Translation vs. transcreation – the difference is cultural

Translation is just the first step towards addressing your audience in a language they understand. To truly translate marketing messages, however, there's another step that marketers must consider - transcreation. Word-for-word translation of marketing messages from one language to another may not be enough to get across your marketing message. Those messages also may need to be adapted to ensure they are culturally relevant. We've all seen cringe-worthy direct translations that have given brands airtime for all the wrong reasons.This is the point at which translation becomes transcreation - ensuring the language, humor, even slang, used in a marketing message is adapted such that it resonates with the intended audience. Transcreation might also be known by the terms 'in-language copywriting', 'cultural adaptation' or 'copy adaptation'.