Transcreation

We have a dedicated Marketing Transcreation team to recreate your marketing and advertising texts in a new language, rather than just translate the source version.

We have specialised in translating software, online help, user documentation and collateral for nearly 20 years. We have also successfully produced, and still produce, marketing text in a number of languages for customers such as GE, SAP, Toshiba, Siemens, Fujitsu, Digidesign, Sepura, LANDesk, Enerjy and Bango.

Marketing text is designed to communicate a message in a certain way, so a straightforward translation may not always be effective or appropriate. There also tends to be a time pressure associated with translation of this nature - translations are needed urgently, but actually require more time. It is, therefore, easy to understand why on occasions the message does not have the same impact in the target language. There are many advertising slogans which would not easily translate into a different language, for example:

'Heineken reaches the parts that other beers cannot reach'
'Beanz Meanz Heinz'
'Hello Tosh - want a Toshiba?'

A different approach is thus required for the best results, and this approach is often referred to as 'transcreation'.

Marketing text needs to appeal to people's senses rather than their rational intellect. As it must work on all levels, it is highly subjective. The transcreation approach is therefore a creative, subjective, emotive process, and needs to involve all participants, including:

  • The originators of the source text
  • The central location
  • The transcreators
  • The in-country marketing teams

It is clear that transcreation demands more of everyone both in time and effort, all of which impacts on cost. The benefit of effective transcreation, though, is that you can be sure that the message you are sending in all your markets is designed for maximum impact.

Four steps to successful transcreation

  1. Work is carried out by translators/ copywriters who are experienced in transcreating advertising materials
  2. They are given basic training in your products with specific briefs for each "campaign" or "item"
  3. They are assigned a contact in-country with whom they can liaise. They work together to provide specific glossaries, style guides, general guidelines or annotations
  4. A "round-table" conference call involving all participants takes place before each "campaign" or translation begins