Creative translation, also known as transcreation, has become a prerequisite to succeed in the international market and to appeal to new target audiences. But did you know Transcreation, is a term derived from combining “translation” and “creation.” These days, global companies have to evaluate the cultural dimensions of their target market, understand the consumer’s attitude, beliefs, and behavior, and then tailor their marketing campaigns accordingly to create an impact in the target market.
International companies want to connect with their target audience through International marketing and in a meaningful way through communication, and this communication could be established through the transcreation process. Standard translation is not enough to convey the complete message. You need a transcreation process to carry out your message more appropriately.
But the question is what is transcreation? Read this blog further to know about what trans creation is and why it is important
What is Transcreation?
Transcreation is a process that takes the original message from the source language and conveys it in the target language, ensuring that the text in the target language keeps the original vocal tone, style, intent, and emotional salience.
Transcreation is a combination of discipline and art, interpretation, and translation. The transcreation process helps to re-evaluate the marketing material produced for the local market and configures it accordingly to appeal to the target audience.
It is a specialist kind of translation service that is designed for instances where creative language gets lost through direct translation. In transcreation, the goal is to achieve the desired response from the target audience. Transcreation is a creative translation that goes beyond the simple translation of the text.
Why is Transcreation important?
Did you know that the translation service market is projected to grow USD 47.21 billion by 2030. And that has a major impact on transcreation as well. As you know the collective thinking and characteristics of each culture are broad and diverse. Translating from word to word will not allow the message to reach the target audience. Companies need various ways to speak to people.
Transcreation comes into play and is essential because while transcreating content from one language, there can be many cultural references involved, like philosophy to their traditions, background, and sense of humor. The transcreation process involves translated ideas, concepts, and emotions with it.
While doing the transcreation process, professional translators make sure that the message behind the words reaches the target audience and provokes the same feelings in the target audience of any country.
One of the most classic examples of not using the transcreation process happened with KFC. This fast-food restaurant chain transitioned into the Chinese market and decided on a literal translation. And this was not the perfect idea to use when doing international marketing.
The slogan of KFC in English: “Finger licking good” became “Eat your fingers off in Mandarin”. Mistakes like this demonstrate the importance of the transcreation process and the need to understand the difference between translation and the transcreation process.
A poorly executed transcreation can cause damage to the marketing of a product and block access to the international market.
What is the difference between translation and transcreation?
Both the translation and transcreation services are characterized by specific features which are entirely different from each other and meet different objectives. Here is an overview of the differences between translation and transcreation.
Objective
The objective of translation is to translate content that can be understood and does not have linguistic disparities. On the other hand, the objective of the transcreation process is to preserve the intention and emotion conveyed by the original message, while adapting to the needs, culture, and customs of the target audience.
Mode of Operation
The translation process is limited to text, whereas transcreation takes into consideration specific elements, such as typography, visual layout, formatting, colors, and design. All these aspects must be taken into account and should be adapted according to the target audience.
Templates
The translation covers a range of content, like literary works, business documents, and technical translations(legal, medical, technical). On the other hand, the transcreation process is used for slogans, product names, advertising, and film posters.
Necessary qualifications
Professional transcreators must know creative translation and should have solid marketing skills. Professional transcreators for the transcreation process must understand every aspect of the source and target language and must have a thorough knowledge of the culture.
Whereas a professional translator should have a piece of cultural bits of awareness, and also should have a high degree of mastery of the source and target language as well as experiences in a specific industry, like technical translation or medical translation.
Time and Cost
Transcreation is known as more time-consuming and expensive than translation, as it requires creative translation. Standard translation is less costly compared to the Transcreation process because it only involves word-to-word translation. So due to the highly specialized nature of the transcreation service, it is a bit expensive.
If you have a project that needs a Professional transcreation service, Naarg Data Media Services is the perfect option. So, if you wish to discuss a project involving a transcreation process, reach us at info@naargmedia.com for more knowledge about our services.
