Do you need a translation but require it tailored to a specific sector, industry or even country?
What you want is transcreation, or creative translation. Imagine a translator and a copywriter in one happy package. Creative translation and marketing go hand-in-hand, and for one good reason: it works.
Translation (and therefore your translator) is judged on its accuracy and faithfulness to the original text. Good translators don’t just translate, they read, research and cross-reference to validate their hard work.
Transcreation, however, is judged on the impact and emotional pull it has on its target audience. Good transcreators also read, research and cross-reference, respecting aspects such as the culture, heritage and values of the target language. Then they get creative, to deliver the message in an engaging and effective way.
The aim of transcreation is to take the context, emotion and style of the original text and reproduce it in another language or for a particular specific market. As a result, transcreation is fundamental in international marketing.
Take Coca-Cola. When it entered China in 1928, it didn’t simply transliterate its name. It chose four characters, 可口可乐 (kěkǒu kělè), that sound like the original but mean something like “a delight to the mouth”. Same sound, new message, perfectly suited to its market. That’s transcreation.
When it comes to international marketing, don’t just translate it, transcreate it.