Why AI translations regularly fail in international PR
In brief:
- AI translates words, but not impact: PR texts translated with AI often fail because they do not take cultural expectations around tone, structure and perspective into account.
- USA vs. Germany: Even in cultures that may seem similar, there are major differences in what readers expect.
- Successful international PR needs more: To be persuasive, texts need to be adapted. This affects not only word choice, but also structure, tone and the logic of the argument.
Would you feel like reading this press release?
Northbound Asset Management launches voice-controlled navigation for proxy voting in collaboration with Butler Voice Assistant
Northbound Asset Management today announced a new integration with Butler Voice Assistant that makes it easier than ever for investors in index funds to discover and sign up for Northbound’s SecureVote, the world’s largest proxy-voting choice programme for retail investors.
Probably not. But why does this text not work in German? Why does it fail to spark interest or make you want to keep reading? You will probably have noticed right away: our sample press release was translated from US English using AI.
Language follows rules. And not only grammatical ones, but cultural ones too: how much emphasis is used, how directly a company presents itself, how much interpretation is allowed or expected. These rules can differ significantly from one market to another. And this is precisely why AI translations regularly fail in PR.
US Communication: More Is More
US communication is strongly shaped by positive framing, informal language, wording that creates or suggests closeness, and the idea of direct benefit. Texts need to show quickly why they are specifically relevant to readers. This means a lot of information at once, combined with a very confident tone.
Successes are discussed openly, competitive advantages are clearly named and companies position themselves assertively. In other markets, this form of self-presentation may be perceived as exaggerated, unconvincing or overly dramatic. In the US, it is a necessary part of clear communication.
German Communication: Less Is More
In German communication culture, other qualities are at the center. Credibility is created less through self-presentation and more through comprehensible argumentation and substantive depth.
Press releases, board letters, blog posts: a good German text usually provides not only the core message, but also factual context. Statements are nuanced and often supported by figures or examples. The tone is also more restrained. Overly strong claims about oneself are avoided; instead, the focus is on verifiable facts.
Product versus Process
Speaking of facts: unlike in US texts, German texts tend to place less emphasis on who created these facts. What matters is not the process, but the product. Or, to quote Helmut Kohl: “What matters is what comes out in the end.”
This is also why impersonal formulations are used more often in German texts, and why the passive voice, so often condemned in writing guides, continues to be very popular in German. These constructions make it possible to shift attention away from the people or companies acting and towards what really matters from a German-speaking perspective: the result.
This makes communication in Germany fundamentally different from the action-oriented communication common in the US.
Away from Words, Towards Impact
This is exactly why AI translations regularly fail in PR. Because PR is about impact. Words are only a means to an end. Target-group-oriented communication means adapting language as a whole to the expectations of the readership. And these expectations are culturally shaped. This has consequences at every linguistic level: for words, structure, tone and the logic of the argument.
Why AI Translations Miss the Mark
Against this backdrop, it becomes clear why AI translations often miss the mark. They transfer words, perhaps even content, but certainly not the implicit expectations of the target audience.
A German text that is factual in tone and deliberately restrained in its argumentation can quickly seem pale or irrelevant to readers in the US. Conversely, US communication that is translated too literally into German can come across as too assertive or overly simplified.
The problem is not necessarily the linguistic quality of the translation, but its strategic logic. The way information is presented feels unnatural. The impact of even the strongest message fades away.
What Successful PR Texts Need
International PR therefore requires more than linguistic precision. It calls for linguistic, cultural and therefore also structural and content-related adaptation to what the readership expects.
This is not about changing the content, but about reweighting it and presenting it appropriately. Which message takes priority? How direct should the argument be? Which aspects should be emphasized, and which should be toned down?
In practice, this often means rethinking texts structurally: openings are reformulated, arguments are arranged differently and tones are deliberately shifted. This is the only way to create a text that people actually want to read, and that unfolds its full impact precisely because it differs from the original:
Voice-Controlled Proxy Voting: Northbound Asset Management Introduces New Integration with Butler Voice Assistant
Northbound Asset Management today introduced a new integration with Butler Voice Assistant. This gives investors in index funds easier access to SecureVote, Northbound’s proxy voting platform. SecureVote is considered the world’s largest programme for individual proxy voting by retail investors.
Conclusion
Anyone who does not adapt PR content, but simply runs it through a machine, risks losing its impact simply because it misses the expectations of the target audience.
The crucial skill, therefore, lies not merely in understanding words, but in understanding entire communication cultures. For international PR to succeed, texts need to be more than correct. Above all, they need to work in the market they are written for.
