Adaptation / Localization / Transcreation

Usually, when our clients contact us they order a translation. But actually they don’t need the well known and mainly offered service of translations. They need the text to be read and sound naturally and fluently to the respective foreign language.

Except to accept a specific order during our work with our corporate clients, first, we advise them what would be the most appropriate in their case and we save their time, money and resources. This is our way to help them to communicate with their potential and current clients avoiding misunderstanding.

Often, it is necessary the slogan or a specific text to be appropriate for the respective market, especially related to various marketing activities. Here we can show you an example the idioms which have a specific meaning and it is absolutely unacceptable to be translated word by word. In our native language we can use specific words which will sound absolutely strange if we translate them literally to another language and no foreigner will understand their meaning.

There are specific words, phrases, expressions that sound lovely to our native language. Unfortunately, the association they provoke in a specific foreign language could have an extremely negative message. In such cases, we would advise you to choose another appropriate word, phrase or expression or to choose together your message to the foreign clients and partners. Because the positive emotions and the trust are in the grounds of the success. And you can achieve them only if you communicate correctly.

We are not just translators/interpreters. You can count us as your consultants who will advise you what would be appropriate for your public. As well as when you don’t need just a translation but also adaptation, transcreation or localization. Because we aim to establish stable, strong and long term partnership where we add additional value, where we follow the win-win principle, we win when our clients and partners also win.

What is the meaning behind these terms?

Usually, people who are not directly involved in the translation field don’t find the difference between standard translation where the source text is recreated to the target language almost literally and as meaning. Examples are contracts, business correspondence, user manuals, legal and technical texts, diplomas, birth certificates, marriage certificates, certificates for names’ identity, etc. But if you want to sell and establish various products and services the standard translation is not enough related to the marketing, advertisement activities and the presentation to any foreign market. Variations of the standard translation are the adaptation, transcreation and localization which are used to transfer the messages to different publics depending on their language, cultural, social, economic, even religious and many more specifics.

Generally, the language adaptation is tailoring the text for specific goals, achieving language, stylistic and meaningful adjustment to the source text considering the specifics, needs and requirements. Sometimes it includes even abbreviations, using shorter words and phrases, usage of widespread and known terms and adjustment to any specific public.

The language localization is a translation adjusted to the language, cultural and other specifics and needs of specific country, region, group. Usually, the localization is related at all to the cultural adaptation and translation of websites, software and other IT products and/or services. It could be provided either for countries where different languages are used or countries where the same language is used but it has different forms or dialects. For example, Spanish in Spain, Mexico and other Latin American countries; English in UK, USA, Australia and other countries and regions around the world; French in France, Canada and the countries from North Africa... To be more clear we can show as examples the conversion of currencies and measures, addresses and phone numbers, dates, etc.

The transcreation also is not a standard translation. It aims the messages from any language to sound and provoke the same associations as if they were created from natives. Usually, the transcreation or the creative translation is used for marketing and advertising activities, to adjust the logo, slogan, word mark or other specific elements, descriptions, etc. for any product and/or service in order to sound naturally to the target language and to provoke positive associations.

The difference between adaptation, localization and transcreation are very small at first sight but the goal is one - your products and services to be presented to the local clients, partners and customers to their language as if the texts and descriptions were created by natives; to understand you, the information to be available and to understandable both as content and meaning.