How Language Translates Colour

Language and culture can affect how we see and interpret colours, according to an article by Aina Casaponsa and Panos Athanasopoulos in The Conversation Online.

For those who are investigating new overseas markets for their business this difference can lead to misunderstanding, confusion, or even a failed marketing campaign.

The information below will help you to ensure you understand the context of colour translation, what to avoid, and how localisation can assist in the formulation of a successful transition into new foreign markets.

Translating Colour

From birth, we learn to categorise objects, emotions, colours, symbols, and so on, translating these things into a language that we find meaningful. Although our eyes are capable of perceiving thousands of colours, we have grouped them, depending upon our background, culture and beliefs, into identifiable categories which vary from place to place.

Different languages and cultures also consider the colour spectrum in unique ways; people who speak the Dani language, from Papua New Guinea, or Bassa, spoken in Sierra Leone and Liberia, only have two terms for dark and light. Dark can be translated as cool, and light as warm. Colours such as black, blue, or green are classified as cool colours, while white, red, orange, and yellow are considered warm colours.

In Australia’s Northern Territory the Warlpiri people don’t even have a word in their language for ‘colour’. For them, and other similar cultural groups, what we term as colour, is described by language that refers to texture, purpose, and sensation.

Colour perception then, can be seen as a subjective term. It is less about what is actually viewed by the individual, and more about how we interpret colours in our mind – we translate colour in our mind depending upon our societal beliefs.

Localisation and Colour

When you are considering moving your business into new markets abroad, it is vital to consider the impact that your use of colour for your website, promotional materials, social media sites, and so on, will have on your target market.

As explained above, each culture can offer a differing perspective on colours, and can hold varying meanings depending upon language, society and belief structures. Localisation will ensure that your translated materials are not only worded correctly, but that they appeal to the culture, people, language, and beliefs in your chosen country and market.

To give you a notion of the meaning of colour around the globe there is a short list here that can also be used as a basic guideline:

• Green – is seen as the colour of nature, renewal, and spring in Europe, and it is often associated with environmental politics. In Ireland, it is the colour of Catholicism, but in the U.S is more often linked to money (as in the green dollar bill). The religion of Islam considers green to be symbolic of hope.
• Blue – is usually referred to as a soothing colour due to its association with the sky and sea. For Christians, it symbolises Christ. In China it is linked to immortality, but in Iran is the colour of mourning.
• Red – in China red is considered a lucky colour, which is linked to happiness, joy and vitality. However, in Europe it is frequently associated with danger – stop signs, speed limits, warning and danger signs, are all bordered in red.
• White – is the traditional colour for bridal dresses in Europe, and is linked to purity. In China and Japan, however, it is associated with sorrow.
• Orange – in Europe this is the colour of autumn, and harvest, and is linked to Halloween in the UK and USA. Ireland’s Protestant community is symbolised by orange, and in the Netherlands it is the colour of royalty.
• Yellow – is often associated with summer and happiness in Europe, but with mourning in Egypt. In japan it is linked to courage, conversely, it is associated with cowardice in Europe and the USA.

Surprisingly, there are generally considered to be five basic colour terms in the majority of the world’s languages. As well as the dark and light colours discussed earlier, there is also a term that describes the colours yellow and red, and another term for both blue and green. Welsh, Japanese, and Chinese all originally had a single term for the colours blue and green, a sort of ‘grue’ which was used to describe both colours.

Language and Colour

Colour perception is crucially linked to languages and culture, and is liable to change based on exposure to new cultures, languages, or belief systems. For instance, Greek speakers who have two basic colour terms for light blue and dark blue, are more prone to see these two colours as similar after living in the UK long term, as in English they are just described as blue despite the shade, or tone.

Learning a new language can affect the way we perceive the world, including how our brains process colours.

As you can imagine, these factors will be instrumental in ensuring the translation and localisation of your website, advertising, and business branding link the language of your target market to the appropriate colour structure, and this is vital to the success of your campaign.

Using a professional localisation team, who are well-acquainted with your target audience, will help you to tailor your branding and products, ensuring that your company remains aware of cultural differences within your new trading arenas.

Language, and translation, will give you the first step towards your objective, but localisation will give greater depth, and understanding, to your business conversion into different markets.