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Have you been exposed to a company advertisement or website that translated their message word-for-word and missed the mark, instead of focusing on the marketing translation? Google Translate does this for many websites because many companies do not have a specific website for a particular language. This is a huge problem as businesses try to enter new foreign markets. Their messages do not communicate the correct message because language is not based purely on word translation; it also involves cultural meaning, context, style, and connotation. Localization and a global marketing strategy are becoming key drivers for companies as globalization expands. Getting your message across in a word-for-word translation is the wrong approach, but transcreation can be the solution.
What is transcreation though? It’s relatively new actually and according to a variety of definitions, transcreation can be defined as a process of adapting a message from one language to another while maintaining its style, context, and tone. A multitude of marketing and advertising firms have noticed this gaffe many companies make. It’s not only small companies either; many large-cap companies have felt the effects of mistranslation. As a result, many offer a translation service that focuses on marketing-oriented translation and it is paying large dividends for clients.
Not just anyone can translate the marketing message into another language while keeping the same style, message and context. Transcreation will become a new buzzword in the international marketing sphere, so look out!
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