If we’ve learned anything in our first steps towards globalization, it’s that we don’t all speak the same language, literally and figuratively. Each culture has its own ideas, beliefs and taboos, as well as its own methods of verbal, non-verbal and written communication. Transcreating a message doesn’t mean replacing a word with its equivalent in another language, but recreating an equivalent message targeting a new culture.

In professional settings, transcreation is most often used in marketing and advertising projects aimed at a culture that’s different from the company’s native culture. It enables companies to adapt plays on words, taglines and slogans to create hooks adapted to the target audience that have the desired effect. The goal of this type of message is to create an emotional response or an immediate reaction. This means the tone, context and style are just as important as the words.

Example of transcreation

One example of successful transcreation comes from the German brand Haribo. Its original slogan “Haribo macht Kinder froh und Erwachsene ebenso” can be literally translated “Haribo makes children happy and adults too.” The transcreated slogan is “Kids and grown-ups love it so.” Much simpler, more impactful, easier to remember and a perfect replication of the playful tone.

Our transcreation services give you much more than a translation: they fully adapt your message to the target audience. To transmit the right message to the target audience, transcreators must “move away” from the source text, writing new content that conveys the same information and impact.