The role of transcreation

We have all certainly asked ourselves the question why a film, show or program that we were watching fit so well into our reality, a reality that we know so well, that reflects our humour and refers to the satirical phrases, sayings, situations we are familiar with.

It can also be the other way around, when we feel that the translation deviates from the specificity of the language and even distorts the context, fails to meet the expectations or not reflect the nature of the text or even creates a sense of outrage.

The outcome of transcreation is sometimes far from the original

It does not take an eminent language expert to sense that these poor translations differ greatly from the original. For the average language user, this dissonance is noticeable at first glance.

The transcreation process has been clearly omitted here, or over-applied. Either way, it was distorted.

And just to be clear, in case you didn’t know, transcreation is a combination of two words: “translation” and “creation”.

How to translate in order to preserve the art of translation and at the same time reach the emotions of the recipient on a local market?

Transcreation is an integral element of localization, which involves adaptation to a specific market. For this reason, a translator dealing with transcreation should present features that confirm cultural competences, i.e. familiarity with a given society along with its values, behaviours, and language. These are the necessary components that enable an in-depth understanding of the translated text, and at the same time simplify the delivery of the content intended for the recipient.

Transcreation is a continuous process of learning

Transcreation is associated with a continuous process of learning, following the changes and events in a given country, the constant evolution of the language, which is modified with the next generations, foreign influences (influx of people), fashions and trends.

All this social and cultural knowledge, combined with familiarity of a given subject, whether it relates to a narrow specialization or a broader field, should go hand in hand with high literary skills. In other words, you need perfect writing or text editing abilities. This is certainly an art known to copywriters, but keep in mind that a copywriter is not a translator/transcreator.

Let’s explain the differences between the 2 roles* (source: translax.eu)

Transcreation is simply a combination of both of these roles. Keep in mind that while the translation should maintain a structure almost identical to that in the original text, transcreation on the other hand, allows for slight changes, as in the style itself. The objective is to adapt the information to the target group. This often requires applying changes to the content so that the recipient can catch local nuances and understand the emotional message.

Desired properties of a good transcreator

● He/she functions in the culture of a given country and knows all the features assigned to its inhabitants (mentality, humour, social rules and norms)

● The ability to interpret emotions, signs and gestures

● Demonstrates copywriting skills

● Familiar with marketing

● Fluent in the language of the country (knows the terminology adapted to the written texts)

● Has mastered creative writing skills

What elements of text are subject to transcreation?

It might seem that only the text itself is transcreated, but that would not be true. The entire process covers many aspects. The most popular one is closely associated with the BRAND NAME.

It happens that the brand name generates an astonishment, laughter or outrage. It should be remembered that language is in a constant process of evolving, words that generated controversy a few decades ago take on a different meaning; they lose their emotionality, no longer sound shocking or are used in different contexts, depending on the situation. It can also be the opposite as sometimes a single meaning of a word multiplies in contexts and only the ability to evaluate its use can save the recipient from misunderstanding the author’s intentions.

The development of the translation industry has led us to transcreation

Let’s take a closer look at the innocent word ‘kiss’ in the French language version

Le baiser (noun, m) – kiss, smooch

Baiser (verb) – to kiss

Over the years, the word itself has evolved from the most positive meaning through pejorative connotations. This word today, also used as a verb, has modified its meaning so much that using it in the name of a company would be equal to marketing suicide (context: to cheat, mislead, fail, possess sexually)

The manufacturer of the Osram brand bulbs certainly did not predict that 100 years later this name would generate bad associations on the Eastern European markets. The name Osram was registered with the Patent Office in Berlin on 17 April 1906 as a trademark of Deutsche Gasglühlicht-Anstalt. It was created by combining the names of two metals: osmium and tungsten. This word in Polish literally means: “I will poop on something”. I guess at the beginning of the 20^th century, no one thought about transcreation.

Transcreation in marketing. Instead of translation. Always.

When you are a linguist/translator, it is difficult not to search for the meanings of words in a foreign language or not to analyse them.

However, there are situations in which a direct translation of a brand/product name can lead us to a grotesque situation. Imagine well-known brands with a literal translation on the label:

Always

Vanish

Black Red White

Sharp

Dove

Play

Old Spice

We could also try to look at the phenomenon from the other side, i.e. how would literal translation of Polish companies sound*? (source www.medium.com):

Dent Worry

(dentist clinic)

Game Over

(funeral home)

Art Oral

(prosthetics office)

Anal Gaz

(technical gas analyser)

Skin Shop

(shop with leather products)

In transcreation, colours are also important.

