what is transcreation in international marketing?

People who communicate well use transcreation for their international content. Context is necessary in advertising and marketing, also if we want to rank on Google.

What is transcreation or transcreation?

Transcreation can be defined as translation that requires more than the mere transcription of a text from one language into another.

Outside the field of marketing and advertising, when we speak in a different language, the way we communicate, address and interact with the other person changes.

Youare not just mentally doing a literal translation; in a sense, your attitude and way of thinking changes, as well as the way you convey the words. Even if, in essence, the aim of what we want to say is the same, our communicative intent and our own personality remain the same.

In the field of marketing, for a transcreation to fulfil its purpose, the professional who performs it must also have skills and knowledge related to the discipline of marketing, advertising and sales.

All of this in order to reach the final international target, and for them to receive the messages in the same way as the public in another language, to understand them in the same way, even if this means having very different texts in different languages. In the end, what counts is to represent the message of the project in another language, while maintaining the context, the intention and the objectives.

why is transcreation important for your international marketing strategy?

The basis of any marketing and communication strategy is knowing how to deliver the right message at the right time in order to touch a specific emotion in users. If you have an international marketing strategy, it is in your interest that this happens in all the languages in which you have a market.

So, while copywriting is the means to achieve this goal in the main language of your business in all your communication strategy (web, social networks, emails...), transcreation is the means to achieve the same in the other markets where you also have business.

Some of the benefits of applying a good transcreation method for your international marketing strategy are:

• You get to maintain the intent and strength of the original message, while taking into account the mission, vision and values of your company, whether it is for a specific campaign or for developing your entire website, landing pages or product pages.
  
  
• Although cultural aspects are always present in translations, transcreation goes one step further in order to maintain those nuances that awaken certain feelings, cultural references, etc.
  
  
• A professional transcreator knows the rules of the medium, and at the same time is aware of how to use the verb tenses for the target language or more technical aspects, such as the character limit. At first glance, the latter may be the elements where the difference between a translated and transcribed text is most noticeable. A good transcreator will give his clients several options for slogans, copy, etc. to be sure to comply with what the client is looking for.

Tips for setting up a transcreation process

As we have been saying, we must always start from the campaign briefing, with content that provides us with detailed and relevant information about the creative objectives of the advertising proposal, as well as the buyer persona of the new target country (age, gender, purchasing power, interests, concerns, etc.).

Of course, the team in charge of transcreation will have to know everything about the product or service to be promoted and, in addition, a style guide can be useful to know in depth the values, missions, personality and objectives of the brand.

On the other hand, it is very important to be clear about the channels and media in which the campaign will be developed, as it is necessary to maintain coherence in each project, as well as having knowledge of how to use social networks, television, web, press..

All these guides involve a necessary research process, which will save a lot of time and make things much easier for the transcreator.

Transcreation is about adapting contexts. Different realities affect the communicative style of a particular place and time. Even the same language, if spoken in many different places, will vary greatly. The same word will take on other meanings, it will refer us to other realities