Transcreation and cinema

The largest cinema in the world, UGC Ciné Cité, has just celebrated 30 years in Les Halles in the heart of Paris. It boasts 27 screens, 35 films on show at all times, and has seen 2.8 million visitors last year (including me).

When in Paris, it’s my go-to cinema. It is situated in the centre of Paris, inside the Forum des Halles shopping mall. You get there via several métro lines and the RER A, the busiest underground line in the world.

The offering is dazzling, from blockbusters in VO to indies, a French specialty, it caters to all public, from the ageing bourgeoise to the young banlieusard.

They show from 9 am to late at night. It is the cinema of reference for producers who measure the success of their films by the attendance on Wednesdays at 9 am, the release day of films in France.

The adverts are a big part of the experience of going to the cinema. A great portion of them are international, made for a global audience, and unfortunately, carry a generic message and tagline in English.

French law demands that copy in English ought to be translated somewhere, usually in the corner of the screen. At that point, you must realise how unrealistic this is.

Taglines usually sum up a concept in very few words, not always easy to decipher. They reflect a global culture that does not necessarily speak to a local audience. Imagine a French audience to whom you’re trying to sell your product or service while keeping your tagline in English.

Did you know that only 19% of the French population speaks and understands English?

So, why would you keep a tagline in English that doesn’t make any sense? When was it logical to show ads and sell a product or a service in a different language than your target audience?

Never. Except for Nike, perhaps. Are you Nike?

If not, the solution is always transcreation. In French, in this case.

So, next time you spend a significant amount of your media budget in France, spend it on cinema ads and think about spending a small portion of it on transcreation by a trained French copywriter and transcreator in advertising. I think it is the least you could do for your intended target.