During the transcreation process, the importance of colours should also be taken into account.

It is essential to know the differences in colour symbolism in different countries. For example, the colour white in China and Japan is the colour of mourning, while in Latin America, red is associated with death. In Europe, black fulfils the same function. Blue in the Netherlands is considered warm and pleasing, in Sweden the same colour is perceived as cold, and in the Far East it is associated with death. For religious reasons, it is recommended not to use the green colour in advertisements in Muslim countries, while the same colour in Poland is associated with happiness and hope.

The magic of numbers and symbols in transcreation

Numbers may also have different meanings. In Polish culture, 13 is considered to be an unlucky number, while in Japan, 4 is considered such a number.

Symbols are another important element in the content creation process. Here, the knowledge of connotations according to the antonyms plays an enormous role: happiness-misfortune, health-illness, life-death, human-divine.

For example, an owl is treated in European countries as a bird of wisdom, while in India as a bird of misfortune. Similarly with a tiger, snake, cow, elephant or jaguar. Therefore, when choosing a product packaging as an element of promotion, you should take into account not only the ideas about a specific symbol, but also religion.

Cultural relativism – the key to successful transcreation

The cultural factor is an indispensable element of the content of advertising messages in individual countries due to the perceived differences in mentality, education, and even differences resulting from geographic location or climate. A good example is German rationality, Swedish simplicity, Swiss accuracy, while in France, aesthetics, extravagance, eroticism and creativity are all very important. In Britain, on the other hand, humour and irony are the priority.

The above is also associated with knowledge of culture in its broadest dimension. From national masterpieces to pop culture, from prophets to celebrities. They are a very often present as a reference, example, meaning, specificity of e.g. style, language, gesture as a content carrier.

A transcreator needs to know the cultural nuances.

When creating film personas, it should be remembered that their appearance, personality and language they use must fit into the national character. A properly constructed persona is one whose behaviour or statements do not leave any doubts with the viewer, unless its creators want to generate such ambiguity as part of their advertising tactic.

Good examples of transcreation

It is impossible not to recall the brilliant figures of Shrek or Donkey at this point. The outstanding transcreation made the characters’ jokes also funny for the local audience, thanks to many cultural and historical references in the dialogues. They entertain and amuse all generations. The primary goal here is to evoke analogous emotions in the recipients of the original text and those using the adaptation.

A great example of the use of transcreation is the comic book Spider-Man India. The authors realized that the American Spider-Man was in no way suitable for the Indian market. Thus, a version was created according to which the protagonist, Pavitr Prabhakar, dressed in Indian style, is a native of India. The localization of the characters to the target audience made the readers in India buy the comic much more willingly due to the adaptation of the characters and content to their local reality.

The importance of transcreation in translating websites

Transcreation is also invaluable when it comes to translating a website. The search terms (keywords) can vary completely depending on the culture. A literal translation will not have the desired marketing effect. To achieve good SEO results, you have to adjust phrases to those used by foreign users.

Translators specializing in marketing translations are certainly aware of this.

Transcreation in marketing

Marketing texts are different from regular texts and should be translated with these differences in mind. This is due to the fact that translations are to reach the recipient and have the desired impact assumed by the author, evoke emotions, persuade the recipient to behave in a specific way, e.g. convincing the consumer to buy a given product or create a given image of a company.

They are distinguished primarily by their style. It is to attract the attention of a specific target group to which it is adapted. Texts aimed at young people will use a different language, signs, symbols than those intended for older people.

Not only words, but also means of artistic expression

Not only the choice of the language itself is important here, but also the means of artistic expression, i.e. various formal and stylistic measures, shaping the form of the text, creating the way it is perceived and putting its content in specific frames.

These include, for example, epithets: the most common in advertisements, such as ‘Best for a man’, ‘Something amazing’, ‘Incredibly fast’; homonyms: the use of words that have several meanings, as a result of which the advertisement becomes ambiguous, or colloquialisms, e.g. ‘To catch some Z’s’.

And what about transcreation of jokes?

