1. US English can be a barrier to entering the UK market

The debate about who English 鈥榖elongs to鈥� is as old as the hills. Many Brits have a sense of ownership of the English language 鈥� the attitude that American spellings, grammar conventions and vocabulary are 鈥榠ncorrect鈥� is extremely prevalent. Although this viewpoint doesn鈥檛 stand up to much linguistic scrutiny, depending on your product it could create a barrier to entry to the UK market.

Take the example of , the writing tool. As the product originates in the US, its initial offering didn鈥檛 cater for different dialects of English. Grammarly was therefore offering its users in the UK suggestions that didn鈥檛 make sense for them 鈥� insisting on inserting a comma before听and, for example, or marking UK spellings like听谤别补濒颈蝉别听补苍诲听别苍诲别补惫辞耻谤听as incorrect. It听听to choose their dialect of English, making their offering much more relevant for a UK audience.

Take the time to research the UK market and understand what the expectations of your new customer base are.

Differences in dialect aren鈥檛 just about grammar and spelling though 鈥� they reflect cultural and consumer expectations. When it comes to marketing food products, for example, US consumers will be used to seeing terms like听GMO-free,听trans fat听补苍诲听low cholesterol听on their products. Referring to GMO may actually create a negative perception amongst UK consumers who generally don鈥檛 expect food to be genetically modified 鈥� their first thought will be 鈥榳hy are they having to specify GMO-free?鈥�. UK consumers are unfamiliar with the term听trans fat听(their addition to food is restricted by law) and products generally don鈥檛 focus on cholesterol content in the same way as they do in the US.

With this in mind, you might want to emphasise different features of your product. UK consumers value foodstuffs free of artificial colours and flavourings, for example. Labels like听free range,听辞谤驳补苍颈肠听补苍诲听Fair Trade听are also highly prized, although these come with certification requirements.

Take the time to research the UK market and understand what the expectations of your new customer base are. This will inform how you adapt your marketing copy for local consumers. Getting in-market expertise is vital here 鈥� don鈥檛 try and remotely manage this from the US.

2. UK English brings you closer to your customers

The adage goes that the US and UK are two countries 鈥榮eparated by a common language鈥�. This shared linguistic heritage can gloss over some of the differences. There鈥檚 a stark contrast in the business cultures of the two countries, for example. Americans鈥� enthusiasm and initial warmth can be mistaken for interest in doing business, whereas Brits may seem cold and standoffish to Americans in the same situation.

Brits also value small talk as an icebreaker in a first interaction with a new business contact and may be offended if this is dropped in favour of a 鈥榣et鈥檚 get down to business鈥� approach. This aspect of the business culture tends to slow down deal-making, which may be frustrating to Americans used to closing faster.

The principle is the same as for any other language: if you鈥檙e selling to someone, sell in their native language.

The differing ways in which politeness is expressed in the two countries can also be problematic. Brits tend to pepper requests liberally with听please, for example when ordering in a caf茅:听Can I have a black coffee, please?听This use of听辫濒别补蝉别听is a standard way of 鈥榮oftening鈥� the request in the UK and to omit it would be considered rude. In the US, however, this use of听辫濒别补蝉别听can often seem passive aggressive, so it鈥檚 more common to express politeness with the use of a conditional verb like听飞辞耻濒诲听辞谤听could听and drop the听辫濒别补蝉别听altogether.

When it comes to English adaptation, the principle is the same as for any other language you localise into: if you鈥檙e selling to someone, sell in their native language. By sticking to US English, you pass up the opportunity to build an intimate relationship with your customer base 鈥� it will be hard for them to overcome the perception of your business as 鈥榝oreign鈥�. Many US companies successfully enter the UK market, but there have also been plenty of high-profile failures stemming from a lack of consideration for cultural differences:听听补苍诲听听to name but two examples.

One aspect mentioned in the听听was their neglect to use a local voiceover artist for their TV advertisements. As a result, UK viewers deemed the brand 鈥榯oo American鈥� and weren鈥檛 able to connect with it.

Of course, failing to adapt to the UK market is about more than just language: you have to look at your marketing efforts as a whole and think about how to make your offering relevant. Language is a great place to start though. Being open-minded about adapting your marketing copy can make it easier to adjust other aspects of your brand proposition to ensure a successful UK expansion.

3. Adaptation prevents misunderstanding (and embarrassment)

Most of the time, English speakers from both sides of the Atlantic can understand each other perfectly well 鈥� or at the very least get by. When speaking, a lot depends on the dialects and accents of the speakers and how far apart they are on the spectrum of English varieties.

The written standards in the US and UK appear much closer. In writing, we don鈥檛 have to worry about differing pronunciations, for example. There鈥檚 also more of a shared standard grammar which minimises the differences between dialects. However, this doesn鈥檛 mean that there鈥檚 not the potential for major misunderstandings.

Investing in British English localisation should be a central part of your UK marketing strategy.

Let鈥檚 take a look at a few examples. In the UK, if someone鈥檚听full of beans, they鈥檙e lively and full of energy, whereas in the US this expression normally means that someone is incorrect (full of s**t).

In the US,听chat up听is increasingly used as a synonym of听talk up听鈥榯o speak positively about, promote鈥�. The meaning is completely different in the UK, where听chat up听means 鈥榯o flirt鈥�.

Then there鈥檚听蝉辫耻苍办测听鈥� a classic example which is resoundingly a compliment in the US. I鈥檒l allow readers to consult听听on Wiktionary to find out why it should be avoided in the UK!

An excellent guiding principle when entering a new geographical market 鈥� no matter how similar it may appear on the surface to your home market 鈥撎齣s not to underestimate the need for a tailored approach that respects local consumers鈥� needs and preferences.

Do plenty of market research and take advantage of the expertise of local translation and marketing agencies. Investing in British English localisation should be a central part of your UK marketing strategy, as tempting as it is to overlook. Why risk failure and damage to your brand?