Scandinavian fashion is all the rage at the moment, but have you ever been in a rage after bringing home an amazing new jumper, only to find out you don’t know how to wash it?

Fear not, for starting in 2014 the majority of clothing will contain material and washing instructions for all 23 languages of the EU member states. That means you’ll know how to wash your clothes in Spanish, German, French, Swedish and Polish, to name but a few.

The change comes after EU Regulation No. 1007/2011 – also known as Textile Fibre Names and Related Labelling and Marking of the Fibre Composition of Textile Products – which states: “the labelling or marking shall be provided in the official language or languages of the Member State on the territory of which the textile products are made available to the consumer, unless the Member State concerned provides otherwise.”

In other words, if the garment is available in Greece, it must contain instructions in Greek. However, given the impracticalities of halting the production line after every couple hundred of garments in order to attach a new label in a different language, they will most likely be printed with all 23 languages.

Although one can only imagine how large these labels will need to be (manufacturers are currently lobbying to make these labels into peel-off stickers instead), this is an important step to making consumers feel informed and confident about what they are buying.

Communicating with consumers in their language is important to engaging with a global customer base. Translating content can help build a lasting relationship with your brand and help grow your business.

In the meantime, if you need help washing your amazing new jumper you just picked up while on holiday in Italy, don’t hesitate to contact us. Through our global network of linguists with capabilities in over two hundred languages, Today Translations can provide a high level of professional translation service. If you would like to find out more about our services call us today on +44 (0) 207 397 2770 or email us at [email protected].