In today‘s globalized world, the effective way of communicating your message is crucial for each brand. To have an excellent reputation and raise awareness, you need to connect emotionally with your target audience, gain their trust and loyalty. To achieve this, we use the power of words. Depending on the purpose, we can use translation, localization, transcreation. In this post we will examine 2 approaches–translation and transcreation. While both share the common goal of conveying information from one language to another, they serve different purposes and require distinct skill sets.
Let’s dive in and see the fundamental differences in terms of definition, purpose, application, process, and time.
Definition:
Translation is converting the meaning of a written message (text) from one language to another. The English word “translation” derives from the Latin word translatio, which comes from trans, “across” + ferre, “to carry” or “to bring”.
Transcreation is a term that comes from combining the words “translation” and “creation”. It is adapting content from one language to another while maintaining the existing tone, intent, and style. They often consider it as a type of copywriting.
Purpose:
Translation focuses more on linguistic conversion and on the accuracy of the text and relaying the meaning of the text to foreign-speaking audiences with as many details as possible and with great clarity. Its purpose is to inform the audience, and it strictly adheres to the literal source text and its style intention.
On the other hand, transcreation often means completely adapting the content so that it resonates better with the foreign culture. This method enables translators to use their own creativity and cultural knowledge to create content that resonates with the audience as if a native speaker of the target language had created it. Its purpose is to motivate, engage or persuade the audience. It does not adhere to the original text however, the last message needs to have the same effect even if expressed differently. Transcreation involves cultural adaptation, ensuring that the message aligns with local cultural nuances and norms.
Application:
Translation is suitable for the following texts:
Technical Documents: Manuals, guides, legal contracts, data sheets, and other technical documents require precise translation to keep their accuracy and ensure clarity.
Medical documents and life science: Medical devices’ operating instructions, leaflets, medical equipment installation guides, patient-facing documents, clinical studies require accurate and almost word-for-word translation as any additional or mistranslated information can be fatal.
Official and Legal Matters: Birth certificates, legal contracts, and government documents should be translated with no deviation from the original content to maintain their legal validity.
Transcreation is suitable for the following texts.
Branding: Adapting brand names, taglines, headlines, and slogans to foreign markets requires transcreation to evoke the same emotional response as the original document.
Marketing and Advertising: To launch successful global marketing campaigns, transcreation is essential to customize messages and slogans to the specific cultural preferences and needs of the target audience.
Creative Content: Poems, creative writing, and advertising material that rely heavily on wordplay, puns or cultural references often benefit from transcreation to maintain their intended impact.
Process and time:
In translation in best case scenario we can get a style guide, a list of “Do not Translate” terms and a glossary or the translation memory of the client. We can have the source text as visual to follow it. The time can vary depending on the project and it is usually less time-consuming compared to transcreation.
For transcreation it is a must to receive a transcreation brief from the client. Even if we do not receive it, we need to ask for one or create one as it is of utmost importance before starting the process. It contains the key information that the transcreator needs. Usually, transcreation is much more time consuming as it is a way of copywriting. Bear in mind that conveying a slogan or tagline can take hours to ensure the message is conveyed properly and will emotionally engage with the target audience.
In conclusion, both translation and transcreation are indispensable tools for effective cross-cultural communication. The choice between the two depends on the purpose of the content and the desired outcome.
Adriana Nesheva ([email protected]), an English to Bulgarian translator for beauty and fashion brands.