Why Transcreation Does Much More Than Translation

By Joanne Chan

Translation v Transcreation

Translation is simply the re-writing of a document from one language to another. The terminology and tone of the original material should be maintained in the translated version. The final text should not only be linguistically correct but also take into consideration any cultural nuances.

With businesses going global and opening multiple markets across several continents now easier than ever before, it is more important than ever for brands to have their documents and marketing materials translated accurately. Mistakes are always costly. They can easily be the big difference between success and failure for a brand in a particular territory.

This is where transcreation comes in.

Transcreation goes beyond translation

Transcreation is content translation infused with creative writing — to deliver that emotional connection with target audiences in their own language. The end product of a transcreated content is that both the branding and marketing messages are culturally adapted for its new audience.

This is why transcreation goes much further than a straightforward translation. The tone, emotion and context need to suit the target language and its audience perfectly. The branding and marketing messages must engage and appeal to the target audience, whilst still maintaining the original brand message.

Transcreation is a way for global brands to guard against cultural faux pas - all too easy to make if careful market research has not been undertaken. It is for this reason that transcreation is intrinsic to most global marketing campaigns these days.

When things get lost in translation

There are many reasons why the nuance of a marketing message can get lost in a straightforward and literal translation. There are also countless examples where the translation has simply not been correct.

If anything, it is such errors that serve as the clearest reminder there is of the importance of transcreation services. They, of course, can raise a smile and cause a chuckle. Indeed, some mistakes can be laugh-out-loud funny. But, the joke is most definitely on your brand if it makes such an error.

You most certainly won't be laughing if this error was made to your brand - and any such mistake can be very costly indeed.

Global fried-chicken giants KFC got off to a sticky start as they opened their first branches in China in the late 1980s. Somehow the famous slogan "Finger Lickin' Good" was translated into "Eat your fingers off" - a far less appetising tagline!

In the end, it could be argued that KFC's blunder didn't prove to be too costly for the brand - 20 years later there are now over 4,000 KFC branches across China. However, sometimes translation errors can be very expensive.

Take HSBC for example. In 2009 the bank went global with its US campaign "Assume Nothing." Unfortunately, in many territories this was translated as "Do Nothing." All in all and to cut a long story short, HSBC ended up spending $10million to change its tagline to "The world's private bank."

Browse the internet and you'll find no shortage of funny examples of when translation goes badly wrong - from the New Zealand restaurant proudly claiming to be "Open seven days a week, and weekends too" to the Paris dress shop selling "Dresses for street walking."

When to use which

Translation scope: Technical, Legal, Financial, Engineering, Factual content etc. 

Transcreation scope: Branding, Marketing, Creatives, Consumer-driven content etc.

If you are planning on going global with your brand and business, and want to connect and engage your target audiences in their preferred language, transcreation is something you should consider for your global branding and marketing programs, right down to transcreating information about your service or product.

The branding message of your brand, its colloquial appeal and particular nuances need transcreation more than translation to succeed in a new overseas market.

Original post of this article can be found here.

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About IPPWORLD

As a LSP (language service provider), IPPWORLD helps hospitality, travel and lifestyle brands and businesses go global with transcreation expertise. Transcreation — creative translation — provided by IPPWORLD delivers end-to-end management of localized, contextualized content for your website, as well as brand and marketing campaigns. Transcreation into multiple global languages drives conversions, grows revenue and builds brand loyalty. 

Pop round to www.ippworld.com, or connect with Joanne on Linkedin for an insider’s take on how IPPWORLD has helped its Clients increased their global branding awareness, customer loyalty and that all-important ROI.