While both translation and transcreation consist of accurately conveying the meaning of a source language into a target language, transcreation, like its name implies, requires much creation or creativity by the translators.
Instead of the source text, a creative brief can be the starting point, and it sometimes requires active involvement and approval by the client before transcreation starts.
The skilled transcreation expert or copywriter will take creative liberties, make the necessary adaptations sometimes using new idioms and other cultural references in the target language, possibly changing names and places, and much more in order to make sure that the target language’s message resonate with the target language’s culture.
The look and feel of the material are also addressed during this process. The transcreator will provide expert advice to make sure imagery, colors and layouts resonate with the intended market.
All this will make the target message feel natural as it would have been originally crafted in the target language.
Why Should I Consider Transcreation Instead of Translation Services?
Especially when trying to make a work feel natural to an audience, you will want to choose transcreation. This is particularly important for marketing and advertising, as companies want to make themselves look in touch with their target audiences. Only translating your marketing materials can result in losses for your company when the marketing campaign falls flat.
Another field that typically requires trascreation rather than translation is the arts- literature, poetry, dramas, television, etc. In order for jokes to land, historical context to make sense, and names to flow and not jar audiences, transcreation must occur to localize the content to the audiences.
Benefits of Transcreation for my Content (especially for Marketing)
Can better SEOs (search engine optimization)
Shows your audience and clients that you care to communicate with them fluently in their native language
Builds your credibility as a company
Helps build loyalty as your services or products will resonate better with local audiences
Helps increase your sales
Helps your company be identified as one that is invested in the local community and speaking directly to them and their unique markets, populations, and needs
Avoiding potentially offending your audience
How Does Transcreation Differ From Localization?
Localization is more focused on smaller communities within a given language, like tailoring communication to particular regions or dialects. For example, English differs greatly between New Zealand and England, America and Scotland. In a similar way, Spanish differs from region to region across the globe as well. So while localization specifically changes language to blend into those locales, transcreation is more focused on the broader picture of reimagining communication from one language to another. A TV show or marketing campaign might reimagine character names to be more pronounceable and familiar to an audience who speaks the target language, but smaller details like regionally-specific idioms might be left out or traded for broader-spectrum idioms of the target language.
To learn more about transcreation services and explore how Language Concepts’ translation services can benefit you, feel free to visit us online.