FAQ
What is a global advertising campaign?
A global advertising campaign is a campaign devised by an advertising agency to be deployed internationally, in EMEA markets (Europe/Middle-East, Asia), or in a number of specific foreign markets. It needs to be adapted in different languages by transcreators to respect the concept of the campaign, while respecting the markets’ cultural sensitivities. It is often said “Think globally, act locally”.
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What is transcreation in advertising?
Transcreation in advertising consists of recreating a headline/slogan, copy, tagline/endline/signature, or a product name into another language, while respecting the original idea, TOV, and emotional impact behind the original line. It must resonate culturally with the target country, while respecting a brief devised by an advertising agency. It is also referred as localization.
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What is a transcreator in advertising?
A transcreator in advertising is a professional who adapts advertising campaigns and marketing material into their native tongue. They must have studied advertising, trained in copywriting, and worked in advertising agencies in their mother tongue, while at the same time having extensively lived in the country where the copy originates from, usually the US or the UK, to be able to adapt copy culturally sensitively. They must be immersed in the advertising industry and keep up with its evolution. Translators cannot be transcreators.
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What is the difference between transcreation and translation?
Transcreation in advertising is the ability to adapt headlines or taglines creatively, and by implementing a brief devised by an advertising agency. It is a highly skilled and specialised job that demands great creativity and imagination. Translating consists of rewriting a text from one language to another with low creativity, by translators with an academic background and no experience in advertising. A translator cannot perform transcreation.
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Can translation companies offer transcreation?
Translation agencies shouldn't, by definition, offer transcreation, as they pay translators by the word, when transcreators charge hourly/daily fees. A transcreator cannot apply for a job in translation companies because their application forms do not offer the option of being paid hourly/daily fees. Translation managers are not trained in advertising and have never worked in the creative industry. They are academics who are not able to judge creative work. A business should never use a translation company to transcreate advertising copy or marketing material.
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Can a translator do transcreation?
No, a translator cannot do transcreation because a translator has an academic background solely. A transcreator has been trained as a copywriter in advertising, has been immersed in the advertising industry, and has worked in advertising agencies in their country of origin as well as in the country where the copy has originated, usually the US or the UK. A candidate's background and experience can easily be checked on www.linkedin.com or their website.
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Can AI perform transcreation?
AI cannot perform transcreation because it cannot recreate copy creatively, understand TOV, or interpret a brief or play on words. AI can be used by a copywriter in advertising to adapt long copy like digital content, instruction guides, or packaging. But AI cannot incorporate glossaries specific to a client/product. So a transcreator has to rewrite, make changes, and revise the copy in all cases of copy translated by AI.
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Can advertising agencies do transcreation?
Advertising agencies who are part of an international network are often tasked with adapting global advertising campaign to their market. However, it doesn’t guarantee that their copywriters are able to transcreate global campaigns. It is a specialist skill, along with understanding and being able to interpret a campaign in the original language. The other issues are cultural, where the product and the way it is consumed cannot be adapted to the target market without making important changes to adapt to the market, including the imagery, down to packaging, and the whole marketing of the product or service. A transcreator is better trained at evaluating those changes. Advertising agencies that are part of an international network or independent creative shops often use transcreators, regardless, because they recognise their specialist skills and they can get a speedier service.
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