3 Times Transcreation Was The Answer

Communicating your message is an integral part of your business, especially when entering international markets. When globalising your company, there are many aspects that need to be considered including translation and transcreation.  

In this blog, we are going to look at what transcreation is and how it differs from translation. To explore transcreation fully we will be looking at the consequences big-name brands had to face as a result of not using this vital linguistic process. So, let’s have a look at some of the mistakes made by companies and how you can avoid making them.

What is transcreation?

Transcreation is a combination of translation and creation. This service is carried out by professional translators who are also expert writers. The core message, tone of voice, writing styles, and intent of your business's content piece will remain, but the actual wording may differ. So what's the difference between that process and a straightforward business translation...

Transcreation vs Translation

Knowing when transcreation should be used and when translation should be used is an important aspect of ensuring your business is navigating international trading correctly. But when do you use each service? Well, translation is the process of making one piece of text word-for-word available in a different language to its original.

Whereas transcreation is taking a slogan, for example, and making it work in more than one language. Haribo is just one of the many companies that use transcreation to make their slogan understood by all their audiences. Haribo’s original slogan is “Kids and grownups love it so, the happy world of Haribo.” This message, transcreated in German, is “Haribo make children happy, and grownups too.” From this example it's clear that the key message is still there it’s just in slightly different wording. A more suitable outcome when the word for word language translation doesn’t offer the right solution.

Here are 3 examples of large brands that used translation instead of transcreation and the effect it had.

1. Ford Motor Company. Ford wanted to promote the high-quality materials used in the manufacturing of their cars. In a marketing campaign, they used the catchphrase “Every car has a high-quality body.” However, when it came for this campaign to be launched in Belgium, translation was used, meaning the phrase read “Every car has a high-quality corpse.” This was definitely not the message Ford wanted to advertise and quickly had to remove it. Had the message been transcreated, Ford would have created a buzz around the new product and shown that they really care about being a part of the Belgium market.

2. Another company that was affected by a direct translation, when transcreation was the solution, was KFC. KFC’s very popular slogan is “Finger-lickin’ good.” As you probably guessed, the slogan didn’t have the best translation. When translated into Chinese, the wording read “Eat your fingers off.” Definitely not whetting your appetite. The fast-food chain had no choice but to remove and take down any promotional material with this translation. Had the message been transcreated - KFC would have been left with a slightly different, yet just as catchy, slogan that may have gone viral... for all the right reasons.

3. Pepsi also had issues when translating its message into Chinese. The original “Pepsi brings you back to life” had a translation error when the message changed to “Pepsi brings you back from the grave.” This bold, and obviously untrue, claim, impacted the business as one of Pepsi’s main competitors had an increase in sales due to the blunder. A prime example of assuming word-for-word translation does the job every time.

All of this could have been avoided by these brands if they had used transcreation.

Avoid making the same mistakes

To make sure you don’t lose sales or your reputation overseas, use a professional transcreation agency like Wolfestone. We can offer advice as to whether translation or transcreation is the service you need. The experts at Wolfestone recognise the importance of this service and offer insights into how mistakes can easily be avoided. Are you interested in working with a knowledgeable team? Then contact us today.

Information Correct: 07/07/2022

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Ford, KFC, and Pepsi suffer from translation fails