What if there is a joke that needs to be translated? How to deal with translating it so that its meaning and punch line are not distorted and so that it is not deprived of ridiculousness, while meeting the local cultural standards when it comes to humour?

Keep in mind that jokes cannot be translated literally, so there’s no point in attempting that. This would be the worst thing to do. You should adapt humour to the target group for which you translate a given comedy. Sometimes it is enough to change the identity of the characters of the joke and the problem is solved.

Every country has a different sense of humour

And on top of that, there is the mentality. Each nationality has a different sense of humour associated with it. A good example is the absolutely abstract sense of humour of the people of Great Britain. Let’s take Monty Python as an example. It is undoubtedly an icon of cinematography and it makes an Englishman laugh more than any other nationality.

When translating jokes, one should take into account the discrepancies between the source and the target text. It is not wrong to depart from the source at this point. To make you smile, you need to have a little distance and change your perspective.

The French city of Caen will turn into English Bridgwater or German Posemuckel.

Cultural nuances in the transcreation of colloquial sayings

The problem relates not only to jokes, but also various phrases typical of a given language. For example, the German Warum ist die Banane krumm is the equivalent of the phrase: ‘How long is a piece of string?’ And it’s not exactly the same. In this situation, it does not matter much, it is important that it evokes similar connotations.

What about the English symbol @ (at)? Russians call it a dog. In German there are two similar terms: die Affenschaukel meaning ‘monkey swing’ and der Affenschwanz, meaning ‘monkey tail’. The Dutch also refer to @ as a monkey tail (apenstaartje). It is the same in Romanian or Serbian. In Danish and Norwegian the symbol is called grisehale, which means ‘pig tail’ and in Swedish kattsvans, or ‘cat tail’.

We also cannot forget about emotions. An example is the use of the slogan ‘I just like it’ instead of ‘I’m lovin it’ in McDonald’s marketing slogans and banners in China, a country that does not accept the display of strong emotions in public.

What if transcreation is missing?

The consequence of not localizing a product in a given market, i.e. adapting vocabulary and cultural connotations in the process of translation, can be catastrophic. This is the situation that American Airlines faced by advertising the high standard of business flights thanks to the leather upholstery of passenger seats. The slogan ‘Fly in leather’ was even created. The sentence in Spanish was ‘Vuelo en Cuero’, but in everyday language the phrase ‘en cuero’ simply means ‘naked’. Would a businessman like to fly naked? This is highly doubtful.

Another example, with even more devastating consequences, was a translator’s literal translation of a short job advertisement meant for the Ukrainian market. The translation uses the word ШВАЛЬ, and the intention was for it to mean ‘seamstress, dressmaker’. Unfortunately, this word was interpreted quite differently, gaining a pejorative overtone as ‘scum’, which made the client not only lose a good image, but also assets.

The advertising slogan ‘Nothing sucks like Electrolux’ created in the 1970s, for the sale of the latest model of a vacuum cleaner, was right when it comes to the British market. The verb ‘to suck’ in Great Britain had no negative connotations. The slogan, however, was a bad idea when it comes to Americans for whom ‘it sucks’ simply means that something is useless.

A 1960s Pepsi ad with the American slogan ‘Come alive! You’re in the Pepsi generation’ was translated in China as ‘Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave’. Unfortunately, the Chinese read the slogan too literally.

The most costly result of the lack of transcreation was the effect of the campaign of representatives of the Mitsubishi corporation introducing the Pajero model to the global market.

This name comes from a cat found in the Patagonia region. Unfortunately, in some countries the word has a very pejorative meaning (‘wanker’). As you can imagine, the slogan was not appreciated by consumers.

In the car market, such mishaps are not uncommon. Another example is the Mazda LaPuta model (in Spanish, a woman of easy virtue) or Nissan Moco (in Spanish, nasal discharge)

Every country has its own customs

This statement seems to reflect the essence of the issue of transcreation. The same product, the same offer, but a different approach.

When a pharmaceutical company wanted to introduce its contraceptive product to women from two other target groups, namely the English-speaking and Latin American-speaking ones, a campaign with seemingly only identical media was launched. Attention was drawn to the aspects of perception as crucial elements. Thus, the main objective of the English version was convenience while of the Spanish version it was freedom of choice. Why? The content was adjusted as a result of studies on the motivation of women in each demographic group to choose contraceptive products.

