How transcreation can help you achieve global marketing success

As a marketer, you create content designed to intrigue, engage and persuade your audience. But how do you do that for a global audience? Engaging diverse audiences across different markets is hard. How do you make sure that your content is compelling and culturally relevant, no matter where in the world your readers are? That’s where transcreation, a blend of translation and copywriting, comes in.

What is transcreation?

Transcreation combines two words into one: “translation” and “creation”, and it’s a blend of translation and copywriting. The focus isn’t on the words in your original copy, but rather on its emotional impact. Transcreation experts transform your message so that it resonates with audiences in your target markets.

What is the difference between translation and transcreation?

Isn’t transcreation just a fancy word for what translators do? Not exactly. A translation needs to be an accurate representation of the source text. Let’s take an employment contract as an example. Its purpose is to inform. A translation of an employment contract needs to precisely reflect the original wording. That’s when professional translation is the right choice.

Other types of content suitable for translation include:

• Annual reports
• User guides
• White papers

Transcreation aims to elicit a response from your reader. In this case, the focus is on the intent of your content. Let’s take an advert as an example. An advert’s purpose is to attract the audience’s attention and encourage them to take action. It might include a pun or play on words. It might rely on humour, idioms or local references. The trouble is, these don’t travel well. Translating these into another language won’t have the same impact on readers in your target market. Transcreation gets your message across to international audiences as you intended it.

Other types of content suitable for transcreation include:

• Landing pages
• Sales emails
• Newsletters

To summarise: translation is to inform, transcreation is to inspire.

Why is transcreation important in global marketing?

Marketers take great care over copy that will have an impact on brand perception. Does your copy convey your brand’s tone of voice? Does your text engage readers? Prompt them to take action? Give people the right impression? Now, think about the vast cultural differences between the USA and Japan, for example. You want to connect with your US and Japanese readers. But will your message come across to Japanese readers in the same way as you intended?

Cultural differences play a huge role in how people perceive and engage with brands. Something as simple as a tagline can evoke different emotions depending on the market. For example, a play on words that works brilliantly in English might be completely misunderstood in another language.

That’s where transcreation bridges these gaps. Transcreation experts adapt your copy so that it is culturally appropriate. They take into account the conventions of your target market, local references, and make your copy work in the target language. This way, your brand’s voice remains strong and relevant, no matter where it’s heard.

How does a transcreation project work in a global marketing campaign?

In many ways, a transcreation project is similar to a copywriting project. While a copywriter starts with a brief and a blank page, a transcreation expert also has your source text to refer to.

The difference between a transcreation and a translation project? As a global marketer, expect to be more involved in a transcreation project. Below is an outline of a typical workflow:

It starts with a brief

The more information that you can provide, the closer you’ll get to the result you want with the first draft. What kind of information should you include in a transcreation brief? The following details are a good starting point:

• Details about your company and your product/service
• What makes you different from your competitors
• Your brand personality and tone of voice
• The purpose of your global marketing campaign
• The target audience
• Where your audience is located
• The response you want to elicit from readers
• The action you want your readers to take
• Where the copy will be published
• Any relevant reference material and accompanying visuals
• Information on space restrictions in your layout
• An explanation of word choices or plays on words used in the source text

You don’t have to start writing a brief from scratch. Our transcreation brief template is a good starting point.

The transcreative process

Next comes the hard work. Most creatives don’t just come up with a tagline like “Just do it” out of thin air. Behind every memorable tagline is at least a hundred bad ones. A transcreation process might look something like this:

• Read the brief and the source text
• Research the subject
• Produce a first draft
• Set the draft to one side
• Brainstorm
• Let the ideas simmer
• Take a break
• Adapt
• Fine-tune
• Repeat as needed

A transcreation expert will then prepare the transcreation deliverables.

Delivery

What do you get back from a transcreation expert? With longer copy such as a landing page, you will receive your transcreation plus a separate file detailing the solutions they have chosen for certain challenges within the text. With shorter copy such as taglines and headlines, you will receive at least three different options. A transcreation of a tagline will come back to you in table format, similar to the one below:

Source text	Transcreation	Back translation (for information only)	Comment	Preference
Your original tagline	Option 1	A literal translation for your reference	Rationale to help you understand why this option meets your brief	Personal favourite
	Option 2
	Option 3

As you can see, there’s more to transcreation than simply publishing what you’ve received. Your input as a global marketing professional is key.

Feedback

This is your opportunity to share feedback on any fine-tuning that may be necessary. Your transcreation expert will then incorporate any changes and submit the updated copy for final approval.

Transcreation sounds time-consuming and expensive. Is it worth it?

Like with any creative task, professionals at the top of their game have a process for getting the best results. There’s a huge amount of time and effort that goes into transcreation. And because of their expertise, transcreation professionals can command high fees. Transcreation fees may be calculated on an hourly or per-project basis. While the cost may be off-putting, it’s worth considering what you hope to achieve from transcreation, and what value it will bring to your business.

Do the following scenarios sound familiar?

“Our open and click rates for our German email campaigns are abysmal”

It could be that your perfectly translated German emails are too emotional. Many German customers prefer to read more about your product’s features. And using too many adjectives can come across to German readers as over the top. So the focus of your German email campaign will need to change. A transcreation expert will be able to guide you with this. Transcreation can do wonders for your email campaigns:

• Higher open and click rates
• Greater customer engagement
• More traffic to your website
• More sales

Even with the goal of higher sales in your sights, you may find it hard to justify the extra investment in time and cost. There are other factors to consider, too.

