A bilingual profile: describe your services in your client’s language

When you have just moved, your first clients are often “your own people”: fellow countrymen looking for a specialist who speaks their native language. But over time, local neighbours start coming to you too. A bilingual profile — in your native language and in the language of the country — helps both groups find you.

Why two languages mean twice as many chances

People search in different ways. A Ukrainian woman types “manicure in Ukrainian” into the search box, while a local client looks for the same service in the language of the country. If your description is in only one language, half the queries simply pass you by.

The second reason is trust. When a person sees the familiar wording (“перукар”, “Friseur”, “kapper”), they immediately understand that they have come to the right place. And when their native language is there as well, a feeling appears: “here I will be understood”. For services where conversation matters (a tutor, a doctor, an accountant, a translator), this is often decisive.

And one more thing: a clear description saves time. A client who immediately sees what you do and on what terms asks fewer follow-up questions — and more often gets as far as booking. And a bilingual profile is easier to pass on: both the local neighbour and the Ukrainian friend will have something to read, so your clients themselves become your advertising.

What is worth describing in two languages

There is no need to translate everything word for word. The key things are enough:

• The names of the services — the way they are searched for in the local language and the way you are used to.
• A short description — who you are, what you help with, for whom.
• Important details — home visits, working with children, online consultations.

Write in living language rather than dry labels. One or two lines about how you work and what makes you different read better than a long list — and that applies in both languages.

Official names, on the other hand, are better left in the language of the country without “creative” translation: when it comes to a document, an authority or a tax number, the local name is more precise and clearer to specialists. For example, the individual tax number has its own established name in different countries — NIF in Spain and Portugal, BSN in the Netherlands, SIN in Canada — write such things as they are. This is only a general guide, not legal advice: if you are preparing official texts or contracts, check them against the official source of the relevant authority, and involve a translator if needed.

How to do this on “Свої”

The simplest way is to write the description in the format “language of the country + Ukrainian”: first briefly in the local language, then in your native one. It does not have to be perfectly symmetrical — the main thing is that the essence is clear in both languages. A few practical tips:

• Put the local name of the service first — that way local search will find you more easily.
• Add 2–3 common synonyms that people actually use when searching.
• Avoid machine translation done “blindly”: better short and correct than long and full of mistakes.

The same applies to reviews: let clients write them in different languages — that is normal and even beneficial, because it shows that both fellow countrymen and locals feel comfortable with you.

If you are not sure about the wording in the language of the country, it is worth asking for help — from a native speaker you know or from a professional translator from the catalogue. One proofread paragraph then works for years.

Bilingualism is also useful for those who have only just arrived: newcomers often look for a service in their native language but communicate on the spot in the language of the country — your profile becomes a bridge for them. And this fits perfectly with the idea of “Свої”: to describe your business so that both fellow countrymen and locals can find you — in two languages, in one profile.