Transcreation: The Decisions That Matter
Adapting marketing and creative content for another language and culture, preserving intent and emotion rather than translating word for word.
Dana Whitfield
What is at stake
Slogans, jokes and cultural references often fail in direct translation, and transcreation keeps campaigns effective in new markets.
The playbook
- Brief transcreators on intent and audience
- Allow copy to change where culture requires
- Review with local market teams
- Check adapted slogans for trademark conflicts
- Keep brand voice guidelines for each language
Where it goes wrong
Avoid:
- Literal translation of slogans
- Idioms that do not travel
- Skipping local review
- Assuming one Spanish or French fits every market
The numbers behind it
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Scope | headlines, slogans, campaigns and brand messaging |
| Process | creative briefs for each market |
| Review | native speakers in the target market |
| Trademarks | adapted names and slogans may need clearance |
Getting outside help
When to hand it over: Bring in help when launching campaigns in new languages or countries.
Where this comes from
- W3C — Internationalization techniques: authoring HTML and CSS
- United States Patent and Trademark Office — Trademark basics
The figures and practices above come from the sources listed.
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Where to go next
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