Transcreation turned out to be necessary in the case of the luxury car brand ROLLS ROYCE SILVER MIST. These cars appeared on the German market under the changed name SILVER SHADOW, because for the Germans the word MIST contains a pejorative message meaning: ‘muck, manure’.

When the microprocessor maker Intel wanted to copy its campaign ‘Intel: Sponsors of Tomorrow’ to the Brazilian market, research showed that this Portuguese version of the slogan meant that Intel would not be able to keep its promise. It was therefore necessary to modify it.

China is an excellent example of the problem of untranslatable content resulting from cultural differences. The Chinese place great emphasis on names and terms that carry certain metaphorical content. Hence, many global brands can be found under a different name on the local market. Sometimes it’s just a slight change, other times it’s a complete modification. Thus, Coca-Cola on the Chinese market is known as Kekoukele (a word associated with fun and good taste), and Reebok is known in China as Rui Bu (‘quick steps’).

As translators, we must acknowledge that it is not only cultural differences that determine the way in which we must approach the problem of the translation itself, while maintaining credibility of the text and at the same time conveying content that evokes the same universal emotions.

Keep in mind that the carriers of linguistic complexities are constituted by metaphors, mental shortcuts, characteristic of the language of advertisements, intonation, and wordplay.

French advertising is a good example. There is a certain kind of play with patterns using words such as beauty, eroticism, extravagance and others. The attitude is directed more at an individual than at a group – the need to be different. This direction of French commercials, i.e. moving towards theatrical, erotic, joyful, makes them a kind of art. Advertisements in the form of a lecture and presentation of various facts are rare here, and logical argumentation is also avoided.

The specificity of Polish advertising, for instance, is simple and understandable language. Information about the advantages of a product is often shown in the form of expert presentations, lectures, with the participation of popular celebrities displaying the benefits that can be achieved thanks to the advertised product.

These subtle nuances are clearly visible in the case of the Renault brand. Its French slogan is: ‘Renault. Créateur d’Automobiles’, while its Polish equivalent sound more or less like this: ‘Renault. The art of creating cars.’ However, there are differences between the version in the source language and its translation in Polish. In the French slogan, the emphasis is on the creator, while in the Polish translation the person has been replaced by the act of creation. The authors of this change were probably guided by the lack of outstanding experts in the area of vehicle conceptualization on the domestic market, hence the risk that the emphasis on the word ‘creator’ would not have the desired effect.

How much can a translator depart from the source text in transcreation?

Keep in mind that the translation should always reflect the client’s vision. The issue of interference with the text also raises questions about the extent to which a translator can act. If the source text is written quite superficially, is the translator allowed to change the convention?

Unless the authors agree, no – the translator cannot not change the style, but he/she can change the language elements that build this style.

What language-related treatments can help with this?

– Shortening sentences. Sometimes less is more, long sentences often sound unnatural and constitute an excess of form over content.

– Getting rid of adjectives. Too many of them in a sentence overload the structure.

– Using sentence equivalents. Its purpose is to avoid dependent clauses

– Modification of punctuation. Adapting punctuation to the translated language

Remember that transcreation is based on communicating the same idea in different languages. Therefore, when creating content, the transcreator does not focus merely on translating words and sentences, but operates in the sphere of concepts and images, finds references in a given culture, in elements belonging to the target audience. Simply put, to everything that the recipient of the content identifies with.

A good transcreator is like a psychoanalyst: he/she can bring out a vision of what creates and defines reality for the analysed object, making the recipient aware, calling the essence of things as they are in the language of the terms he/she uses.

I want to become a transcreator, how can I do that?

1. Be conscious of your language knowledge. Words have power, use them as your target audience would.

2. Immerse yourself in the “language bath” – surround yourself with language from all directions and aspects.

3. Observe the users of a given language as well as their culture, behaviour, patterns.

4. Track language trends, follow the evolution of the language.

5. Read the content of the laws on the language regarding the introduced simplifications, additions, borrowings, etc.

6. Improve your language skills continuously.

7. Train yourself as a translator – share your experience and use the knowledge of others.

8. Take part in training courses, webinars, etc.

9. Don’t be afraid of new challenges and let your imagination run wild and free.

You may realize that you are just good at it…

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