Machine translation versus copywriting
It has long been thought that human translators are incapable of delivering quality textual content. They only do “dry” translations into the desired language, but they exclude the adaptation of the material for the target audience. But this opinion is wrong, because today there are many professionals on the labour market who are able to successfully combine translation and copywriting.
Transcreation and copywriting
Transcreation, or in simple words, the creative adaptation of the text, means the synergy between translation and copywriting. A person receives source material in a certain language and needs to do more than just create it in his own language. He has to create his own content, which will incorporate ideas and meaning taken from the original, but he has to take into account the characteristics of the potential consumer.
Copywriting is the process of developing texts from scratch, often for marketing purposes. In this case, there is no original source, or it can be used as a little help and auxiliary material. The copywriter independently searches and collects the information he or she needs to write the text. Often journalistic techniques are used to obtain the information, such as interviews with clients. You can find out more about the profession of copywriting at https://essaywritingus.com/.
The difference between transcreation and regular translation
Conventional translation simply means ‘substituting’ one language for another, retaining the original meaning and message. There isn’t much creativity involved, because you often just want to convey the speaker’s words to an audience that speaks a different language. In addition, there are now many electronic services that can be used to capture what is being said.
Transcreation is more than just translation. It’s a combination of translation and copywriting where the message is not just conveyed but adapted to the terrain. To make it clearer, let’s look at a few examples where exactly transcreation was required.
Examples of the use or absence of transcreation
The first and most amusing is the moment with Mitsubishi in the Spanish market. By launching the Mitsubishi Pajero, the manufacturer intended to provide itself with a global customer base. Only in Spanish slang the word “Pajero” is an insult against homosexuals. Local interpreters have named the car Mitsubishi Montero, than have provided worthy volume of sales.
Another funny thing happened to the car company Chevrolet, but it was unlucky initially with the transcreators, which cost it a lot of money. The car model in the original sounds like Chevrolet Nova. In Spanish, the name means “No Va”. As a result, the advertising company was safely shut down in Spain.
There have been and there will be a lot of similar situations in the world. In order to reduce or even eliminate them, you need to choose a specialist who is good at transcreation and copywriting, and who is a native speaker of the right language and understands the local culture, specifics and market intricacies.
