In the late 1920s, when Coca cola first entered the Chinese market, local sellers chose characters to write this soda drink in the local language to make it easier for people to read.
The chosen characters were 蝌蚪啃蜡 (simplified version) which means “Bite the Wax Tadpol.” Of course this name does not sound right. Those local sellers might not have enough understanding on the importance of branding.
Fortunately, Coca cola had done cultural research before they marketed their product in China. They chose other characters which could be loosely translated into “to allow the mouth to rejoice” which sounded way better and successfully brought the sense that Coca cola would like to convey.
It still sounds weird in Indonesian, doesn’t it? But that’s the beauty of localizing slogan. It mostly only applies to one culture even after it has been translated to other languages.
Similar thing also happened to Honda. Who does not know this brand in Indonesia? Honda Jazz is one of the highest sale automobiles in the world. Who knows that this product is named differently in different countries.
When it was first launched, Honda Jazz was named Honda Fitta. Who knew that ‘Fitta’ in Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish means female genitalia?
With the slogan “Small in the outside, big in the inside,” European market found it hard to accept this product. The company, then changed the product name into Honda Jazz to fit in the European market.
The name was also used in some areas of Asia. In the USA, Honda Jazz is known as Honda Fit. Although, some sources stated that both Honda Fit and Honda Jazz had slightly different specification.
If only simple cultural research was done, the company could save a choking amount of money and avoid the hazzle of changing their product name.
This is what is unique about rebranding in different languages and cultures. It does not only take the skills to translate, but also the skills to produce creative works as well as great knowledge on various local cultures.
Creating brand names, logo, and slogan for local market to accept is not something that everyone can do. This is part of transcreation service done by talented and skilful transcreators.
What is transcreation service?
Transcreation is a creative writing service that serves clients who would like their text to be sent to different group of audience with different cultural and language backgrounds.
Different from common translation service which translates text literally with some modification here and there, transcreation service does not only see a text.
A good transcreator needs to consider culture nuances, market tastes, trends, etc that will greatly affect the prospective transcreation project.
A good transcreator needs to ensure that the product created, even the shortest one, contains similar not only message but also spirit and nuance as the original product in its original language.
Interestingly, when a transcreation product experiences back translation, the back translation product does not contain overlaps words with its original version.
Research is needed so that a transcreation product can be well accepted by the local market and profitable. Furthermore, it should not result in blunders that might disadvantage a company or organizations.
What are the steps in a transcreation process?
There are four main steps in the process of transcreation. First is meeting with a client, text analysis, transcreation process itself, and the process of handover the transcreation product to the client.
Different from translation service that starts with a text, a transcreation process starts with a meeting with the client.
In this step, both a transcreator and a client discuss what the clients would like to convey in the logo and/or advertisement they have. Both the transcreator and client also need to agree on the time frame of the transcreation process. Remember that transcreation service is a creative industry that usually takes time to complete.
After the initial meeting with the client, the intended text will be seen together by the assigned transcreator and client. Then, the text will undergo transcreation process.
During this transcreation process, depending on the agreement set at the initial meeting, another meeting between the transcreator and client can happen again. After the transcreation process is done, the transcreator handovers the text back to the client.
A transcreation service, as it has been mentioned before, is considered as a creative industry service. Thus, the cost is calculated on hourly basis. This is different from the regular translation service that is calculated based on how many words are being translated.
What are the benefits of using a transcreation service?
The use of a transcreation can benefit a company in the following area:
Micro level marketing
A good transcreation service will make a product be accepted more easily in the local market.
Building brand image
Branding is an important strategy in a company. A brand brings company’s spirit and identity. It is no wonder that a lot of companies spend quite a fortune to create a good brand and to advertise it.
It is too bad that such a good brand that takes a great deal of effort to create goes wasted because it cannot be accepted in a certain target market. A transcreation service will help in analysing the market and transcreate the brand and advertisement so that it can be well accepted by local markets.
Increasing sales
When the brand and everything related to it could be well accepted by the local market, sales would also increase. People will feel that the brand suits their taste and start looking for it.
Getting personal touch
A good transcreation service provider realizes that a good brand needs to keep its uniqueness and its special nuance. Thus, personal touch that makes the brand stands out is an important part of a transcreation service.
When should we use a transcreation service?
After we read the benefits of using a transcreation service, making decision on whether or not we need a transcreation service should be easier. We should choose a transcreation service when we would like to translate not only our message, but also our spirit and nuance to another language.
It is important to send the spirit and nuance at the same level as they are in the text’s original language because it has something to do with inviting people to use a certain product or do an action that creates changes.
Regular translation is usually not enough when we would like to burn people’s spirit or attract people to consume a certain product. Thus, a transcreation service is there to help us gaining audiences and customers which at the end result in good sale and great impact.
What are the famous products that underwent transcreation process?
Almost all multinational products underwent some transcreation process. Below is the list of some famous products which underwent transcreation process:
Coca-cola
Coca cola once created a bottle with a name on it. It was done to make the product more personal to their customers. The brand interestingly went an extra mile by not only writing names that were familiar to English speakers such as John and Andrew, but also names that were familiar to a particular local market.
In Vietnam, the Coca Cola bottles had Oanh, Tien, and Anh on its labels. Those are names commonly found in Vietnam.
Mc. Donalds
Mc. Donalds with its slogan “I’m lovin’ it” once failed in translating its slogan in different languages. The transcreation products did not sound right in some countries.
Since then, Mc. Donalds decided not to transcreate its slogan in countries where there are a significant number of people who speak English well.
Puma
Puma once tried to make a pair of shoes with the flag’s colors of the United Arab Emirat. In some countries wearing things with their countries’ flag in them is considered as an expression of pride.
Nevertheless, in some other countries, where you put the flag matters a lot. Instead of showing pride, wearing shoes with your country flag can be considered as an act of disrespecting the flag.
So, do you know which service that you need? After knowing more about what a transcreation service is, shouldn’t it be easier to decide which service you need? Be it translation or transcreation service, PéMad is ready to assist you. If you are still unsure on what service to choose, do not hesitate to contact us. We are ready to answer your question and help you choosing the right service.
References:
- https://www.lionbridge.com/blog/translation-localization/transcreation-services-why-and-when-you-need-them/
- https://www.carlist.my/news/the-honda-that-nearly-became-the-worst-named-car-the-story-of-the-fitjazz-name-59952/59952/
- https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/bite-the-wax-tadpole/
- https://ivannovation.com/blog/translation-vs-transcreation/
- https://www.smartling.com/resources/101/six-ways-transcreation-differs-from-translation/#:~:text=Translation%20is%20typically%20billed%20by%20the%20word%2C%20whereas,idea%20isn%27t%20just%20to%20translate%20with%20equal%20language.
- https://www.dynamiclanguage.com/5-companies-that-mastered-transcreation/
- https://summalinguae.com/business/tips-for-advertising-transcreation/
- https://blog.supertext.ch/en/2019/06/7-types-of-content-that-should-be-transcreated/
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