Among all the communications sent out by a company, few are as comprehensive, or as essential, as the annual report. This is why annual report translation is such a vital task and, thus, best trusted to a professional team that understands the nuances of an annual report.
An organization’s annual report performs several functions: financial, regulatory, even marketing and business development. Above all, it’s a faithful and accurate account of everything that occurred at the company during the previous fiscal year.
To ensure the details of your annual report are carefully transmitted across languages, it’s important to maintain a faithful translation from the source language into the target language.
What is an Annual Report?
An annual report is a comprehensive summary of an entity’s business and financial activities from the previous fiscal year. The report is written primarily for shareholders, customers, employees and the media, but the information is usually available to the public.
A typical annual report contains the following:
- A letter from the chair or CEO
- General company information, including the mission and vision statements and accomplishments from the previous year
- Plans for future activities and investments
- A financial and operational review
- A listing of the Board of Directors and executive management
- Financial statements including P&L and cash flow, plus notes on the accompanying financial statements
- The auditor’s report
In addition to providing valuable information, the annual report also fulfills reporting requirements enacted by federal and state agencies. Filing deadlines vary from one jurisdiction to another, but they all require key financial data – as well as a new report filed every year.
Why Do I Need to Translate My Annual Report?
Companies translate annual reports in order to communicate recent activities to both local and global stakeholders.
A global company, nor surprisingly, is likely to have employees, customers and shareholders who speak different languages. Translating an annual report into these languages helps you keep these audiences up to date on your company’s past and future activities.
An annual report doesn’t just inform current investors – it can also attract potential investors. While your primary goal may be to communicate with current stakeholders, a translated annual report can also be a valuable tool for generating interest – and funding – from investors in other countries.
It can also help you increase visibility among global media agencies who would otherwise need time to translate the report on their own… and perhaps with generic tools that provide less than stellar quality. With a translated version, they can report on your company right away.
In short, a translated annual report serves as a communication tool and a business development vehicle.
Another reason to translate your annual report is because regulatory agencies need to see them, too.
Companies that operate internationally must file reports across borders. Whether you’re a U.S. subsidiary of a company headquartered overseas or a U.S. company with offices in other countries, you’ll need to submit your financial data to all relevant agencies in the countries in which you do business… in their primary languages.