How Cortana solves the issue of 'lost in translation' for small business owners

What do you do when your biggest goal turns into your worst nightmare?

For small business owners, international growth is one of the major markers of success — proving their business model is strong enough to be effective on a larger, more diverse audience. But taking a company abroad also comes with some challenges that can quickly derail the fantasy of global expansion.

What cultural customs does your brand need to respect? What's the currency exchange rate? What's the time-zone difference? What's the prevailing language, and if not your own, how do you deliver your brand promise and values in a way that is meaningful to the new consumer?

In the absence of hiring a (costly) global business consultant, these questions — and a laundry list of others just like them— can easily get lost in translation.

That's where Cortana can help.

Now available on all Windows 10-enabled devices and laptops, Cortana is the genius companion you never had.

Of course, she didn't study at the London School of Economics, but Cortana has the perfect set of skills to work alongside small business owners in pursuit of lean yet effective growth.

A worldly personal assistant

Cortana is great at retrieving and processing information. So instead of wasting time searching the Internet for the currency of Brazil or shipping regulations in Russia, users can simply ask Cortana a question and she'll comb the Internet to find the best answer. Cortana can also make web browsing easier: Now featured within the Edge browser, Cortana can quickly make sense of any unfamiliar words or concepts with a simple click.

With Cortana's help, researching the intricacies of new, international markets doesn't have to be as daunting as they might be.

What's more, like any great assistant, Cortana helps users manage their busy lives. So when a small business owner is tracking shipments across the Pacific, Cortana will make sure he stays on top of the business back home — like making sure he gets to his 3 o'clock meeting with investors, or reminding him to update the company website.

Parlez vous… everything?

But perhaps the biggest challenge with setting up and running an international business — more than being time intensive — is the communication gap that can exist between stakeholders. Whether the task at hand is coaching members of a satellite branch, answering customer service queries or retrofitting the brand promise for the new audience, there is truly no substitute for quick, effective translation.

Luckily, thanks to Microsoft Translator integration, Cortana can speak many languages.

Microsoft Translator is a real-time translation platform that has already been adopted by Skype and several multinational companies like LinkedIn and Adobe. And now, it's available at the touch of a button for Windows 10 users.

Translator is especially useful with Cortana because of her voice command capability — so instead of typing out a word or phrase (although you can do that too), users can issue translation commands as spoken questions and receive immediate answers.

Ready to take on the world?

For a globally-minded small business owner, it's hard to beat the wide range of benefits that Cortana can bring to the table. Combining advanced personal assisting with real-time translation, Cortana is the ultimate international business partner.

http://neonotix.com/