While a good translation can be key to the success of a business, a poor translation can have a very negative impact. 

This can be a very unpleasant experience for the user or customer, and will leave a bad impression that could lead to customers losing interest in both the site and the product. 

Because of this the company loses its clientele, and may even end up losing the business, as users look elsewhere for information and products.  This is even more pertinent when it concerns technical documents, such as papers containing medical content, for example. In such circumstances, a poor translation could be catastrophic.

When dealing with a company that is trying to grow internationally, poorly translated or localised documentation could cause conflict and cultural offence, show disrespect for the laws of competition in other countries or non-compliance with their rules of commerce. This could cause irreparable damage, resulting in irreversible damage to the credibility of the brand or product.  

Another adverse impact for companies is the sabotage of search engine results, with the loss of SEO relevance possibly leading to a loss of business. 

Poor translations lead to a set of damaging conditions, including: offending the public and customers; unreasonable delays; non-compliance with rules and regulations; additional costs; and wasted resources. The lost opportunity to grow the business, to reach international markets and gain more customers are the most serious consequences that could hit an enterprise even before it gets off the ground.