Moving to another country is not only an interesting adventure, but also a path on which you can encounter certain difficulties, because it can be difficult to understand the legislation and peculiarities of a new state. Learn how to properly prepare for moving, and why quick and easy adaptation is impossible without high-quality translation and localization

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Due to the war, more than 6.5 million Ukrainians have relocated abroad. The most popular countries for migration have been Germany (30%) and Poland (22%), while outside the EU, the US, the UK, and Canada lead the list. Each internally displaced person (IDP) brings with them a unique background – whether it's their education, professional experience or personal skills and stories. Despite their differences, they have one thing in common – the need to start a life in a new country with a foreign language and unfamiliar customs.

The war has caused Ukrainian culture to attract global interest, with foreigners visiting Ukraine to volunteer, help, explore and even start businesses. Each of these processes needs to be supported by legalization and the proper set of documents.  Visit World.Today, a service created for foreigners travelling around the world, can assist in these issues. The portal offers all required information customized to the unique situation of a citizen from another country.

At the same time, planning any long-term stay in another country begins with document translation, which is essential for the relocation process, starting a business, finding employment, studying and even resolving any issues with government authorities in a foreign country. Serhii Ventskovskyi, a CCO at MK:translations, talks about how professional translation and localization services aid both entrepreneurs and individuals in adapting to new life circumstances.

What does localization mean, and why is it significant?

Localization is a process where products, services or content are adapted to the specifics of a particular region or country. Unlike simple translation, localization considers not just the language but also the cultural background of the audience (including history, traditions, religion, humor, etc.), local legal regulations, consumer behaviors of potential customers and technical specifications for the products. So here are the reasons why localization is important:

1. Helps avoid misunderstandings that may arise from differences in the interpretation of identical words, colors, symbols, images, songs, jokes, events, etc.

2. Makes a product or service both clear and attractive to new customers.

3. Provides access to a broader audience, creating opportunities for business growth.

4. Prevents legal issues and fines by ensuring compliance with local laws.

5. Offers a competitive advantage, as a localized product is regarded as "local" and satisfies customer needs.

This establishes localization as a crucial resource for any business seeking successful growth in overseas markets. From the standpoint of an entrepreneur who has taken a leap to open their own company overseas, localization will be a tool for adjusting previous experiences, ideas, products, and business processes developed to fit local realities, socio-economic factors and legal standards.

How localization and translation can help you start and grow your business

According to the Diia.Business support center in Warsaw, in 2023, Ukrainians registered 30,325 sole entrepreneurships in Poland. They also register companies in Germany, the Czech Republic, the UK and other countries. Traditionally favored sectors include the beauty industry, cafés, restaurants and a range of services, including online offerings (like psychologists, targeting specialists, photographers, etc.). 

Regardless of the niche you choose, opening a company in a new country requires careful preparations. At MK:translations, we have been assisting businesses in entering new markets for the past 10 years. Based on our extensive experience, I can confidently outline the services that entrepreneurs most frequently request when starting a company abroad:

- Legal documents translation: this includes business registration documents, agreements, contracts, extracts from Registers, charters and licenses.

- Financial documents translation: including reports, accounting documents and bank statements.

- Localization of websites and apps: customizing content and all user interface aspects to the cultural features and language of the target audience.

- Technical document translation: such as equipment instructions, compliance documents, drawings, tables and charts.

- Marketing materials translation: including promotional texts, brochures and product catalogs.

- International marketing services: branding, multilingual copywriting, SEO strategy for website promotion, email marketing, PPC, etc.

- Interpretation services for business meetings, negotiations, presentations and international events.

These services support entrepreneurs in preparing all necessary documents, facilitating effective communication with their partners and clients, and sidestepping misunderstandings related to non-compliance with local regulations and standards.

Obstacles to starting business abroad

Our clients' experiences demonstrate that each country has its unique characteristics that may surprise Ukrainian entrepreneurs. As such, it’s essential to understand local specifics from the outset, including market conditions, laws, traditions, cultural mentality, competitors, marketing tools and consumer habits. Here are some key considerations:

Language specifics

When an entrepreneur explores a new market, they may unknowingly encounter obstacles or accidentally end up in controversies stemming from their ignorance of the local language and culture. This happens when local consumers associate negative undertones or uncomfortable connotations with the brand name, product, or slogan. For example, Ukrainians will be surprised by GAVNO beer from Denmark, Donna Dura brand from the Netherlands, and American Blue Water.

