Professional transcreation services
In Western culture, white symbolises purity. In China, the use of white is perceived in a radically different way because it represents mourning. From one person to another, or from one culture to another, the references are not the same. While the aim of a translation is to remain as faithful as possible to the source text, transcreation takes into account the cultural and linguistic references of the recipient of the message. Transcreation makes it possible to adapt a text to its intended audience, so that it is more accessible, more effective and, above all, customised to suit different linguistic and cultural markets.
What is transcreation?
Transcreation is a contraction of two English words: translation and creation. While translation remains scrupulously confined to the source text, transcreation involves focusing on the message in order to adapt it to the target market, particularly in terms of feel and emotion. The transcreator uses their imagination and knowledge of the target audience to make the message more appealing and personalised.
Transcreation requires in-depth linguistic knowledge and solid marketing skills, as well as knowledge of cultural references, idiomatic expressions, vocabulary used by the target audience, etc. In practice, this means retaining the tone and style, but above all the intention, of the original message and adapting it to a different audience. This exercise in style is part of a commercial approach.
The benefits of transcreation for your company
By translating your content, you can arouse the interest of your target audience by offering them a message in their mother tongue. For example, users are more inclined to buy from a site written in their own language. Transcreation goes beyond simple translation. By adapting your text culturally, transcreation allows you to reach your target audience more effectively, which encourages local consumption. By customising the presentation of your products or services to suit their culture, your audience will be more easily won over and convinced of the quality of what you have to offer.
Transcreation can also give you the opportunity to move into promising markets and expand your business around the world. Investing in the transcreation of your content also enables you to remain competitive and position yourself as a market leader compared with companies that do not make this investment. Ultimately, this strengthens your company’s credibility and success.
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Areas of application for transcreation
Swisstranslate offers reliable transcreation services for all your content (print, online, video, etc). Transcreation can be applied in a wide variety of fields, but they are all grouped around the themes of commerce, marketing and advertising. It reaches the target audience more effectively and makes the message more impactful, while respecting the brand’s core values and identity.
In particular, e-commerce sites need to be adapted so that all consumers can access the site in their mother tongue. Linguistic differences are not the only factor to be taken into account. For example, there are differences between American English and British English, with different vocabulary and variations in punctuation and spelling; the same is true of Canadian English. France and Quebec, despite having two French-speaking populations, also do not have the same vocabulary.
Transcreation is also favoured for film productions. Film names can be simply translated, or adapted to best reflect the meaning of the film for the target market. The content of the film can also be adapted, for example by changing the original currency to the local currency. In the case of the American Spider-Man, Indian audiences benefited from a transcreation that made the Spider-Man character more relevant to the Indian market in order to establish a deeper emotional bond with Indian readers and therefore sell more comics. The clothes have also been adapted, as have the settings, as Spider-Man can be seen next to the Taj Mahal.
The last example where transcreation is essential is advertising campaigns. Advertisements, and more generally marketing content, must be transcreated in order to provide the target audience with a meaningful and personalised message. The benefits for one audience are not the same as for another, just like the cultural references. Advertising that is simply translated runs the risk of completely missing its sales objective.
Swisstranslate’s team of qualified transcreators
Swisstranslate only works with qualified and experienced linguists to guarantee high-quality transcreation. First and foremost, they have proven linguistic skills. As native speakers, they know the target language inside out, and are able to understand wordplay, hidden meanings and the author’s intentions. In this way, they respect the elements of your message that make it so strong: cultural references, turn of phrase, tone, etc. The fact that the target language is their mother tongue also guarantees a broad cultural knowledge of the target country. They understand the habits and customs. Our linguists are therefore able to adapt their text to the specific culture of the country in order to promote local spending.
Our linguists’ excellent command of foreign languages is not their only skill. They also possess the creative skills that are essential to the transcreation process, as well as sharp skills in writing advertising and marketing content. Specialists in this type of exercise, they are at ease with this type of text.
Swisstranslate’s qualified linguists guarantee you high-quality transcreation. Poor quality transcreation can damage your company’s image and reputation. This can lead to misunderstandings, a failed advertising campaign or even offend your audience. With Swisstranslate’s linguists, you can be sure of a top-quality service!
Rely on Swisstranslate for your transcreation project
For almost 10 years, we have been assisting our customers with their language projects, working with them to create tailor-made solutions adapted to their needs and requirements. We would be delighted to help you with your project. Send us an e-mail about your project, specifying your subject, subject area, source and target languages, deadlines and reference documents, and we will send you a quote as soon as possible. We will then assign your project to a qualified linguist, who will guarantee flawless transcreation.
We can also arrange a meeting to get a better understanding of your requirements for your project.
Once the document has been delivered, we remain at your disposal for any changes or questions, until you are fully satisfied with the final delivery. All you have to do is contact us!
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