Creative translation
What is creative translation
Creative translation (or transcreation) is a new term in the modern translation world. It arose from the need to translate advertising material, which encompasses creativity, artistic flair and adaptation to the new target-language. It is the successful combination of translation and copywriting. As a process, it remains faithful to the spirit and key concept behind the original idea, but follows a different way of thinking. To attract an audience with a different cultural identity and different buying habits and needs, creative translation reassesses, restructures and reshapes the original material. It is successful when it captures the central theme of a product, but it tells the story in a way that speaks to the deeper mentality of the new target-market. It is usually a complex process that not only requires a translator with exceptional language skills, but also vast experience in marketing.
How is creative translation used
Creative translation is mainly used for marketing products or services that aspire to be successful in international markets. A successful product that has been accepted by the buying habits of the consumers in the country where it was created does not guarantee the same success in the target-country. Advertising a product or service that has not undergone creative translation adaptation may literally be lost in translation and the meaning may be misinterpreted, directly leading to it being a complete failure and rejected by the new consumers.
The difference between translation and creative translation
While translation focuses on the faithful yet selective replacement of words, aiming at the proper rendering of the text, creative translation focuses on free and artistic expression, aiming to successfully transfer an entire concept into another language. Whereas translation simply carries a meaning, creative translation encompasses all that cultural background that will make the right impact on the new buying audience.
In other words, the essential difference is that creative translation is used exclusively for the purposes of marketing products or services destined for foreign countries, in an effort to produce an impeccable commercial image and ensure maximum profit.
