It takes real skill to translate creative copy for an advertising campaign or content for marketing actions. It’s not for amateurs! The “rewriting” of copy or content so that it works in another country and in another language requires real quality writing and exceptional translation skills, together with a good dose of insight and intuition, as well as empathy for the subject.
But, to kick off, what do we mean when we talk about marketing?
Marketing is a very overused term and can be confusing. Marketing consists in all the tools needed to sell and advertise your products or services. Also, a page of your website could become a marketing project: it depends on the reason you are writing it. LingoSpell agency, amongst other things, handles the translation of promotions within B2C or B2B and, specifically, translation of the description of apparel and stationery. We follow campaigns for financial services for an advertising agency, and we create the websites and editorial translations for companies in the wine&food sector. Even projects which may at first glance appear technical require a more creative approach generally associated with marketing. For a well-known tyre company we translate various product spec sheets and website pages: given the market category, not only knowledge of the technical terminology is required but also the skill to translate content so that the text flows smoothly and is attractive for end users.
It needs to be said right off the bat that not all translators are creative writers and can oversee creative translations. Linguists that are specialised in technical or legal translations will rarely have the skill and flexibility to adapt to translating marketing content. This is because the approach to this type of translation is completely different to that used in other more technical areas. When we are asked to take on a marketing project, whether it involves a new advertising campaign, website copy or the launch of a new product, we can rely on creative translators that have the skills to render copy or content appealing for readers of their native language.
When marketing is involved, simple translation is often not enough, and this is where “transcreation” comes into play, i.e. translating copy or content focussing on creating a new version of the underlying concepts. In certain contexts, a word for word translation would lose the sparkle and allure that is essential for good marketing copy to stand out from the crowd and resonate with potential customers. Whatever business you operate in, you know that competition is stiff, and to shine through, your products need to be perceived as innovative. But an excellent product alone is not enough. A robust foundation of marketing content, carefully translated into the languages of target markets, is also essential.
For example, it’s important that a play on words in the source language works equally well in the target one. Rest assured, this is one of the most difficult tasks a translator will face. In this case, intimate knowledge of the source language is needed in addition to the target one, as well as creativity to render the meaning of the play on words understandable in other cultures and contexts. Indeed, even completely changing the phrase (but not the message) while respecting the tone of voice of the original copy.
Additionally, the accent needs to be placed on cultural adaptation of the message in question. Translation between European languages means that this difference is less apparent (but never to be underestimated) but when the target language is Japanese, Turkish or Arabic, the cultural gap widens considerably and greater attention needs to be given to this aspect.
The bottom line: don’t risk losing the magic of your marketing copy and content, hard-won by your copywriters. Rely only on specialist translators for your marketing translations. LingoSpell can recommend a few names to you ...
In certain contexts, a word for word translation would lose the sparkle and allure that is essential for good marketing copy to stand out from the crowd and resonate with potential customers. Whatever business you operate in, you know that competition is stiff, and to shine through, your products need to be perceived as innovative.
But an excellent product alone is not enough. A robust foundation of content, carefully translated into the languages of target markets, is also essential.
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