Transcreation

The term transcreation refers to the concept of adapting a message from one language into another, whilst maintaining the same intent, style and tone. A transcreated message needs to evoke the same emotions and carry the same implications as the original. In the case of marketing, global advertising campaigns are adapted across the borders of culture and language using this concept.

Background

The term transcreation, as well as the meaning behind the concept, is not static but has developed over the past 10–15 years and is still being amended and adjusted today. Depending on the context and the sector, people might use different phrases to describe the transcreation service, such as ‘creative translation’, ‘cross-market copywriting’, ‘international copy adaptation’, ‘marketing translation’, ‘internationalisation’, ‘localisation’ or ‘cultural adaptation’, among others. Despite its constant development and the modification of its meaning, transcreation has now become accepted as a mainstream term by the English-speaking global advertising and translation community. The American market research company, Common Sense Advisory, one of the major publishers of industry references for language service providers (LSPs), has recently published a large selection of articles featuring transcreation.^[1] Although the concept has mainly been adopted by western countries up until now, it is also recognized in Asian countries, such as China. This year, one of China’s largest publications for design and advertising, the Modern Advertising Magazine, discussed transcreation for the first time in an article.^[2]

Purpose

Due to globalization and economic challenges, transcreation has become a key tool for internationally operating companies when implementing their global marketing campaigns. Transcreation mainly refers to the concept of taking a message that was created for one particular market and language, and then conveying it for another market and into another language where applicable. Its goal is to preserve the same intent, style, tone of voice and emotional connection as the original.^[3] In order to achieve the same impact with local customers despite the change of socio-cultural context, the ‘transcreated’ message requires considerable market and cultural relevance. Perceived lack of respect of people’s roots, local values, beliefs and cultures could cause 'culture shocks' and may have a negative impact on consumers, which could in turn damage an international brand’s reputation and sales.^[4] Although transcreation is normally utilised for websites, brochures, TV and radio commercials, posters or flyers, in theory any message – written or oral – can be ‘transcreated’. Due to the specific requirements of this practice, it is usually carried out by in-market copywriters, who specialise in transcreation. For successful transcreation, local language copywriters need to have extensive knowledge of their market, possess extraordinary language skills, have the ability to creatively adapt messages for their target market and demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of advertising.

Avoiding Culture Shocks

A lack of understanding of cultural differences in advertising can not only lead to a barrier in communication, but it could also have a damaging effect on the brand image and this could be difficult to restore.^[5] There are numerous examples, so called advertising blunders, which show the importance of culturally sensitive marketing strategies. In some cases it might just be due to the usage of a word that has a different meaning in the foreign market. For example, automobile manufacturer Honda decided to drop the name ‘Fitta’ for one of its models and rename it ‘Honda Fit’, after the company discovered that ‘fitta’ is a vulgar term in many Nordic countries.^[6][7] Different socio-cultural standards in the country might also lead to blunders. Procter & Gamble tried to use a television commercial in Japan, which was popular in Europe, showing a couple in a bathroom, however, in contrast to their European counterparts, Asian viewers considered this ad as inappropriate and an invasion of privacy. Slight changes in local language headlines, body copy, scripts and voice-overs can shift sales rates, market share and consumer perception significantly.^[4]

Maximizing Cultural Relevance

Consumer behavior varies considerably and perception of advertising differs across all markets based on the consumer’s cultural heritage, values and practices of a country (and the different groups within it). These factors influence their perceptions and reactions to elements such as tone of voice, humor, settings, casting and tonality. Additionally, every culture has subcultures with their own set of values. The communication style also varies significantly from country to country, influencing the expression of emotions, gestures, body language, facial expressions, and even verbal communication. Furthermore, how consumers use, consume and interact with the brand may differ, as may their level of knowledge of the brand.^[8] Transcreation combines an understanding of consumer behaviour with knowledge of cultural differences to create targeted campaigns.

One of the key aspects of advertising communication is establishing an emotional connection with the consumer. Without these emotional connections, consumers are less likely to pay attention to the campaign and could perhaps find it less appealing, which could subsequently lead to weak sales figures.^[9] Since emotional connections can contain many cultural references, it is important to consider this when devising campaigns. However, it is not only a lack of emotional connection that is important for effective communication, in some cases slogans or tag lines can be so deeply rooted in their local culture, that they are not translatable at all.^[9] In this case, copywriters specializing in transcreation must alter the content in order to maximize cultural relevance whilst maintaining the spirit of the campaign.

