  #commschat -8:27 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  I would assume that speakers of Mandarin/Cantonese would grasp the concept, Twitter & elsewhere c   #commschat -8:27 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  she updated both J and non J speakers and acted as a translator, updating both parties #commschat -8:27 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

   Found one! The Welsh Government tweet both in Welsh and English >  \ #commschat -8:27 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  Is Weibo popular with Chinese community outside China? #commschat -8:27 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  IMHO one of the best use of multilingual twitter was ‘s feed during the Japan earthquake #commschat -8:26 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 . more serious reply this time…(1) Weibo: It’s v like Twitter. Important for brands to register w/ Sina when u begin. #CommsChat -8:26 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 Some companies like http://t.co/yGOJDWCz1B help UK brands use Weibo: http://t.co/QZNjCiT6nT #commschat -8:24 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 I left it to the wonderful ! RT: . How did you find Weibo to use?Was it as familiar as Twitter? #CommsChat -8:23 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 Check out (trilingual) ‘s Twitter Bio: “Shame that Twitter is blocked in China as with Mandarin…” #commschat -8:23 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

    tweeting in Chinese is brilliant – a lot of wordplay because of the pinyin (how words sound) #commschat -8:23 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  It is awful to feel unable to speak relevant languages. Met a Finnish prof who spoke five languages#commschat #commschat -8:23 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  Hello! #CommsChat -8:22 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

   Shame that Twitter is blocked in China as with Mandarin characters you can write paragraphs in one tweet. #CommsChat -8:22 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT : you get more meaningful interactions, like going on abroad and trying to speak a native language. Natives > receptive #commschat -8:22 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 Hello, everyone! #commschat -8:21 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  you get more meaningful interactions, like going on abroad and trying to speak a native language. Natives > receptive #commschat -8:21 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  In Scandinavia they are SO good with langs. I have friends in Stockholm. They often have to conduct biz in Finnish too #CommsChat -8:21 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  I know Welsh words go on for a block–are Icelandic ones really long, too? Does Twitter accommodate them? 😉 #commschat -8:20 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 . How did you find Weibo to use? Was it as familiar as Twitter? #commschat -8:20 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

   It can make employees feel valued and ‘part of the wider team’ if global companies recognise diff languages #commschat -8:20 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT : Join tonight’s #commschat w/ from  & give your take on social media use in emerging markets & w/foreign languages -8:19 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 . I’d like to see a Welsh or Icelandic Twitter feed too! #commschat -8:19 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 In my last job  (cc: ) we wanted to speak to customers in China, so we took to Sina Weibo.#CommsChat cc  -8:19 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT : Do you value customers & stakeholders more if they speak English? Probably no. So tweet their language. #CommsChat cc  -8:18 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

   I was amazed when visiting Finland to discover Swedish is an official language. And both have looong words! #commschat -8:18 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT : Do you value customers & stakeholders more if they speak English? Probably no. So tweet their language. #CommsChat cc  -8:18 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT : Do you value customers & stakeholders more if they speak English? Probably no. So tweet their language. #commschat -8:17 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  glad to have you joining in on #commschattonight! #commschat -8:17 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  but not appropriate for, say, UK. If I had to sift through unfamiliar languages often, I’d just unfollow as irrelevant#commschat -8:17 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 Do you value customers & stakeholders more if they speak English? Probably no. So tweet their language. #CommsChatcc  -8:17 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  OK just as long as you aren’t offended I chose to spend today’s hour in #commschat.  know about time conflict. -8:16 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

   one or two is fine, in a country that more or less speaks the languages. Eg: Malaysia and Singapore#commschat -8:15 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT : Anyone interested in use of comms/social media in emerging markets? Head over to#commschat now -8:15 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 To second , our T2: Why is it beneficial to an organisation to use Twitter in this manner? #commschat -8:15 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  here’s the blog post. A little technical but it could help bring down the noise.  might like that!#CommsChat -8:15 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 Good point, . Also to add into the mix, has opened its API to allow developers to pull out specific languages #CommsChat -8:14 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT : Anyone interested in use of comms/social media in emerging markets? Head over to#commschat now -8:14 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT : Does anyone tweet in multiple languages on their own or a company’s behalf? #commschat -8:14 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT : Anyone interested in use of comms/social media in emerging markets? Head over to#commschat now -8:14 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  What boosts brand credibility on social media worth considering, as that would go beyond social i.e. WoM, UGC & PR. #commschat -8:14 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  great point! I come from the land of dual-language information on all products, so I could handle that c #commschat -8:13 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 Anyone interested in use of comms/social media in emerging markets? Head over to #commschat now -8:13 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT : Does anyone tweet in multiple languages on their own or a company’s behalf? #commschat -8:12 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 RT :  #CommsChat Using 1 or more Twitter accounts to engage with your audience in their language -8:11 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 Does anyone tweet in multiple languages on their own or a company’s behalf? #commschat -8:11 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

   Not if you have separate feeds for separate languages #commschat -8:11 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  you know the public relations I adhere to is communication-oriented, not the marketing/advertising end. Plus I’m in #commschat now. -8:10 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  #CommsChat Using 1 or more Twitter accounts to engage with your audience in their language -8:10 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  Happy to go slower. :/ It is the evening after all. #CommsChat #relaxed #CommsChat -8:10 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 Sounds like a pretty noisy and rapid tweetstream! #CommsChat -8:09 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 Multilingual Twitter campaigns I implemented for‘ clients inc. ;   . #CommsChat -8:08 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 Thx for a nice intro into tonight’s topic. anyone have thoughts on using an org’s audience’s own language on Twitter/social media #commschat -8:07 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 If anyone would like to contribute, please do. What do you understand simultaneous multilingual tweeting to mean?#CommsChat -8:06 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

  Hi! Welcome. #CommsChat -8:05 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 MT : Multilingual tweeting: Using Twitter to engage with your org.’s customers or stakeholders in their own language. #commschat -8:05 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 Multilingual tweeting: either ensure your social media team/people can speak the language or call in agency help#CommsChat -8:04 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 Multilingual tweeting: Using Twitter to engage with your organisation’s customers or stakeholders in their own language. #CommsChat -8:04 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 Thanks for the intro . I’ve used multilingual Tweeting both in-house at  and for clients #CommsChat -8:04 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 I’m in!   #commschat -8:03 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 Hi everyone, Hi Brittany (). Let’s talk using Twitter to communicate in multiple languages. #CommsChat-8:02 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 The first topic is: What does simultaneous multilingual tweeting entail?  is going to start off w/a brief intro#commschat -8:02 PM Feb 25th, 2013

  

 I’m Brittany, I’ll be your host for the evening, as it’s the day AFTER the Oscars, I at least don’t have to compete w/Family Guy #commschat -8:01 PM Feb 25th, 2013


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