According to the most well-known sources,
the term translation means the process of changing an oral or written text in
some language into another language. In this process, the translator or the professional translation service provider should be careful in preserving the
meaning of the original text, in other words, source text, and at the same time
s/he should pay attention to using the proper grammar rules of the target language.
One cannot translate a text just by looking it up in a dictionary and writing
the first word down that comes up. Translation process is something that is way
more sophisticated than that. Creative translators are individuals who
translate content with a focus on the local markets.
In the marketing and advertisement sector,
for instance, people need something with eye-catching taglines. At this very
moment, creative translation, also known as transcreation, comes into play. Translation
which only covers the literal meaning does not convey the message properly and
can be inefficient, moreover, it may sound nonsense in the target language for
the target audience and culture. Creative translations can make the material as
successful as the original source text and give the same impression.
Transcreation is the job that creative
translators undertake, while translation and literally, recreating the source
text in another language. It does not necessarily mean that every successful
translator can do this though. What is the difference between transcreation and
translation? Not every translator is capable of translating a text in a
creative way. A creative translator, besides the linguistic skills, needs to
understand and express herself/himself clearly and also s/he should have a good
command of the relevant languages.
While in the translation process the
emphasis is on creative translation, the source text should not be overlooked.
The given sense and the tone of the source text must be taken into account as
well by the online translation service provider. Only writing a new, free of
any constraints that go with translation, will provide and encourage more
creativity.
A creative translator, unlike in the
traditional translation and writing where the author can simply begin from the
top, should be capable of using different techniques that are extremely
challenging.
Creative Translation is The New Black
If you want everyone, all your readers and website
visitors, to know about your brand and engage in your job or offering, you need
to come up with a proper way to achieve that. Whether it is a commercial, an
article or a blog, you need to attract people and make them read what you share
with or offer to them. If your aim is to draw people’s attention, a literal
translator is definitely not the one to consult. At this moment, you come to
understand that you need to find professionals, in other words, you need a
creative translation agency to assist you.
Thus far, creative translations, transcreation terms have been briefly mentioned;
however, what does creative translation mean?
Creative translation definition is that conforming an oral or written
text to the target culture or target language as well as trying to abstain from
a word for word translation and to remain faithful to the core of the original
text. To do this, the creative translator can use some techniques such as;
alteration, omission or addition and adaptation.
In this process, the translator is required to be proficient in both her/his native language and the target language. Everything you produce in your native language can have a strong effect on your audience sharing the same values and experiences with you, but to create the same effect in other languages such as Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Russian, English, Norwegian, Swedish, Arabic and etc. you need to get help from a creative translation company. Imagine that you want to make sales in other countries or regions. Something which is very important for one region or country may not be that important or may sound nonessential in another region or country.
In the end, you will have to change your advertisement policy and techniques in those different places, and when your marketing or advertisement team fails to meet requirements, you can rely on creative translators. They are professionals and they know the regional and cultural differences so that they can help you to rearrange the sales technique to make an upward in your sales in those regions, this can mean rewriting the whole marketing text, starting from scratch.
Another example, think that you are a
service provider working with international customers from all over the world.
Your introductive text may sound perfect in your native language, but a word
for word translation may cause some errors or misinterpretations about you and
your job. If you end up with such situation, a creative translation job would
handle it, it would provide you with an altered text that creates the
equivalent impact as well as prevents all possible errors and
misinterpretations.
The process of merging translation with
transcreation and paraphrasing while at the same time achieving to also make the
source text convey the desired message in a way that would enable the target
readers to understand it is; creative translation.
There are some questions such as; “Who is your
target audience?” “What kind of service/product do you sell?” or “What is your company’s
highlighted message?” These questions
are some of the specific questions which are asked you by a creative
translation office. When you, the customer, answer these questions, in
translator’s mind some creative ideas take form and s/he starts to focus on the
other language.
A good and notorious creative translation
example would be the catchword of a well-known restaurant chain. Its catchword
or slogan which is meaningful and rhymed in the native language could be
nonsense or non-captivating in target language when it is translated word for
word. The only way for the producer to earn money in those foreign countries or
different regions is to ensure that rhyme and message are also preserved in the
target language. You can see similar examples in movies, poems or translated
books. The thing is, not every text or article could be translated word for
word, even if they are translated in such way, the text may not arouse the
exact feelings or may not convey the message with the same meaning. However, a
change, whether little or big, might work even if it means making a new,
altered message.
In reality, it is sometimes difficult to
achieve creativity in translation. To get a 100% success in this process, the
creative translator needs some skills such as; being qualified in and
well-informed about the target culture and language. In the adaptation process,
even a little change can make big differences. Another important thing is that,
if you keep connected with your creative translation bureau or the translator
and have adequate communication with them, you and the translator can explain
what is intended in the recreated text and both of you can settle on a fixed
version.
Given that this is such a big industry with
a very high competition, what about creative translation rates? In today’s
world, a number of big companies spend so much money on this industry, in other
words, to enable creative translation. In terms of creative translation quotes,
whether there would be an uprising or a downfall depends on the success of
their language creative translation firm.
Another question comes to mind regarding
the prices, so how much does creative translation cost? Absolutely, If you are
not a multi-million-dollar company, there is no need to spend too much on this
one, however; If you spare a small budget, it would enable your company to
enhance its name in another culture and open the door for your company to be
known all over the world.
Founded in 2020, Cevir.io is a creative
translation agency which provides translation services in over 25 languages
including German, Dutch, Norwegian, Russian, Portuguese, and Turkish.