5 Reasons Why Your Business Needs Marketing Transcreation Services
With so many companies entering the global market, it’s more crucial than ever to stand out and find ways to speak with your customers on a personal level. This is especially true when entering unfamiliar international markets with different languages and cultures.
Professional translation services can bridge language gaps and ensure global expansion.
But, what if that’s not enough?
Today, more and more businesses are investing in marketing transcreation services instead.
So, what exactly is marketing transcreation? How does it differ from translation services? And most importantly, why is it indispensable for your business?
In today’s blog, we’re going into more detail about that.
Table of Contents
What Is Marketing Transcreation?
Okay so here’s the definition that you’ll probably find everywhere. Marketing transcreation is a creative translation approach that involves adapting your marketing and advertising content from one language and culture to another.
It’s exactly where you see no difference between translation and transcreation. And you aren’t wrong.
The thing is marketing transcreation does fall under the umbrella of translation. But, think of marketing transcreation as an “outside-of-the-box” translation, where if there’s an obvious translation of a word, that’s not what marketing transcreation would go for.
That by no means means that it’s something that’s executed haphazardly. In fact, it’s a structured process of unleashing wild creativity – not for the sake of creativity itself.
It’s also not about finding the correct translation. It’s about the right translation.
But what makes a translation right in marketing transcreation? Cultural context.
Marketing transcreation is deeply rooted in the cultural context of the target audience as well as the brand’s voice.
Let’s break down the whole thing with a well-known global brand with outstanding reach and impact, McDonald’s.
With its renowned slogan, “I’m lovin’ it”, McDonald’s wanted to market itself in different regions around the world. While they could have simply chosen to translate their slogan into “Lo estoy amando” for their Spanish audience, they have decided on a much more relevant rendition “Me encanta”.
In other words, instead of straightforward translation, they have employed marketing transcreation.
During this transcreation, the culture of the Spanish people was taken into account. Despite being the Spanish equivalents of love, they didn’t use the verb “Amar” or even “Querer” since both are extremely romantic in nature. This would have lacked cultural resonance and may not have effectively engaged the Spanish audience.
In Spain, Me encanta can be more or less used the same way love is colloquially used in English, referring to something, not somebody, which gives out a lower level of intimacy – matching the essence of the original slogan and the brand’s voice.
Transcreation here didn’t just convert words from one language to another. What happened here is a creative, culturally sensitive, emotionally charged process to echo the essence, message, and emotional impact of the source content in a new cultural context – using language.
We prefer this definition.
Types of Content that Require Marketing Transcreation
Marketing transcreation is geared toward every piece of content that’s meant to leave a lasting impression on your target audience and create particular associations with your brand in global markets.
And with so much creativity and navigating cultural nuances going into it, marketing transcreation is best suited for any type of creative content, where translation would fail to hit the same emotional notes.
Remember, great marketing transcreation is invisible. If it sounds translated, it has never been transcreated.
In fact, one of the biggest differences between transcreation and translation is that, more often than not, transcreation doesn’t require a source material. This makes transcreation less dependent on the original content than any other type of translation. The source material isn’t the point; it all comes down to the message and impact you need to recreate for your new audiences.
That’s the creative freedom that transcreation offers you.
Transcreation vs. Translation
Why Marketing Transcreation Services? Why NOT Translation?
We previously stated that more businesses are choosing transcreation over translation. It’s because it’s a strategic approach that recognizes the complexity of cross-cultural communication. A powerful tool for businesses seeking to create a much deeper level of personalized, effective, and targeted multilingual marketing as well as outstanding brand perception.
Here are 3 reasons why you need marketing transcreation services.
Culture for Powerful Connection
Transcreation recognizes that language is deeply intertwined with culture. To successfully engage with a new audience, it aligns your marketing content with the values, customs, and beliefs of the target audience.
If you are looking for your new audiences to just “understand” what you are offering, translation will work just fine. But, if you are looking for meaningful connections and relevant communications, transcreation is built to do that.
It ensures your messaging is culturally sensitive and relevant, making your brand more relatable and helping you avoid misunderstandings, offense, or alienation.
And take it from us, there’s so much out there on the internet on translation mistakes that went viral for the wrong reasons. And jokes aside, some big names have suffered the consequences of delivering offensive messages to their audience.
