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English translation: In order to have a relationship with your customers, you need to know them

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:Pour avoir une relation avec ses clients… il faut les connaître !
English translation:In order to have a relationship with your customers, you need to know them
Entered by: Tony M

10:37 Oct 8, 2012
French to English translations [PRO]
Marketing - Internet, e-Commerce
French term or phrase: Pour avoir une relation avec ses clients… il faut les connaître !
This sentence is supposed to introduce a presentation on Online Customer Relationship
Olivier Lem
In order to have a relationship with your customers, you need to know them
Explanation:
There are several ways you might turn this.

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Note added at 7 mins (2012-10-08 10:44:39 GMT)
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It depends a little bit too on the tone and context within which this is said; it could have the connotation: "In order to be able to claim that you have a relationship..." or more confrontationally "You say you have a ... but ..."

Or freer, but perhaps more natural in EN:

"How can you have a relationship with your customers if you don't know them?"
Selected response from:

Tony M
France
Local time: 13:03
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +2In order to have a relationship with your customers, you need to know them
Tony M
4 +1Know your customer... the cornerstone of a good relationship
Kevin B. Shelton
3 +1Knowing your customers is an essential part of your relationship with them
Jane F
4If you don't know your customers...you can't have a relationship
Sarah Bessioud
3Know your customer well
Ronald van Riet
3To have a relationship with your customers... you first need to know who they are!
Terry Richards


  

Answers


5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
In order to have a relationship with your customers, you need to know them


Explanation:
There are several ways you might turn this.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 mins (2012-10-08 10:44:39 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

It depends a little bit too on the tone and context within which this is said; it could have the connotation: "In order to be able to claim that you have a relationship..." or more confrontationally "You say you have a ... but ..."

Or freer, but perhaps more natural in EN:

"How can you have a relationship with your customers if you don't know them?"

Tony M
France
Local time: 13:03
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 24
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
Notes to answerer
Asker: I love Jessica's second proposition. It's interactive. The "you say you have a ... but ..." is definitely the right context for the sentence.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jessica Edwards: Or "A relationship with your customers means getting to know them!", or "If you want a positive relationship with your customers, get to know them!".
5 mins
  -> Thanks, Jessica! yes, those are two good, natural options.
agree  Alistair_: yep, agree. don't forget the exclamation point at end!;)
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Alistair! I did actually leave it out deliberately, feeling that the changed sentence structure in EN didn't call for it in the same way as in FR. But why not?
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9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
Know your customer well


Explanation:
I would go for something short but strong, IMHO there's no need to translate every single word if the proper message is conveyed (unless of course in a press release when in principle every single word of the tile does need to be represented in the translation)

Ronald van Riet
Local time: 13:03
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Tony M: Agree with your principle, but I do think here that you have departed so far from the original that the meaning has changed too much; depends, of course, on what the PPT goes on to teach ;-)
10 mins
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20 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Knowing your customers is an essential part of your relationship with them


Explanation:
It depends a little on whether the presentation is oral or written. The short snappy translation is maybe better suited to a written presentation.

Jane F
France
Local time: 13:03
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tony M
12 mins
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
To have a relationship with your customers... you first need to know who they are!


Explanation:
Another option, particularly if the presentation then goes on to say how you can identify your customers or find out who is looking at your site.

Terry Richards
France
Local time: 13:03
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 16
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
If you don't know your customers...you can't have a relationship


Explanation:
How about turning it around in English?

If you don't know your customers, you can't expect a relationship.
If you don't know your customers, how can you have a relationship?

Sarah Bessioud
Germany
Local time: 13:03
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Know your customer... the cornerstone of a good relationship


Explanation:
Many answers here are good - I like this turn of phrasing - especially the idea of a cornerstone to a good customer relationship

Kevin B. Shelton
Canada
Local time: 07:03
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  MatthewLaSon: I like this, too. It's closest to the French, even though you have no exclamation point (not necessary from the way you turned it). In fact, translating it more literally would sound highly awkward in English.
51 mins
  -> Thank you!
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