The language issue caused by globalization comes to the forefront in many areas. The need for translation has increased as businesses target people who don’t speak the same language. However, translation falls short of overcoming this language barrier in some cases. At this point, transcreation comes to the rescue.
Transcreation is the merger of two words: translation and creation. It aims to go beyond translation and eliminate cultural differences. Transcreation service, which stands out especially in marketing and advertising, reconstructs the message that constitutes the core of the source text in the target language and culture. In other words, unlike translation and localization, the intended message is recreated to evoke the same thoughts and feelings in the target audience.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TRANSLATION,LOCALIZATION,AND TRANSCREATION
Translation is the rendering of a source text into the target language. Localization is the translation of some source text elements by adapting them to the target language and culture. However, the prominent factor in both translation and localization is faithfulness to the source text in terms of style and format. When localization and translation services fail to achieve the customer’s purpose, transcreation service offers a solution. Creativity is an essential element that distinguishes transcreation from translation and localization. Although the re-creation process proceeds entirely in line with the customer’s demands, it does not impose any limits on the person providing the transcreation service.
Another difference is that translation and localization start with the source text, while transcreation begins with a creative brief. Like a translator, the person providing this service needs to be proficient in both the target and source language but is not subject to any restrictions as long as they consider the creative brief.
In summary, while translation is sufficient in technical fields such as law and medicine, transcreation service comes into play when creativity becomes prominent, such as in movies, advertising, or video games.
EXAMPLES OF TRANSCREATION
We often encounter transcreation examples in our daily lives, even if we do not realize it. For example, when you watch a foreign movie at the cinema, you may notice there is no connection between the film’s original name and its translation. When the movie The Hangover was translated into Turkish, the title was recreated to evoke the same feelings in the target audience.
One can consider two examples to emphasize the importance of a transcreation service: HSBC and Apple. Both companies wanted to expand their target audiences, but one lost millions of dollars due to a simple mistake: choosing the wrong service. HSBC’s slogan “Assume nothing” was lost in translation and rendered as “do nothing” into target languages. By getting transcreation services, the company could have managed a successful campaign by re-creating the slogan according to the target audience. This mistake cost HSBC ten million dollars.
On the other hand, Apple has done its research correctly and understands the importance of transcreation services. Apple’s famous slogan, “Small Talk”, was re-created in the target languages. The slogan, which was revised for different audiences, has taken the meanings of “she already knows how to speak” in Spanish and “speaks little, does more” in French. While the slogan differs in all languages, its message is the same: admiration for the capacity of such a small device.
If you want to grow your business by reaching wider audiences, contact us! The young and dynamic Mirora team, which knows no limits in creativity, has been interpreting your thoughts and feelings for a quarter of a century!
