People often get perplexed when it comes to Translation vs transcreation. Some use the two terms interchangeably, believing transcreation is just a fancy way of addressing translation. Few even suspect that language services intentionally sell Transcreation services as more premium than Translation, only to charge high prices to customers.
If you are also unsure about the differences between transcreation and translation, this article will answer all your doubts. We will discuss the thin line between translation and the transcreation process and the key purposes. We will also highlight the area of use, referencing some examples of each type.
Definitions of Translation and Transcreation
Let’s begin by explaining the definitions of translation and transcreation:
What does Translate Mean?
Translation is the process of converting a particular source content from one language into another target language, be it text or audio. For example, a Malaysian tourist is visiting Australia and wants to drive in the new country. In this case, he/she has to get the Malay Driving License translated into English by a NAATI translator to drive legally in Australia. This applies to other legal documents during immigration and to other official formalities as well.
What is Transcreate?
When translation and creation come together, transcreation happens (Translation + Create = Transcreation). Therefore, it simply means creative translation. The goal of transcreation is not only to translate a source language into a different language, but also to better resonate with the local audience while being culturally relevant.
A popular example is Le Courrier Australien, the longest-running bilingual newspaper in Australia that publishes news in both English and French. Instead of plain translation, the editorial transcreators go for a creative brief while maintaining the meaning of the original message.
What is the Difference Between Translation and Transcreation?
While plain translation focuses on word for word conversion, transcreation involves creativity and cultural context. Transcreators are not bound by the source text but are allowed to use their creative liberties to improve the look and feel of translated text, using copywriting and visual elements. Due to its creative nature, many marketing and advertising companies require transcreation to ensure their marketing messages align with the cultural context of their target demographic.
Transcreation experts adapt the content according to the emotional response of the target market by using cultural references and appropriate linguistic terms. The core idea remains the same, but the transcreated text appears more natural-sounding, and the information and ideas are effectively communicated across different markets.
Popular Examples of Transcreation
McDonald’s slogan is “I’m Lovin’ It”, and its official Spanish slogan is “Me encanta”. But it is not the literal translation of the original phrase. Using the literal translated text, which could be “Estoy amando” or “Estoy querendando,” is not really pleasing to the ears and may sound awkward.
Therefore, the marketing team decided to go with the transcreated version, which sounds more natural and effectively conveys the same positive feeling of enjoyment and preference that the original tagline did, even if its back translation is different, “I really like it”.
Another example is KFC’s “finger-lickin’ good” catch phrase was rephrased to avoid its literal meaning of “eating your fingers off,” which would have been culturally inappropriate in China.
Key Differences Between Transcreation Vs Translation Efforts
Here’s a quick table that explains how transcreation differs from translation:
| Aspect | Translation | Transcreation |
|---|---|---|
| Room for Alteration? | Does not allow for any creativity, often resulting in a word-for-word rigid output. | Supports creativity, allowing the use of different terms and writing styles. It can even alter the literal meaning if it better suits the targeted market. |
| Machine-Assisted? | Yes, the translation management system may use a machine-assisted human translation approach for large-scale projects. | No, language service providers allocate this task exclusively to expert humans with deep knowledge of the language, global market, and audience. |
| Skills Required? | Language proficiency, grammar fluency, familiarity with proper linguistic terms and jargon, along with writing and speaking mastery. | All the translation skills, along with excellent creative, copywriting, and often research skills. |
| Requirement of Research and Collaboration? | The process of translation solely focuses on the data provided in the source text and typically doesn’t require external research. The translator generally collaborates with the editor, proofreader, and service team. | Involves extensive market research, audience analysis, demographic study, and creative brainstorming. Apart from the editorial team, transcreators often collaborate with marketing teams as an extended team to the client's office to strategise localisation efforts. |
| Which One is Faster? | The timeframe depends mainly on the project length. For example, a translated marriage certificate is delivered within 48 hours of order placement. While translating a book will take longer due to the size of the task. | Transcreation is more time-intensive than simple translation tasks as it involves a multilayered approach and often requires several reworks to achieve perfection, irrespective of the length of the project. |
| Emotional Resonance and Cultural Relevance? | Only conveys emotional and cultural relevance if it exists in the original text. | Has the power to transform flat and dull content into emotionally engaging and culturally resonant messaging. |
Is Transcreation Similar to Localisation?
