What is Transcreation and Why Do You Need It?

The analysis of a strong localization strategy guarantees that marketing communication is relevant to several cultural boundaries, language preferences, and customer needs. The process of localization is one of the most important aspects of globalization, and it includes a form of translation known as transcreation.

What is Transcreation in Translation?

Lots of people ask, what is transcreation? It involves the process of ensuring the content has been translated in a way that meets the readers’ style, tone, and passion without compromising on the culture of the receiving end. Transcreation is an advanced and nuanced form of translation that goes beyond mere word-for-word conversion. Unlike traditional translation, which focuses on linguistic accuracy, transcreation involves a comprehensive adaptation process. This includes reimagining the original message’s tone, style, and context to resonate with the target audience’s cultural and emotional sensibilities.

To understand what is transcreation in translation–make sure to choose a professional like Circle Translation. They understand that the core intent, nuances, and impact of the original content are preserved while making it engaging for a different cultural context. Transcreation is very important in marketing advertising, as well as for any content where keeping the original message’s effectiveness is important across diverse linguistic landscapes.

Transcreation vs. Translation

While translation focuses on converting text from one language to another, transcreation goes a step further by adapting the content to fit cultural and contextual nuances, ensuring the message resonates deeply with the target audience.

Message and Tone

Transcreation and translation are processes of transforming contents from one language into another and are similar in this sense. Therefore, transcreation combines with the translation process to ensure that it adjusts the content to fit the cultural and contextual considerations of the intended audience.

Creative License

Compared to pure translation, creative translation is transcreation, which implies a great deal of freedom to create. Transcreators are allowed to do so, but sometimes, they will have to make substantial changes to the work they are translating. It can mean rewriting, in other words, enriching by incorporating new details or ironing out the details that are not easily comprehensible in a new culture.

Cost and Expertise

Transcreation requires more creativity and cultural sensitivity than regular translation. Therefore, it is used in instances that require creativity and cultural sensitivity in translation. This complexity, most of the time, raises the cost of the process. The transcreator has to be well acquainted with the native language in both languages and must be conscious of the literal translation that has been undertaken.

What is Transcreation and its Process?

Team Selection

It is recommended that native speakers be hired for recreation and copywriting as they are usually good at copywriting.

Understanding Content

Understand the content deeply rather than its literal translation.

Detailed Brief

Develop a detailed document that contains creative translations and elements that should not be modified.

Content Creation

Create new content that fits with the cultural context and corresponds to the objectives of the clients.

Testing and Feedback

Always get a sample audience to review the content to check its efficiency.

Why Transcreation Matters in Global Marketing

Transcreation is a concept that must be thoroughly understood in the field of marketing and, more broadly, international communication as it differs from the mere translation of texts, which involves translating a particular message from one language to another while maintaining the rhetorical features of the original message.

What is transcreation in translation? Let’s understand it better.

Transcreation is different from direct translation because it helps to convey the message in a non-literal but culturally appropriate manner that would be more appealing to the target audience.

Furthermore, this process involves properly writing messages to the target culture while ensuring that they embody the local standards of the source culture, which, in most cases, is the sender’s culture.

Some Better Transcreation Examples:

What is Transcreation’s Advantages and Disadvantages?

Advantages

• Ensures that the content generated is suited to the local audience.
• Creates more appealing content intending the target audience.
• Sticks to the brand’s real essence while accommodating the new culture of the different countries.

Disadvantages

• It usually costs more than standard translation services because of their complexity.
• Involves a higher level of detail and the creativity of the people working on it.

Companies Utilizing Localization Strategies

Many well-known brands like Coca-Cola, Nike, McDonald’s, and others around the world use transcreation services to advertise their marketing, jingles, and mottos. Transcreation is more than mere translation of the text as it favors the target market. This process ensures that the appeal, passion, and influencing methods used in the original message are kept intact during the creation of the final appeal while making the message relevant and appealing to the target market.

For instance, Coca-Cola’s global commercials are associated with the current situation, which involves local actors and cultural elements that are easily relatable by members of the targeted community. Nike’s “Just Do It” has been translated into another language, fit for the people of different countries with different esteem but with motivation to make the athletes go out there and compete.

McDonald’s, depending on regional cultural practices, adjusts its menus and advertisements; for instance, while the home country mainly offers burgers, the company caters to Indian veggie lovers and also incorporates Indian festivals into its products.

Why Circle Translation

With the selection of more than 120 languages through our services, our clients have marked a significant user base in their business growth. If you’re also confused about what is transcreation in translation, then check out the specialized team of Circle Translation.

References

Wang, J., & Li, M. (2024). Brand transcreation as multimodal configuration: The (re) making of text, context, and meaning in brand semiotics. Babel, 70(1-2), 89-110.