Advertising strategy

When developing a promotional strategy, it's essential to consider the unique aspects of the local mentality. For example, Germans prioritize functionality and benefits, which is why advertising often includes specific facts and figures. In contrast, Americans tend to focus on family values and traditions, as seen in ads that showcase scenes like backyard picnics or festive dinners featuring turkey.

Consumer habits

Discounts are popular among Ukrainians. Americans also appreciate them; just think about the stacks of discount coupons they bring to the supermarkets to save money. In contrast, the Japanese are skeptical, as they believe that quality goods come with a price tag and are wary of discount offers. 

Business communication

The French are proficient in English, but they don’t particularly like using it, and they may even pretend not to hear someone speaking to them in English. As such, it is not advisable to start business in this country without knowing French; instead, you should promptly hire translators to assist you.

Accounting

In Ukraine, businesses usually have an accountant who prepares invoices, collects all required documents, makes payments and tax calculations. In Romania, it works differently: the accountant only submits reports prepared by the entrepreneur.

Legal regulations

Latvian regulations specify more than 4,000 professions that require knowledge of the state language. As an example, a housekeeper shall correspond to level A1, a courier to A2, a salesperson to B1, a chef to B2, and civil servants to C1/C2.

Thus, among the main obstacles to starting and developing a business abroad are:

- language;

- insufficient awareness of the culture and mentality of the target audience;

- ignorance of local legislation, accounting norms and taxation practices. 

These issues can be handled with the support of translation and localization services. Still, there’s one condition: it should be an experienced contractor who has case studies relevant to your market, and understands all its nuances.

Translation services for individuals

Adapting to life in a new country requires not just knowledge of the local culture and language, but also handling many bureaucratic issues. Any need — from visiting a doctor to registering a child in school — requires translation services. Let’s take a closer look.

1. Personal documents translation: including certificates, diplomas, transcripts, employment books, report cards, diplomas and criminal record certificates, among others. These documents will be useful in numerous situations, such as education, employment, legal residency and various issues related to local authorities.

2. Medical documents translation: medical histories, certificates, test and examination results, vaccination records. This allows for quick and convenient access to scheduled or emergency medical care in local hospitals.

3. Financial documents translation: bank statements, tax returns, etc. This may be necessary for opening a bank account, renting a house or taking out a loan.

4. Interpretation services: during paperwork, meetings with government officials and communication with doctors, teachers, lawyers, landlords, employers and bank employees.

As you can see, translation services are essential for migrants. They assist not only with legal and administrative issues but also facilitate quicker social adaptation and integration into a new society. For entrepreneurs interested in launching a business abroad, these services can help simplify the process by promoting adaptation to the market and its audience specifics, enhancing communication effectiveness, and building trust. 

Visit World.Today will help you find out what documents you need to prepare to move to another country/start your own business.

How do you know what package of documents you need for legal relocation, job seeking or starting a business abroad?

Each country has its own legislation, which means that the required documents for relocation, employment or launching a business abroad will depend on the country you are moving to and your citizenship.

To learn about the specific requirements, you can visit the portals of diplomatic missions, search the Internet or ask people you know. However, each of these ways has its disadvantages; for instance, embassy websites typically present information in a complicated legal language, online articles can lose their relevance over time, and friends may not be able to understand the specifics of your situation.        

Therefore, if you need information on the rules of entry and legal residence in any country of the world, please visit Visit World.Today. It contains up-to-date information for safe and comfortable trips: rules of entry and stay for tourism, business or employment, education, medical services, residence permit and/or citizenship. The portal team provides customer support for migration issues and legal advice from a local specialist. 

If a visa is required, Visit World.Today specialists will provide a clear checklist that will help you apply for a visa step by step without travel agents or other intermediaries. All relevant information will be sent to your email address in PDF format.

Anton Taranenko, founder of the Visit World platform, comments:

"When launching the Visit World project, we realized that the actual relocation isn't the biggest challenge for those planning a trip or migration abroad. After all, despite digital progress and seemingly free access to the Internet almost anywhere in the world, it is still quite difficult to find reliable and up-to-date information. What’s even harder is receiving answers in your own language or a language you can easily understand. Of course, one can rely on official resources and country representations, but "legal language" in which they provide information often complicates things further. It's no secret that no automatic translator can provide a full understanding of rules and regulations, especially when they're written in complex "legal language".

That’s why our goal is to be the bridge between people and the immigration requirements of any country in the world, while communicating with the clients in a language they can understand".

Contacting Visit World.Today specialists will save you time and give you confidence in planning your next steps.