Transcreation: Definition and key insights

How do you know when you need transcreation for marketing and advertising instead of business translation? Both are common language service options but have several differences. Let’s first start with the definition of transcreation.

What is transcreation, and why does it matter in global marketing?

Transcreation is a portmanteau, or a mashup of two words — “translation” and “creation” — to describe a type of localization whereby a brand’s content is adapted (often substantially) for a target market. The transcreator uses the source text as inspiration, but the output is a complete reimagining of the content to convey the concept in a different language.  

The original tone, intent, and style are maintained. Yet, effective transcreation prioritizes the brand message and its ability to emotionally resonate with the new audience over the conveyance of the specific information found in the source text. Therefore, the transcreated copy may deviate significantly from the original wording, imagery, and messaging.

Key differences between transcreation and translation

Localization is the process of adapting a company’s products and/or services to a different market. But there are a lot of terms within the world of localization that can be confusing, especially to those just starting out with their global marketing strategy. To maximize their return on investment in localization, businesses must understand what transcreation vs. translation is — and when to use each.

Translation replaces words in one language with corresponding words in another. Although it may require them to rework certain portions of text, professional translators are bound by the source text, and the final product conveys the same information and ideas as the original. 

Transcreation, like translation, conveys the concept in a different language. However, transcreators are not bound by the source text, although they may use it as a reference. Instead, they use their creativity and cultural knowledge to transcreate your concept — i.e., to create brand-new content in a different language that will speak to your target audience.

Below are a few other key differences:

Transcreation specialists are writers.

Usually, transcreators are copywriters fluent in your source and target languages. While some professional translators offer copywriting services, translation and transcreation are distinct services. Often, translation and transcreation service providers aren’t even part of the same professional associations and networking groups.

Transcreation starts with a creative brief.

Translation starts with a source text. Transcreation projects start with a creative brief that describes the concept that needs to be recreated in the target language and the action you want your audience to take based on the content or campaign.

Transcreation is billed differently.

Per-word pricing is typical for translation services. But transcreation is considered more of a creative service, similar to copywriting, graphic design, or video production. Hence, it’s billed by the hour or project.

Transcreation can result in new messaging.

A good translator will translate website or app content “in the spirit” of the source text without being too literal. Still, the messaging you use for one audience may not resonate with another. So, when transcreating marketing materials, transcreators will often produce new messaging that aligns with the cultural sensitivities, preferences, and values of your new audience.

Transcreation is best for highly creative marketing content.

Translation works fine for informative text. But when you want readers to take action — as is the goal for most marketing and advertising copy — transcreation is a better fit. Beyond delivering info, marketing transcreation (or advertising transcreation) is meant to elicit an emotional response.

Transcreation involves advising on the look and feel.

Aesthetic appeal is critical for ensuring acceptance and resonance in the local market. So, transcreators often advise customers on the look and feel of a creative asset or campaign. The result is new content that’s completely tailored for the new audience.

How transcreation works: 4 key steps

You’ve realized you need transcreation services to grow your business, but where do you start? Every project and workflow will look slightly different depending on the content type and purpose. But here’s a brief look at the four steps that all transcreation projects will generally follow:

1. Conduct a needs assessment.

First, you’ll need to identify which content requires transcreation. Some companies, especially those in technical, industrial, or highly regulated industries, may use translators for most of their content but need to transcreate a slogan, tagline, and other marketing materials. Others in more creative industries, such as video game companies in need of game localization services, will require transcreation for much more of their content.

2. Develop the creative brief.

Transcreation involves quite a bit of copywriting, so the brief should contain the same information you’d typically share with a copywriter. Provide details on the target audience, your tone of voice, the overall creative concept, its purpose, and the action you want those in your target market to take.

3. Let transcreators do their work.

Your transcreators will review the source content and creative brief. They’ll then conduct any necessary cultural research and adapt the content for the new audience. They may also make recommendations related to the look and feel of the asset or campaign. 

4. Review the content.

The linguists working on your content will provide back translations to give insight into the transcreated text. Note that the translated text may seem literal. Back translations are word-for-word representations, helping you understand the creative liberties taken and verify that the transcreated text meets your guidelines and creative brief goals.

Smartling’s Transcreation Tool — the only one designed for transcreating at scale — simplifies this process by offering a centralized cloud-based platform that eliminates the need for spreadsheets and outdated documentation tools. As shown in our walkthrough of the transcreation tool, transcreators can add multiple options and back translations. All you have to do then is choose your favorite.

4 transcreation examples

Smartling experienced a unique challenge when we set out on our Move the World With Words campaign. When you translate a phrase like “move the world with words,” there’s a lot of meaning and context to capture. There are nuances in the language that can lead to confusion.

For example, does “move the world” mean “physically move the Earth to a new location”? In this case, no. It refers to “impacting communities, brands, and cultures,” so a literal translation wouldn’t work.

We used transcreation to ensure our message was accurately expressed, and the results were printed on the back of our book.

But what’s interesting to see are the back translations of each transcreation. When you transcreate, chances are high that there won’t be any overlapping words from your original content. The back translation should reflect that.

Take a look at our process of translating “Move the World With Words” into French:

That’s why back translation is so important. Your team can gain insight into the transcreated copy since it can differ entirely from the original.

Another example comes from the luxury car brand Mercedes Benz when it entered the Chinese market. The company translated its name to Bensi, unaware it meant “rush to die.” Upon learning that it didn’t translate to “Benz,” it switched to Ben Chi, which refers to “dashing speed.”

Similarly, one of Coca-Cola’s slogans was “Open Happiness.” The direct phonetic translation was Keke Kenla (written in Chinese characters), but it meant “tadpoles bite wax.” As a result, Coca-Cola began using a transcreated version — Kekou Kele, which means “Delicious, Tasty Happiness.”

Lastly, Rajan Ad, the CEO and founder of DbdPost, shared with us an example from the transcreation process he oversaw for a global fashion brand. Its “Fashion For All” tagline translated well into some languages but not in others, such as Japanese.

Rajan said, “Through transcreation, we adapted the tagline to ‘Fashion for Every Moment.’ It conveyed the same sentiment, but in a way that was culturally relevant and resonated with the local audience. This resulted in a significant increase in engagement and conversion rates in the Japanese market.”

Achieve transcreation excellence with Smartling’s expertise

Transcreation is a valuable tool to have in your localization arsenal. It goes beyond translation by adapting tone, style, and cultural elements to ensure resonance. That, in turn, enables brand consistency and helps you create authentic, culturally attuned, and personalized experiences for your audience no matter where they are. 

That’s why, in addition to a best-in-class translation management system to centralize and streamline all your localization efforts, Smartling offers a powerful tool specifically designed to facilitate transcreation. Smartling customers also have access to a network of expert translators and transcreators who can help maintain tone and intent while infusing your multilingual marketing materials with creativity.

Want to learn more about how localization will elevate your global marketing tactics and how to get started? Download the Ultimate Guide to Translating Your Marketing Materials today for practical advice on the importance of localization and how to localize various content types.