“We don’t have time to answer questions from your linguists”

Does your business have the time to put together a detailed brief? Do you have in-country marketing experts who can provide feedback? If you answered “no” to these two questions, then your business may not get the most benefit out of transcreation. Remember that transcreation involves your input, too. It’s rare for a transcreation expert to deliver a first draft that perfectly meets your expectations. There is likely to be some back-and-forth until the copy is final. So if your business isn’t ready for this level of interaction, you might want to consider alternatives:

Hire local copywriters for campaigns in your target markets

This could be a good option if your regional offices have a great network of local talent. Those copywriters won’t be able to refer to your source text, though. And you’ll need to make sure that your regional offices can convey your brief accurately. The absence of a bicultural expert to bring your brief to life in your target market could have a profound impact. While the copy may appeal to your target market, it may not be on brand or meet your brief.

Use LLMs for ideation and providing alternative options for target language copy

It can be tempting to use ChatGPT and the like to try to shortcut the transcreative process. But do you have marketing experts in your regional offices who can judge the results? Fine-tune the output? Make sure that the copy is on brand? And is that really a good use of their time?

Opt for creative translation for long-form marketing content…

Creative translation is a good approach for long-form content created for marketing purposes. These may include employee magazines or websites. This is where experienced translators stay true to your message and deliver translations that read like original copy. The cost for creative translation is generally calculated on the word count.

…and transcreation for high-profile content

Localization departments can then plan their budget more easily and set aside a smaller transcreation budget for high-profile content such as taglines.

With more content being created than ever before, it can be hard for brands to truly stand out. And even harder to make your mark on international markets. Transcreation can be a powerful tool to give your brand a winning edge.

Tell me more about how transcreation can help us succeed with our global marketing efforts

Here are five ways that transcreation can make your global marketing efforts a success:

1. Transcreation preserves your brand voice across markets

Your brand voice is a key part of your identity. And maintaining a consistent voice across markets is essential for building trust. Transcreation strikes the right balance between preserving your brand voice and adapting your message to fit the expectations of each market.

2. Tailored messaging for local audiences

When you’re reaching out to diverse audiences, a one-size-fits-all approach rarely works. Transcreation is about adjusting your messaging to sound authentic in each market, without diluting the core values of your brand. This is especially important when you want to create a strong emotional connection with your audience.

3. Sidestep cultural pitfalls

Cultural missteps can seriously damage a brand’s reputation. Transcreation experts spot issues that might alienate your audience and adjust the content accordingly. This allows your brand to avoid blunders that could derail your global marketing strategy.

4. Transcreation helps boost engagement and conversion rates

When your content is tailored to local markets, it speaks directly to your audience. It feels familiar, relatable and trustworthy. As a result, you’re more likely to see higher engagement and conversion rates, whether that’s in the form of clicks, shares, purchases or sign-ups.

5. Transcreation enhances your global marketing department’s creativity

Having a transcreation expert by your side can inspire fresh new ideas. By working with creatives who understand both the source and target cultures, you can explore approaches that you may not have considered before. This can help you craft campaigns that are more memorable and impactful in international markets.

An example of successful transcreation

German confectionary company Haribo got transcreation right in not one, but many markets. What’s even more impressive is that many languages managed to retain the rhyme. Let’s take a look at the original German slogan, and how different markets approached it:

Original German slogan	English back translation
Haribo macht Kinder froh und Erwachsene ebenso!	Haribo makes kids happy, and grown-ups too!

Spanish transcreation	English back translation
Vive un sabor mágico, ven al mundo Haribo!	Experience a magical flavour – come to the world of Haribo!

Italian transcreation	English back translation
Haribo è la bontà, che si gusta ad ogni età	Haribo is the sweet taste enjoyed at any age

French transcreation	English back translation
Haribo c’est beau la vie, pour les grands et les petits	Haribo is a beautiful life for children and adults

And the English transcreation? “Kids and grown-ups love it so, the happy world of Haribo!” It also conveys the idea in rhyming form.

Are you smiling and humming along to the jingle that’s playing in your head? Chances are that this is precisely what the Haribo marketing experts wanted to achieve when they were creating their brief.

With transcreation, Haribo have made their brand relevant and appealing to local audiences. The rhyming slogans are memorable and create positive associations with the brand. What business wouldn’t want that?

Is transcreation right for your business?

If your business is struggling to connect with audiences in different regions, transcreation may be the answer. Transcreation can help you can build a stronger, more relatable brand presence and speak to the hearts of customers worldwide.

A final note

Global marketing success isn’t just about having your content translated into multiple languages. It’s also about making sure that your message is culturally relevant, emotionally impactful and engaging. Transcreation helps you achieve that by preserving your brand voice while tailoring your content to each market. With transcreation, you can connect authentically with your audience no matter where they are. Ready to take your brand global? Contact Planet Languages for a free consultation and find out how transcreation can amplify your message worldwide.

About the author

Sinead Poskitt graduated with a First Class Honours degree in French, Spanish and Linguistics from the University of York in 2013. She joined Planet Languages shortly after and is now a senior member of the project management team. She coordinates a variety of high-profile transcreation projects for luxury brands. Outside of work she enjoys distance running and cycling and completed the 2019 London Marathon to raise funds for the Wessex Cancer Trust.