What is transcreation and what does it involve?

The History of Transcreation

Transcreation has a tradition that goes back thousands of years and, let’s say, in the scholarly figure of Jerome, it has its own patron saint. What transcreation is rarely appears in official dictionaries, and its first recorded use, at some point, appeared in the commercial language of the 1960s. It is fair to assume that whatever this mysterious thing is, it is an offshoot of translation and its associated professions.

It is a term that almost certainly was not coined by actual translators. It was first used with reference to the translation of creative advertising texts. By the 1990s it had been fully adopted in the jargon of advertising agencies to distinguish it from “normal” translation services. “Creative translation” would then be the implication that it is a translation with added value. At least within this world, it has become a conventional term.

In a way, the history of the term is less significant than the concept itself, which already seems universally recognized and timeless. Let us take this verse from the more florid language of Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822), whose final line summarizes the concept.

It was so wise to throw a violet into a crucible
So that you may discover the formal principle of its color and scent,

Like trying to transfuse a poet’s creations from one language to another.

The plant must sprout again from its seed, or it will not be a flower at all. A new word, an old idea.

Percy Bysshe Shelley

In short, and to put it simply: ideas and feelings are lost in translation, and people have always known this. To overcome this problem, you must create something new instead.

Meanings of Transcreation

The pseudonyms used for transcreation are revealing: “creative translation,” “international adaptation of texts,” and “freestyle translation” make the picture clearer.

The purpose of transcreation is to carry the intent, style, and tone of a message across cultural barriers, paying particular attention to maintaining the emotional response the original message evoked. Because of this, it goes beyond simply translating linguistic messages, as visual “messages” often also need to be “translated.”

Much of basic translation theory is expressed in terms of the opposition between metaphrase (literal or word-for-word translations) and paraphrase (restatement of the same idea in a different form). People are often trained not to translate too freely, adhering to literal translation. But in many cases, that freedom is the only way to make the content sound natural in translation.

It’s really about the details contained in the mission report. There are projects where a “poker-faced” translation—that is, one that hides emotions—is the only way to efficiently convey details in a literal way. And there are other projects where the spark and atmosphere of the text must be preserved at all costs. What is certain is that, with transcreation, fidelity to the text is always secondary to eliciting the same reaction.

The reality is that most translation jobs are quite prosaic in content. Demand dictates the jobs translators must do, so instead of painstakingly translating Pushkin’s poetry from Russian into different dialects, translators are more likely to spend their time wrestling with hydraulic manuals and kitchen appliance brochures.

The jobs that typically require transcreation are those designed to leave an emotional mark or stimulate people to action. Examples include web campaigns in new countries, ads designed around humor and wordplay, and products aimed at appealing to different demographics within the same market.

The key to transcreation work is the mission statement. There must be a clear vision of what identity and message to convey. It’s much better to start with a specific brand promise and then work with an evocative tagline than to translate the original tagline and expect it to match your brand identity.

Neglecting transcreation

The value of transcreation for your business becomes obvious when you take a look at the Hall of Shame of companies that chose not to consider the cultural sensitivities of their target market. Puma experienced the pitfalls of this lack of adaptation when, in 2011, they launched a shoe to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the United Arab Emirates.

The product provoked a furious backlash. Putting the country’s flag on the shoe was perceived as trivial and disrespectful, since shoes touch the feet and the ground, and are therefore considered very dirty in that culture. If you want to build brand loyalty, it’s highly advisable not to dishonor your nation’s symbol.

But transcreation clearly goes beyond language. Even a carefully crafted campaign can fail when the imagery isn’t examined for cultural sensitivity. For example, in the 1970s, Pampers Nappies had a successful campaign that used the image of the stork. In Western cultures, there’s a strong association with the stork due to the legend of babies being delivered to their intended parents. However, when the company launched in Japan, they tried to use the same approach and were met with a bewildered Japanese public rather than commercial success.

A little market research by some savvy transcreators could have saved them: there’s a similar Japanese legend in which babies are delivered to their parents inside giant peaches carried by rivers and streams. This small tweak to the imagery would have cost little and resonated strongly with consumers who appreciate the cultural effort of Pampers Nappies. They would have reaped the benefits without the embarrassment of rebranding.

Incredible examples of transcreation failures

Is blind negligence worse than making a coordinated effort and still messing things up? These days, it would be hard to find a company that didn’t know the value of carefully crafted variations in international advertising campaigns. Yet, appallingly unpleasant mistakes are still made. From the smartphone-stoneage of 2005, we present the Motorola Q.

Motorola knew the importance of a good slogan, so when it was launched in French-speaking Canada, they tried to invest wisely. The results were the catchy rhyme ‘C’est important pour vous, c’est important pour votre Q.’ (‘It’s important for you, it’s important for your Q’) and the audacious proclamation ‘Mon Q. L’intelligence renouvelée’ (‘My Q intelligence, renewed’).