Global vs. Local

In planning an international brand campaign, it is crucial to consider a variety of different aspects to find the most effective way of reaching the largest audience. An important step in modern marketing and advertising is striking the balance between standardization and localization. A global marketing campaign is adjusted and tailored in such a way that there are sufficient elements to make it appealing for a broad audience in different markets. Localization, on the other hand, means customizing a campaign according to the individual requirements and specifications of a particular market. In most cases, the most effective solution would be a complex combination of both of these concepts, as opposed to regarding the concepts as all-or nothing propositions. Whilst similarities in market-specific factors can support global campaigns, differences can limit the effectiveness and impact of a campaign significantly across markets.^[10] Combining elements of global and local campaigns is often referred to as “think global, act local".^[11][12] Companies often run at least partially customized campaigns in order to create relevance for consumers and create emotional connections.^[9] In the global versus local debate, transcreation can function as a bridge between the two oppositions. Trancreation can be regarded as a compromise between literally translating the copy and developing a new market specific campaign because this way, not only will the language be adapted, but the cultural relevance will be taken into account and the ad will be adjusted. Another advantage is that in most cases, one transcreation agency will deal with all international markets and this helps ensure that the brand image remains consistent.

Marketing operators of global companies often rely on transcreation for their international advertising campaigns due to a variety of different strategic reasons. It is important to take market and consumer differences into consideration. For example, a product or service that is regarded as an everyday item in one country can be perceived as luxury in another, in which case the advertising strategy needs to be adjusted accordingly. The media environment can also vary considerably across international markets. Moreover, different countries have specific advertising regulations that need to be considered when campaigning. Products may also have varied development paces. For example, the development of mobile telecommunications markets in Asia is much quicker than in Western Europe. Competitiveness also needs to be taken into account. The way a brand is perceived and the market relevance it has will vary significantly not only across different markets, but also amongst consumers.

References

1. ^ "Common Sense Advisory". Common Sense Advisory. 2011. http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com/Home.aspx. Retrieved 16 September 2011. 
2. ^ "Textappeal: The Advantage of Talents". Modern Advertising: 20–21. August 2010. 
3. ^ Balemans, Percy (14 July 2010). "Transcreation: Translating and Recreating". Translating Is an Art. http://pbtranslations.wordpress.com/2010/07/14/transcreation-translating-and-recreating/. Retrieved 16 September 2011. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Pollak, Elliot; Cuttita, Frank (March 2006). "Global Marketing Disasters and Recoveries". Admap (470): 36–38. 
5. ^ Zhang, Yong; Gelb, Betsy D. (1996). "Matching Advertising Appeals to Culture: The Influence of Products' Use Conditions". Journal of Advertising 25 (3): 29–49. ISSN 0091-3367. http://www.jstor.org/pss/4189010. Retrieved 16 September 2011. 
6. ^ "Cross Cultural Marketing Blunders and Mistakes". Kwintessential. http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/cultural-services/articles/crosscultural-marketing.html. Retrieved 16 September 2011. 
7. ^ Width, Henrik (24 February 2005). "Honda Droppet Fitta [Honda drop Fitta]" (in Norwegian). Aftenposten Forbruker. http://forbruker.no/bil/article291156.ece. Retrieved 16 September 2011. 
8. ^ Ortiz-Sotomayor, Jesus. Challenging times for International Advertising. In Krishnabhushan; Mahashabde; Varma. . Brand Positioning: Strategies and Consumer Culture: 130–145. ISBN 978-81-314-2413-1. http://isg.urv.es/library/papers/MarotoChallenging.pdf. Retrieved 16 September 2011. 
9. ^ ^{a b c} Kates, Steven M.; Goh, Charlene (2003). "Brand Morphing: Implications for Advertising Theory and Practice". Journal of Advertising 32 (1): 59–68. ISSN 0091-3367. http://www.jstor.org/pss/4622150. Retrieved 16 September 2011. 
10. ^ Griffith, David A.; Chandra, Aruna; Ryans Jr., John K. (2003). "Examining the Intricacies of Promotion Standardization: Factors Influencing Advertising Message and Packaging". Journal of International Marketing 11 (3): 30–47. http://www.journals.marketingpower.com/doi/abs/10.1509/jimk.11.3.30.20160. Retrieved 16 September 2011. 
11. ^ Harris, Greg (1994). "International Advertising Standardization: What Do the Multinationals Actually Standardize?". Journal of International Marketing 2 (4): 13–30. ISSN 1069-031X. http://www.jstor.org/pss/25048564. Retrieved 16 September 2011. 
12. ^ Vrontis, Dmetris; Thrassou, Alkis. "Adaptation vs. Standardisation in International Marketing- The Country-of-origin Effect". Journal of Innovative Marketing 3 (4): 7–21. ISSN 1814-2427. http://unic.academia.edu/DemetrisVrontis/Papers/359731/Adaptation_Vs._Standardization_In_International_Marketing-The_Country-of-Origin_Effect. Retrieved 16 September 2011.