Want to reach out to the Asian and Hispanic markets? You’re not alone, and for good reason. The buying power of the Hispanic market alone has been estimated at over $600 billion.

PNC Bank just conducted a specific media campaign aimed at the Hispanic media when they launched their Grow Up Great school readiness program in the Washington, D.C. area. But companies are not only looking to reach consumers at the grassroots level, they are targeting potential employees. Direct sellers such as Herbalife, Princess House and Yves Rocher are discovering that the greatest potential for growth in their sales force will be in ethnic markets.

These companies are all tailoring their press releases to reach these markets and they all have the same question.

Do you need to translate press releases into Spanish or other languages in order to reach ethnic media?

According to the Hispanic Marketing and Communications Association, if you are trying to reach a U.S.-based publication, the answer is a resounding YES!

Why? Because a translated release demonstrates several key issues that can help get your message published.

Manuel Ruiz, president and CEO of Hispanic PR Wire told the HMCA that:

1. Translated releases help Spanish-only and bilingual media use press releases with fewer hindrances
2. They communicate that you care and are sensitive
3. They minimize common translation errors that can hurt you or your client
4. Translated releases help Latino media save their time and/or money that may be necessary for some of their own outsourcing

Ruiz also advises companies to work with actual translators as opposed to translation software and to avoid trying to “regionalize” dialects.

“Spanish regionalisms typically limit the appeal of your release and make it susceptible to misinterpretations. It can create problems because in some countries certain words mean the exact opposite of what they do in others. In some cases, those words are considered foul language,” Ruiz wrote.

The images of Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath have motivated many companies to mobilize relief efforts and charitable giving from their employees. Companies like Ben & Jerry’s, Once Upon A Child and others are donating portions of sales revenue to various charities.

While the intentions of these companies are honorable, some may feel reluctant to publicize their relief programs for fear of appearing to take advantage of a tragedy in order to gain some good publicity.

But if you look at online media sites, the Milwaukee Business Journal for example, and traditional news publications, you’ll see plenty of lists that not only provide company names but offer details about their specific programs.

So while avoiding publicity of a company’s hurricane relief efforts is admirable, other companies should not feel uncomfortable in letting the media and public know about what they are doing particularly if the public can help by visiting stores and purchasing items.

The papers want to share this information and the public wants to know how they can help. The public also wants to know that companies where their families or friends work care. It has also been demonstrated that companies “do well by doing good” – this is the basis of the surge in cause marketing that we’ve seen over the past few years.

A key point, however, is that companies need to be respectful of the tragic circumstances and human toll that Hurricane Katrina has wrought upon that region and the country.

Pinch-A-Penny reissued a press release about hurricane preparedness that avoided being cavalier by emphasizing the point that the hurricane season was only halfway over. It was also issued to states and regions that were not directly impacted by Hurricane Katrina but were still in danger of seeing a hurricane in the future. In this way, the company wisely positioned their advice as a means to potentially avoid some of the property damage that a hurricane can inflict.