Translation is the process of translating words or text from one language into another. One essential part of a successful translation is making sure that the true meaning of the text of the source language is not lost in translation — literally. And the other core part is transcreation services done by professional translators or transcreators.
This is especially important in marketing and advertising campaigns. Why?
Marketers and copywriters spend not hours, but days perfecting a short sentence or phrase. Choosing the right words is crucial. Selecting the right imagery is key.
They have to ensure that:
- The copy packs a punch
- The imagery is accurate
- The marketing message is clear
- The brand tone and style comes through
- The target audience can relate to it on a greater level
This requires a professional who has both great experience and skills with the two languages and good marketing skills to re-create it the best way possible.
This is called transcreation.
What is the difference between translation and transcreation?
Transcreation refers to creatively translating marketing materials, whereas translation has a much broader meaning. Translation is about producing an accurate and idiomatic rendering of the original text.
It is key to make sure your company stays clear of poor transcreation work. It can not only damage the image of your brand, but also burn marketing budget and withholds you from reaching your campaign goals.
Here are some good and bad examples of translation and transcreation and translation works, Take a look so that you can learn from the mistakes of others instead of making them yourself.
Example of Poor Transcreation Services Work
Looks pretty smart right?
Unless you’re deeply rooted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) culture, it’ll be nearly impossible to know that this is incredibly disrespectful to their country.
People were fumed when these pair of Puma were launched by marketers who had eyes gleaming with excitement that was soon doused with furious backlash.
Here’s why.
There’s a cultural history of associating the feet and anything that touches the floor as being unclean in the UAE. This helps explain why people weren’t too happy with the idea of a foreign brand making a pair of sports shoes out of their national flag.
Example of Successful Transcreation Services Work
Example of Coca Cola translation and transcreation campaign success
Remember that Coca-Cola creative translation campaign that put common names on the cans and bottles for customers to buy?
Well, that didn’t just apply to English-speaking countries.
Coca-Cola used Vietnamese actors in its ads for the country, filmed in Vietnam with iconic scenery in the background and even wraps things up with common Vietnamese names on the side of its drinks.
If you’re a Vietnamese, you’d get it too.
Example of Poor Translation Work
A while back, presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton gave Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, a gift representing a “resetting” of the relationship between the U.S. and Russia.
But instead of saying “reset” in Russian as was intended, the translation on the gift said “overcharge” in Russian. Needless to say, it was a bit embarrassing for the U.S. government.
This huge hiccup could have been avoided easily if they had a professional translator in their arsenal. When it comes to important things like this, it is better to be safe and sure than sorry.
Example of Successful Translation Work
A simple example of translating English to Swedish.
Source language: “All you really need to do is spin the wheels, bet your money, and keep your fingers crossed.”
Correct target language: “Allt du behöver göra är att snurra hjulen, lägga dina bets och hålla tummarna.”
Incorrect target language: “Allt du behöver göra är att sätta hjulen i rullning, betta dina pengar och krossa dina fingrar.”
Where to find good transcreation services
As mentioned in the beginning, a good translator does not mean they are the right choice for a transcreation project. It calls for a greater demand in other skills in the marketing, design, literature aspect — just to name a few.
Here at Translated Right, we have a team of over 5000+ professional and experienced translators. We put a stringent and detailed interviewing process so that you can hire only the best-qualified person for your specific transcreation project.
Our transcreation services can be of service to over 50 languages including English, Chinese, Malay, Tamil, Japanese, French and more.
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