When “Dirty Dancing” becomes “Danse lascive“, or “Scary Movie” turns into “Film de peur“, it’s clear we’ve got a problem… That’s where transcreation comes in!
A badly adapted film title, an album cover whose original message has been lost… Sound familiar? You’ve probably already experienced a lack of transcreation.
But what exactly is transcreation? Why is it so crucial in international marketing? And how can it become a real strategic lever for your brand? In this article, we explain it all!
Transcreation vs. translation: what’s the difference?
Transcreation: understanding the creative and linguistic process
The mission of transcreation is to completely recreate an original message in another language in a way that evokes the same emotional impact. By definition, transcreation is a process that goes far beyond simple translation. It combines cultural adaptation, creative rewriting and strategic thinking to convey the same intent, tone and emotion as in the source language, whilst also adapting to local expectations.
This is why it is often entrusted to language experts with a more hybrid skillset – specialist translators with a strong grasp of marketing or native copywriters with a command of several cultures. At SwissTranslate, our 3,000 language experts not only translate into their native language, but also specialise in a particular field of activity, such as audiovisual, communication or legal.
How do you decide whether you need translation or transcreation?
Translation or transcreation? The dividing line may seem blurred, but it should become clear when you consider the objective of your message. A traditional translation is perfectly suited to informative, technical or legal documents where faithfulness to the source text is paramount. On the other hand, transcreation should be considered for content with a high emotional or marketing value.
Advertising slogans, product names, home pages, newsletters, social networking campaigns… These are all forms of media where a simple translation is not enough. In other words, whenever there is a need to convince, seduce or convey a strong message, transcreation marketing is the best choice. This way, you can target each specifc market, whilst still respecting the brand’s identity.
Transcreation marketing: a strategic approach for brands
In the age of globalisation, companies are increasingly feeling the need to adapt their communications to multicultural audiences. Transcreation marketing is becoming an essential strategic lever for brands that want to go global without losing their identity.
Unlike a simple linguistic adaptation, transcreation is part of a carefully considered localisation strategy: every word, reference and image has been designed to maximise the resonance of the message in a given culture. This results in greater public engagement, enhanced differentiation and a stronger impact on target markets.
By turnng to a transcreation expert like SwissTranslate, companies can invest in a high value-added service that respects both the brand’s identity and the cultural specificities of each country.
The key elements of successful transcreation
The importance of marketing creativity for successful transcreation
Successful transcreation relies above all on a creative marketing flair. It’s not simply a question of rephrasing a message in another language, but of rethinking it entirely, respecting the original intention whilst adapting it to the target audience. Every word counts and must resonate on a local level.
In this context, transcreation marketing calls on specific skills at the intersection of copywriting, content strategy and translation. The aim is to identify the emotional drivers behind the message and convey them in a style that is relevant, impactful and consistent with the brand’s personality.
The importance of cultural adaptation in the transcreation process
One of the pillars of transcreation is cultural adaptation. A campaign that is brilliant in one country may be totally misunderstood, or even inappropriate, in another. Take, for example, the storm of criticism that Pepsi faced when they tried to translate their slogan “Come alive with the Pepsi generation”. In Chinese, it was translated as “Pepsi brings your ancestors out of their graves”. The Chinese, who treat their dead with a great deal of respect, did not appreciate the joke.
Local references, cultural sensitivities, humour and graphic codes can vary considerably from one market to another. That’s why good transcreation isn’t just about language – it also takes into account cultural values, consumer habits and even taboos.
Transcreation: a more creative and targeted approach
Where translation seeks above all to respect the meaning of the source text, transcreation takes liberties to better reach the target audience. This approach is particularly suited to content with a high emotional value, such as slogans, advertising campaigns, newsletters and videos.
Thanks to its more creative, strategic and targeted approach, transcreation marketing helps you to increase engagement, create a real connection with consumers and ensure a consistent message across several markets. For ambitious brands, it represents a crucial added value in their internationalisation strategy.
How can transcreation marketing add value to your strategy?
Transcreation for more impactful international communication
In the age of globalisation, brands can no longer be satisfied with simply translating their messages literally. To be truly impactful, international communication must be conceived in each language as an original creation, aligned with local values and conventions. This is precisely what transcreation does.
By adapting the tone, cultural references and intention of the message, transcreation marketing guarantees an equivalent emotional impact in each target market. This results in better brand recall, a higher rate of engagement, and an image that is perceived as local and authentic.