Imagine a clothing brand’s slogan “Dress to Impress” in the context of the Middle East. A straightforward translation might not consider cultural modesty norms. Conversely, transcreation could adapt this to convey a similar idea while respecting local customs, such as “Dress with Elegance.”
Emotional Impact
Marketing content is emotionally charged by design to establish a powerful and resonant connection with its target audience, but essentially to trigger specific emotions that make consumers feel invested in the brand’s message or product.
For instance, an advertisement featuring a heartwarming family scene can evoke feelings of happiness, nostalgia, or love. This enhances the emotional impact.
And marketing transcreation capitalizes on this impact.
Transcreation aims to evoke the same emotional response in the target audience as the original content did in its native audience. This involves understanding the emotional nuances of the source content and finding equivalent emotions in the target culture.
Consider Cadbury’s Bubbly Chocolate ad’s tagline, “Bubbly Inside Out”. A literal translation into Arabic would not strike the right note for the audience. However, the transcreation, “مليانه بابليز” maintains the emotional allure.
Brand Consistency
Brands invest heavily in creating and maintaining a consistent image and message. And it’s completely justifiable when they realize that Lost in Translation isn’t just a saying or a movie starring Bill Murray. With inadequate translation, things get lost.
And when that thing is your brand image, your efforts just go in vain.
Maintaining your brand’s identity while making it appealing to various audiences is what transcreation is all about. Unlike translation, transcreation doesn’t just allow your brand to speak your audience’s language and call it a day.
Transcreation contextualizes your brand and leverages region-specific nuances to influence brand sentiment, but without overlooking what your brand stands for and stands out by.
That’s the essence of transcreation– keeping your brand’s image consistent and meaningful across languages and cultures.
This synergy between your target audience’s culture and your brand identity makes marketing transcreation your go-to strategy for consistency, which builds trust and recognition that’s crucial for global brands.
Transcreation: Beyond Words
Transcreation is a holistic approach that doesn’t only concern textual content but adapts content across all forms of media and digital marketing. Transcreation includes the adaptation of visual elements such as images, graphics, and design as well as audio elements, including voiceovers, music, and sound effects.
It also plays a crucial part in video content too, ensuring that the narrative, characters, and cultural references are adapted to make sense and emotionally engage the target audience. This may include altering scenes, dialogues, or even the overall storyline.
And speaking of marketing transcreation in video content, here’s a real-life example of how Nike leveraged transcreation in its video ad campaign for the Middle East.
"What Will They Say About You?": Nike’s Transcreation Hit
Five Key Aspects for a Successful Marketing Transcreation Strategy
Is it time to go global? Are you kicking off your multilingual marketing strategy?
Then, keep these 5 things in mind to make sure your transcreation process is a success.
With revenue of over $50 billion in 2022 and a target market that spans 170 countries, it is no surprise that Nike has been a frontrunner in applying successful transcreation and localization strategies.
Watching their campaigns, you can see how transcreation allows brands to expand their reach, bridging cultural gaps while staying true to their core values.
Nike’s “What Will They Say About You?” campaign, released in 2017, is one of the most successful transcreation campaigns in the company’s history. It was created to inspire Middle Eastern hijabi consumers by appealing to the preferences of the world’s nearly 800 million Muslim women.
The transcreation process was more than just translating ad copy into Arabic. They successfully considered the intricate societal nuances of their target audience.
Nike tackled the challenge of representing the hijab as an empowering symbol and navigating the controversial discourse surrounding it with respect and honor. And it’s no wonder that this approach earned the trust and respect of Arab women all around the world, making the campaign a hit in Nike’s history.
Tap Into New Markets With TransPalm Marketing Transcreation Services
If you’re looking for a trusted marketing transcreation service provider, then look no further than TransPalm. We have over 10+ years of experience completing thousands of translation and transcreation projects. Our multidisciplinary team of language experts and cultural advisors ensures that you meet the cultural nuances of your target audience.
TransPalm is an ISO-certified company committed to the highest quality standards and following rigorous quality management processes to guarantee your marketing content is engaging, efficient, and complies with the laws and regulations of your new target market.
Start winning in global markets with TransPalm; contact us now!
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