Real Journeys, Queenstown  

• Customer overview;
  • Real Journeys is a major New Zealand tourism icon, offering sightseeing and adventure in Fiordland National Park and Queenstown. The company has been sharing this designated World Heritage area with visitors for more than 50 years.
• Business challenge;
  • The Real Journeys website www.realjourneys.co.nz  is an excellent guide to the company’s products, which also communicates the mood and ambience of Fiordland National Park.
    
    The challenge was to translate the site into German, Chinese and Korean, with copy which;
    
    > Accurately communicates local knowledge about the area to attract potential customers through an easy read,
    
    > Promotes Real Journeys products in a similar style to the original material,
    
    > Is equally effective in communicating the moods of Fiordland as the source copy.
• Solution description;
  • Blue South liaised with Real Journeys to fully understand the aims of the site, as well as its target audience details.
    
    The same liaison meant Blue South fully understood details of Real Journeys’ products and company culture, and the two companies then jointly decided which words and phrases would be best left in English.
    
    Website developers Cabbage Tree Creative were also part of the team, bringing in their Thrive content management system, so strategies to cover all issues about inputting could be implemented from an early stage.
• Implementation process;
  • Translators from the Blue South approved list were selected for their translation experience, and equally for their writing skills.
    
    Once selected, they were thoroughly briefed by Blue South. During the process, regular meetings with Real Journeys management provided ongoing updates which were passed on to the team.
    
    Once translated, the material was proof read independently.
    
    Translations were checked by Real Journeys’ own reviewers and the company’s management team all played a role in the review feedback.
    
    Text was inputted into the website via the Thrive system and proof read once more by the original translator before going live.
• Results;
  • The Real Journeys website reads as well in its new languages as it did in the original English.
• Comment from Wendy Sherlock, Marketing Services Manager, Real Journeys;
  • “In our business it’s crucial to produce copy which delivers the same message and feel whichever language it’s speaking in.
    
    We know exactly how hard that is because in the past we used to get complaints about our translations. Since Blue South became involved the complaints have stopped, and that’s a sure sign they’ve done a great job.
    
    It’s part of our everyday work to monitor the site visit statistics, and they’re creeping up in our key markets which is another good indicator that it’s being read with ease.
    
    It’s really good to work with a company which is every bit as specific on things as our company.
    
    Also, their turnaround is incredibly quick. They’re usually on to me for the next piece of the copy to translate!
    
    And they know exactly what they’re talking about too. They’ve often prompted me and asked if I’ve thought about such and such. ‘Scroggin’ was a good example. Only New Zealanders automatically know what that is, so we had to take that into account in the translation.
    
    They’re friendly, helpful and very professional, and their general technical knowledge is superb too. They know which software best suits which media, from print to web, for the best translation. That means everybody benefits, from the translators right through to our guests and that’s a huge point in their favour.
    
    The process meant we all worked as a team, with specific roles to play and specialist knowledge to bring to the table. Blue South took all the information from our regular meetings and managed the project very well from there.
    
    As a result we now have an excellent relationship which extends to them dropping in regularly to catch up and ensure everything’s going well. We place a high value on that as well as their proven service, with the result we’ve developed an ongoing affiliation.”

How do I get started?
To discuss how we can help you with your translation requirements call us on 03 349 2818 or
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