The transcreation of the Harry Potter saga for other countries is a perfect illustration of the importance of successful creative transposition. When Jean-François Ménard, the French translator, and Gallimard had to adapt the title of the first volume, they felt that the “Philosopher’s Stone” would not be meaningful for young French readers. Thus, the title became Harry Potter à l’école des sorciers, a strategic decision that reflects a concrete application of transcreation. Similarly, the title was changed to to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for the American market, for similar reasons of comprehension and audience appeal.
Transcreation to optimise multilingual SEO visibility
Search engine optimisation is a cornerstone of any successful digital strategy, but when it comes to addressing several markets, a simple word-for-word translation is not enough. To capture the attention of international internet users, you need to go further – incorporate idiomatic expressions, local keywords and queries that are actually used in each local search engine. This is precisely where transcreation comes into its own.
Unlike traditional translation, transcreation marketing creates multilingual content that doesn’t just translate – it is designed for local SEO. This involves keyword research specific to each language, as well as adapting titles, meta descriptions and calls to action. The difference between transcreation and translation becomes clear – only the former can combine cultural relevance and SEO performance.
Let’s take the example of a company specialising in hiking boots. In French, the main keyword would naturally be “chaussures de randonnée”, literally translated into German as “Wanderschuhe”. However, German internet users would be more likely to search for “Trekking Schuhe” in the search bar. A traditional translation would miss the brand’s traffic. With transcreation, the content is truly optimised for the local market, with terms adapted to the specific vocabulary and search intentions, which significantly boosts visibility on search engines.
How professional transcreation helps global marketing campaigns to be more effective
All the most successful global brands have one thing in common – they know how to speak to their audiences as if they were local, while remaining true to their global identity. To achieve this, they rely on transcreation as a marketing performance lever.
By making each message more relevant, more fluid and more in tune with the expectations of the target audience, transcreation marketing can significantly improve key indicators, such as click-through rates, conversions and engagement. It helps you avoid cultural clumsiness and unclear or uninspiring messages.
The stages of a transcreation project
The research and cultural analysis phase: the keys to success
Any successful marketing transcreation begins with an in-depth research phase. This involves analysing cultural references, local sensitivities, consumer habits and any connotations associated with certain terms or visuals.
This cultural analysis is essential to avoid making a faux pas, but above all, to adapting the message in a relevant and impactful way. It is this detailed understanding of the context that enables global content to be adapted into a localised, authentic and emotionally powerful message.
Collaboration with local experts to ensure relevant transcreation
To ensure that the message is accurate, it is essential to work with native experts, such as translators specialising in marketing, multicultural copywriters or local consultants. These professionals bring a detailed understanding of the target audience’s expectations, a mastery of linguistic subtleties and an ability to reformulate without losing the message. Their work ensures that a transcreation is fluid, natural and, above all, aligned with the cultural codes of the target market. It is this collaborative effort that transforms a universal message into a personalised experience.
Revision and validation: ensuring that the transcreated message is faithful to the original intention
Once the content has been transcreated, there is an equally crucial stage: revision and validation. This ensures that the final text respects the original intention of the brand, while remaining relevant at a local level. This phase generally involves a back-and-forth between the marketing team and the language experts, to adjust the tone, wording or references if necessary. The aim is to find the perfect balance between local creativity and faithfulness to the source message, to ensure consistent communication across all markets.
Using a professional translation agency for a transcreation project
How can a professional translation agency help you?
Thanks to its expertise in multilingual project management, a professional transcreation agency can help you adapt your messages to different markets while maintaining the consistency of your brand identity. On top of its linguistic skills, the agency provides you with advanced technological tools, a network of specialist translators and the strategic expertise to maximise the impact of your content on a global scale
At SwissTranslate, we place particular importance on working with translators who are native speakers of your target language and experts in their field. This enables us to offer you tailor-made language services.
The expertise of a professional translation agency in managing multilingual projects
For complex multilingual projects, a professional translation agency is your partner of choice for efficiently coordinating transcreation across several languages and markets. It has dedicated project managers capable of managing tight deadlines and budgets, and overseeing the entire translation and transcreation adaptation process. By working with local experts, the agency ensures that each version of the message evokes the same emotion as the original message, while optimising SEO results and guaranteeing consistency across different languages.
Quality management: a strict control process in transcreation
Quality management is at the heart of every transcreation project carried out by our professional translation agency. Rigorous quality controls are in place to ensure that the transcreated message is not only faithful to the original intention, but also effective locally. These include editing and proofreading by local experts, checking terminology choices and verification of the text’s adherance to the cultural and marketing expectations of the target market by native experts in the relevant geographical area.
With this strict control process, SwissTranslate guarantees results of impeccable quality, enabling your brand to position itself optimally in all international markets.