Achieving Translations That Resonate With Customers Through Transcreation

Why Choose Transcreation to Translate Creative Content?

Translating creative content is a challenge many organizations face. When your content uses figurative language, local or cultural references, idioms, and slogans, it’s simply not enough to perform a verbatim translation and expect all audiences to understand your message’s intent. Cultural and linguistic differences may deem even the most common phrases in one language ineffective in another.

Consider this example: Suppose you use the phrase “no use crying over spilled milk” in your English marketing materials. Translating this phrase literally into French won’t resonate with your French audience as well as the common French idiom “les carottes sont cuites,” which means “the carrots are cooked.” While both phrases imply that what’s done is done, the wording is entirely different. Who knew?!

When your message’s intent, style, and tone are more important than the actual words being used, it’s time to use Transcreation to achieve high-quality content that makes sense for your different audiences.

Collaborate Better with Back Translations

Transcreation allows linguists to veer away from word-for-word translations in exchange for entirely different yet more effective phrasing. The goal is to capture your message’s intent, style, and tone in a way that makes sense in the target locale.

The collaborative effort of transcreation is made possible with the addition of back translations. These are literal reverse translations of the transcreation provided by the linguist to explain to the customer what the phrase means in the target language.

Back translations aid in the collaboration effort and help the customer understand the creative liberties the linguist is taking. Back translations help customers who may not be familiar with the nuances of the target language understand why the linguist chose to use certain words or terms, especially when they’re drastically different from the source content.

Improve Quality with Multiple Transcreation Options

When a linguist is using Transcreation for creative content, they have more flexibility with word choice and phrasing. There may be a few different ways to convey the same message in the target language. Smartling’s Transcreation Tool allows a linguist to provide multiple variations for each string, allowing the customer to select the one they feel will work best with their brand’s style and voice.

Linguists may indicate their preferred translation if they feel one phrase may be stronger and better-suited than the alternatives. By providing a detailed style guide of your brand’s guidelines and preferences, the linguist can ensure they’re conveying the right message to your audience.

At the end of the day, it’s all about working together to develop creative, captivating content that resonates with the audience no matter their location or language.

To learn more about the value of Transcreation, check out Smartling’s recent webinar, “Commerce Leaders Must Pivot from Global to Multi-Local Experiences,” featuring Contentstack and Constructor.io.