When Professional Transcreation Could Have Saved The Marketing Campaign
Translation, localisation and professional transcreation are common terms within the translation industry. Language Service Providers (LSPs) know the differences between their service offerings, but may not know the specific goals and requirements of your campaign. Hence, it is critical that international marketers request the most appropriate service when sending marketing content to a translation agency.
Understanding the nuanced terminology associated with the translation industry isn’t always the easiest thing to do. Therefore, here is what you need to know and why it matters for your global marketing campaign.
Translation is when content is directly deciphered word for word from one language into another language. There is little concern for the nuanced meanings behind the individual words, phrases and concepts being conveyed. Localisation is when the translation takes a step further through considering the nuanced meanings of the words. This is especially important for dialects and cultural differences between countries that speak the same root language.
A simple example: There is one word for all types of love in English. It’s just “love”. However, in Greek, there are four words for love, each one referring to a specific kind of loving bond:
Storge – empathy bond.
Philia – friend bond.
Eros – erotic bond.
Agape – unconditional “God” love.
To do a 1:1 translation of the word might result in the wrong type of love in a document. Imagine a greeting card company using an inappropriate term for a sympathy versus anniversary card. It’s times like this when professional localisation becomes rather important.
What is Professional Transcreation?
Professional transcreation is when the target materials seamlessly render the message of the source text. The process of transcreation not only ensures correct terminology, but also many other factors. This will ensure that the goals of the communication are in place. Specifically, transcreation experts will take into account several things. This includes history, culture, design, images, colour meanings, metaphoric references, colloquial, vernacular and idiomatic expressions of the audience.
It is important to think about and address unique references that are common for the original audience, but may not be clear for the target audience. For example, a common phrase in Northern climates is “white as snow”. However, for those living in a climate closer to the equator who have only seen snow on TV, this concept might not have the same impact as it does where freshly fallen snow is fairly common. In those climates, it might make more sense to say, “white as milk”.
But what do you do if all of your materials have images of snow? And if you reference to snow in many other ways in your materials? Those all need to be changed and adapted, not just to reference milk, but also to reflect the people you are trying to reach. You also don’t want to put pictures of milking cows or goats if the people drink coconut milk the majority of the time. THAT is professional transcreation.
What happens if you don’t properly transcreate your materials?
Well-known examples like Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) encouraging their new Chinese customers to “eat their fingers off” didn’t help their market penetration goals. Because their slogan “finger-lickin’ good” wasn’t contextually translated, there were embarrassing unintended consequences.
Or there is the instance when the American Dairy Association sent their “Got Milk?” campaign to Spanish-speaking countries, which they translated as “Are you Lactating?”. We suspect that the male market didn’t really appreciate or relate to that campaign and women may have been offended. A proper professional translation would have mitigated the problems with the first two examples.
Unfortunately, even excellent translation would not have helped Gerber launch its baby food in Africa. Gerber didn’t realise that in many African countries, such as Ethiopia, many people can’t read. Therefore, product labels typically have pictures of what is inside the product. They didn’t even think to change the product packaging and left the picture of the cute baby on the label!
In this case, they not only needed to translate and localise the labels, they also needed to transcreate it with proper images in order to succeed in the African market. There certainly weren’t any consumers looking to buy a baby in a tiny jar. That obviously was not the intended marketing message!
In short, professional transcreation sometimes needs further localisation to achieve the intended communication goals. Likewise, a document that has undergone excellent localisation may still need transcreation to provide a final deliverable in the same manner of the source. You also need to consider the complexity of your content and differences in original and target audiences when choosing the services that are most appropriate for your project.
Renaissance Translations’ Professional Transcreation Services
Your carefully designed product deserves a marketing campaign that will ensure a positive reception by the target audience. Don’t let your entry into new international markets become as iconic as some of the mistakes mentioned above.
Our experts offer professional transcreation services at affordable prices. We have provided our creative services for clients like Memac Ogilvy, Protiviti and Audi. Contact us to find out how we can transcreate your marketing materials for your maximum success.
