Why your business needs transcreation services

Long gone are the days when global brands needed to ‘just translate’ their marketing content. Today, customers expect content that personally appeals to them, and in response, brands need to strive to create messages that can really resonate and connect with their audience.

If your company is eager to enter new European markets then it will require transcreation, not just translation, to enter on the right foot and make an impactful first impression.

 

So what exactly is transcreation?

Transcreation (also called creative translation) is a process whereby we take your creative copy and turn it into something equally as emotive and engaging in the target language.

In some cases, transcreation will include some of your original content, just a reworking of specific ideas, while in other cases it could entail a complete reimagining of your content so that it better resonates with a different culture.

 

 

In other words, transcreation is a process where translation meets copywriting. While translation focuses on bringing across your message in a way that’s eloquent, relevant and reflects your brand voice, transcreation goes one step further and focuses on the intended outcome of your message. Yet unlike copywriting, we don’t create a completely new message for a new market, rather we take your existing message and adapt it so that it resonates in a new market.

Let’s say we’re transcreating a web banner for your new German audience. We don’t just think about how we can translate the banner, so it sounds beautiful and snappy in German, but we also think about what you are trying to achieve with the banner. What emotion or response do you want to invoke in the German audience; and why? Do you want to increase brand awareness? Drive sign-ups? Encourage the audience to take a specific action? We want to make sure that your transcreated web banner is just as effective in the German market as it is in your home location.

 

Transcreation delivers on conveying the concept of your message in a culturally appropriate manner.

 

Given this different approach between translation and transcreation, here are four reasons why you should be using transcreation for your global marketing communication:

 

1) Going global by thinking local

If you are thinking of entering a new European market or looking to improve your current position, then transcreation will be paramount to your success.

Building a successful global brand takes more than speaking the language of your target market, it takes local expert knowledge to ensure your communications are conveyed using relevant style, trends, search behaviours, and colloquial use of language in any locale.

 

2) Connecting and engaging with your international audiences

In the last few years, engagement has become a key goal for businesses seeking to thrive in international markets. By means of transcreation, you can maintain strong ties with your target customers by appealing to their emotions and feelings. Transcreation makes a foreign message sound close to home.

It is about adding value beyond words. By transcreating you are showing your international audience that you understand and respect their different cultures, and that you respect their values.

This in turn increases customer engagement, widens your market reach, and earns you brand loyalty.

 

3) Transcreation improves your SEO

Google quality standards and algorithms consider several factors to rank pages, including content quality, relevance, and visitor engagement.

Purely translating your content into a different language (for example with a free online machine translation tool) can be viewed as duplicate content by Google and may in fact reduce your ranking.

Investing in professional localisation services like transcreation ensures that your content is rich and unique.

When expanding your business globally, the transcreation of your marketing and website content is essential if you want to succeed in different regional markets, guarantee higher click-through rates from search traffic and reach a wider target audience.

 

4) Boosts your brand image

People are more likely to buy from brands whose marketing and communications reflect who they are and what they value.

By making your content culturally appropriate for your international audiences you will improve both brand awareness and affinity.

Transcreation takes your brand messaging one step further by including adaptations of your visual content like images, logos, colours, and symbols to help you personalise your content and successfully reflect the local preferences of your target audience.

 

Transcreation is a highly creative process that requires expert language and cultural skills. Whether you need to transcreate headlines, slogans, ad copy, web and app banners, or other high-impact, short-form copy, it is important to hire an experienced and ethical transcreation partner.

If you’re in need of transcreation services to expand your business and European market success, then get in touch with us.