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If you’re planning to distribute your products or services on foreign markets, keep in mind that people in other cultures have different needs, expectations, desires and demands and they react differently to the stimulation of marketing and communications. This is why an extremely effective text in the original language might not evoke the same emotions – and get the same results – with foreign readers.
Brochures, company presentations, marketing and promotional material, advertising campaigns, press releases, social network posts and websites are all types of texts for which even the best specialist translation might not be enough. They need something more, a combination of translation techniques and creativity. They need transcreation.
What is transcreation? This compound word deriving from translation and creation refers to a creative translation with a fresh, engaging style. It is increasingly used in the translation industry and for multi-language marketing. Transcreation is much more than a passing trend. It is a high value-added service that can pack a punch for your business.
Borrowing from copywriting, marketing and the advertising industry, transcreation is meant to evoke specific emotions and sensations in readers. Tugging at potential customers’ heartstrings, a transcreated text can engage, stimulate and persuade them. To this end, transcreation does not just convey the content of a source text but also remains true to the brand’s style, tone of voice and objectives.
Using linguistic devices, transcreators pull out all the stops to preserve, insofar as possible, plays on words, allusions and rhetorical devices like alliteration, which would be lost in a word-for-word translation. Additionally, transcreation may often entail reformulating sentences and reworking them to retain the communicative effectiveness of the source text. This can also be helpful for cultural references that are lesser known (or not known at all) in the target market, which are replaced with similar references that hold more meaning for readers.
This cultural adaptation is also used in the language service known as localization. However, whereas a localized text more closely follows the structure of the source text, transcreators may (or sometimes must) take more liberties. Transcreation goes beyond conveying the meaning of individual words and seeks to convey the brand’s intent, preserving the communicative effectiveness of the source text.
The translator unleashes all her creative flair to deliver a text that helps you achieve your business goals!
For effective transcreation that meets the client’s expectations, the client and transcreator must first share all the relevant information.
The process starts with a briefing. If you decide to entrust me with the transcreation of your materials, I’ll ask you about your company (like details on your target clientele and your brand’s objectives), and for specific information about your product or service and how you are positioned on the market compared to your competitors.
Next, I will propose 3-4 different versions of the text and ask for feedback. Based on your feedback, we will select the version that you like best, and I will make any agreed changes so the final product fully meets your goals.
The transcreation process is more elaborate than a mere translation, so it generally takes more time. For details on this service, please contact me.
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