Nine frequent questions on transcreation
This blog post provides answers to nine frequently asked questions that translators have about transcreation.
Transkreation als Kontinuum
Transkreation benötigt man nicht nur in der Werbung, sondern im Grunde immer dann, wenn ein Text in einer anderen Sprache inspirieren und motivieren soll. Wann immer eine Botschaft wichtig ist und aufgrund kultureller Unterschiede teils umfassend adaptiert werden muss, ist Transkreation im Sinne des Transkreations-Kontinuums gefragt.
I’m a transcreator – Say WHAT?
Read these client-transcreator dialogues to learn more about what transcreators do and how they can help you save your brand.
How can I quickly turn a translation into a transcreation?
What can you do when you have a marketing text translated and then realize, upon seeing the translation, that the target text is not at all what you expected?
Why should sales and promotional material be handled by transcreators instead of regular translators?
Problems arise when clients request – and pay for – a translation but actually expect something that a copywriter would have written. That’s where transcreators come in.
I am bilingual and have taken courses in creative writing. Does that qualify me as a transcreator?
A transcreator needs deep expertise in translation and deep expertise in strategic copywriting. Expertise in both of these fields is indispensable.
Why use the term transcreation rather than marketing translation?
Labeling something a marketing translation when you mean transcreation can be highly misleading.
“Marketing texts are easy to translate, right?”
Every translator can be trusted to translate business-critical marketing texts, right? After all, these are texts that (by their very nature) are easy to understand (mostly, that is). So, how hard can it be to just take those words and translate them into another language? The truth is: It is tricky. There is a lot that can go wrong.
Transcreation is not just about creativity
I bet that you have read somewhere that transcreation is a kind of “creative translation.” In fact, judging by Google results, “creative translation” appears to be the most commonly used term to describe transcreation.
Yet “creative translation” is a misnomer. Misleading at best.
Transcreation defined
What exactly do I mean when I refer to transcreation? What makes it so different from translation? I define transcreation as a unique type of service in the field of multilingual communication.