This was all well and good until a real French speaker heard them. It turned out that the pronunciation of the letter “Q” in French sounded a little too much like a swear word meaning “bottom.” Replace that (or any synonym you like) with the slogans above, and imagine what happened.

Similarly, advertisers can sometimes be too eager to cut and change when leaving something as it was would be better. German automaker Volkswagen would be the tip of the iceberg after its emissions scandal, but this story shows they’re no strangers to PR disasters either.

VW uses its slogan “Das Auto” in many countries, successfully playing on the foreign language element that reinforces Germany’s reputation for quality manufacturing.

But in reality, the VW Beetle was made in Brazil for many decades. Brazilians quite liked its status in their country, to the point that it was considered an “honorary Brazilian.” It had a long-standing Portuguese slogan that reflected this: Você conhece, Você confia (You know it, you trust it).

Volkswagen changed its strategy by trying to replicate the success it had had in other markets with ‘Das Auto’. But by emphasizing the car’s foreign design in Brazil, it came across as “pretentious” and damaged the bond of recognition and acceptance the company had enjoyed for so long.

As always, the only option was an awkward retraction of the slogan. Interestingly, the German line continues to be well-received elsewhere, as in a new Russian campaign, which shows how much good transcreation depends on thorough market research and repeated trials, failures, and testing.

Examples of transcreation successes

Copies of foreign origin do not necessarily seem strange to the public that reads them. For example, one of the most recognizable jingles associated with any product is Haribo’s “Kids and grownups love it so, the happy world of Haribo.” It’s somewhat annoying, but it also resonates. It tells you how broad its appeal is. It rhymes. It sticks in your head relentlessly. It’s a good slogan. But this isn’t, in fact, an originally English phrase. It’s just a spectacular translation of the original German jingle.

Taking the phrase and translating the tone of the message along with the rhyme, meter, and cadence is a rare skill. It’s the ultimate translation achievement.

However, with transcreation, fidelity isn’t the priority. Therefore, at its best, it’s not just about perfect preservation but also about improving the original. A transcreation brief provides the freedom to do this.

An example of transcreation that improves a marketing slogan is the Proctor & Gamble’s campaign in Italy in 1999 was for their Swiffer cleaning products. The original English tagline was “When Swiffer’s the one, consider it done.” A direct translation into Italian would have ruined the flow, so they came up with “La polvere non dura, perché Swiffer la cattura” (“Dust doesn’t stay, because Swiffer catches it.”)

This solution not only creates a different rhyme and meter, but it also mentions the benefit of removing dust and how it does so—by catching it—while the original English doesn’t mention either of these elements. This is widely considered one of the best examples of creative slogan translation.

But there’s no better example to end a discussion about creative translation than the English translations of the Asterix comics. Many might object and say that it’s a straightforward translation. When Anthea Bell was translating all the games of Words and nuances within those lines, I certainly wasn’t thinking, “I’m transcreating.” The difference is academic, but few other examples capture the joyful spirit of creative translations that improve upon the originals.

All the characters’ names are puns, many of which can’t be translated but can be reimagined. The English versions Bell created were often cleverer than the French names. For example, the village bard, who was deaf, was originally Assurancetourix, a play on “assurance tous risques” (all-risk insurance) and “full coverage insurance.” In English, he became Cacofonix, a pun on “cacophony.”

The unhygienic fishmonger was Ordralfabétix, who played “en ‘ordrealphabétique’.” He became Unhygienix. In French, it sounds very original because it’s funny and absurd. The English names actually reflect the characters’ traits and make the cast much more engaging. more vivid.

The translation of other names has been spot on in the most perfect way imaginable. The grumpy pet dog of the main character Obelix was named Idéfix, a play on the French phrase ‘une idée fixe,’ meaning a stubborn obsession. It became Dogmatix, which is a delightful translation, since Idéfix is ​​indeed a dog, and is also somewhat dogmatic.

Sometimes translations hint at new nuances in the story that might have been absent from the original, a liberty a less experienced translator might not have noticed. The village druid who distributes the mysterious magic potion that allows a few Gaulish villagers to hold off the mighty Roman Empire is called Panoramix in French. This is just a lighthearted play on the word panorama. Bell’s masterstroke was to call him Getafix, thus suggesting that the bearded old man who let the Gauls fend for themselves was up to something a bit more sinister with his “Potion.”

When given free rein, the linguists you hire can perform astonishing feats. This creative intelligence can transform the fortunes of your company’s international marketing campaigns. Think globally, act locally; transcreation services can disseminate your brand identity exactly as you envision it.