Localisation is a broad concept where companies and marketers localise their marketing efforts, products, services, and even business terms according to local rules, customer sentiment, and target market needs, simply going beyond cultural and legal nuances in translation.
On the other hand, transcreation projects are a part of the localisation process. It recreates the emotional impact and tone of the original message in the new language, often through creative rewriting and visual adaptation.
Therefore, localisation uses transcreation to resonate with the target audience while adapting to the local culture. While the purposes are the same, the localisation approach is broader than transcreation.
How do Transcreation and Translation Overlap?
There are different types of translation, and surprisingly, they are interrelated with transcreation based on different purposes. Let’s understand how both overlap-
Literature Translation and Transcreation
Different types of book conversion come with different needs. For example, the Bhagavad Gita is a Hindu Scripture, and its source text was in Sanskrit. Later, its original text was word-for-word translated into multiple languages, including English. Here, the priority is to preserve the original meaning at its best so that when translated versions reach non-native readers, the originality of the real text remains unadulterated. The book will automatically resonate with the audience who are naturally believers. Since there’s no requirement for out-of-the-box creativity, such book conversions took place through meticulous expert human translation.
On the other hand, story novels like the Spanish “Don Quixote” were basically transcreated into 150+ languages and dialects. Since these types of books are for reading pleasure and are the product of literary entertainment, using creative flair to refine the language according to the target audience is allowed.
Business Translation and Transcreation
For example, A UK-based XYZ company is launching its products in the Chinese Market. Now, the company must hire a professional translation services provider for translation and transcreation. For example-
- Converting the original content of the business contracts, agreements, financial reports, and other types of legal/official paperwork requires accurate translation by certified translators.
- Lengthy materials, like training materials, policies, and procedures, need machine-assisted human translation.
- Website localisation and marketing materials like brochures, slogans, ad scripts, print ads, banners, social media posts, blog posts, on-page copy, email marketing campaigns, etc, will require creative translation to resonate with the target audience.
The same need also applies to other industry-specific companies as well as government organisations.
Audio Translation and Transcreation
Audio Translation is generally the process of converting spoken words from one language to another. For example, in a live conference call, someone speaking in Japanese can have their words translated to English in real time, allowing other participants to understand in their preferred language. Another example is video subtitling, where the main audio remains unchanged, but transcribed messages appear in the video in text format.
Audio Transcreation, on the other hand, takes place in three steps-
This is why, when a Spanish Movie premieres in an English theatre, the audio of the film is translated for the English audience for better engagement and entertainment. This is also the same reason why modern documentary films or games nowadays prefer using translated voice-over instead of translated versions for a more accurate and culturally relevant interpretation of the content.
What You Should Choose- Translation or Transcreation Service
It is clear that choosing between translation and transcreation services is entirely dependent on the scope of use and intended purpose. Professional translation is appropriate for simple language conversion. Transcreation is the best for creativity and better resonance with your audience.
From a price point of view, free tools like Google Translate are available for quick translation of words in another language. But for official and legal translation, you have to hire a professional service provider. While certified translation costs more as experts have their individualised fees, machine-assisted translation for standard translation types is more cost-effective.
On the other hand, effective transcreation requires highly specialised knowledge of a creative concept and a deep understanding of the source and target languages. When you hire an expert in transcreation, the fee is generally billed by the hour. Therefore, transcreation tends to be more expensive than translation.
Conclusion
Looking for effective translation or transcreation services in Australia? Hire experts from AustralianTranslationServices! We have the best translators and transcreators to help you with different projects. From legal and official translation services to targeted transcreation, our solutions cover a wide range of language solutions. Contact us today and get a free quote!
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