Transcreation
Transcreation is recreating a message for another language and culture so it has the same effect, rather than translating it word for word. It is used for campaign and creative content, where the goal is the response the message provokes, not fidelity to the original phrasing.
How it works
Transcreation starts from the intent of a message, not its words. The writer is briefed on what the original is trying to achieve, the feeling, the action, the brand voice, then writes fresh copy in the target language to achieve the same thing. The output can look nothing like a literal translation and still be right.
Because it is closer to copywriting than translation, it is slower and priced differently, and it is reserved for content where the response matters more than the wording: campaign lines, slogans, taglines and creative.
How SourceTarget uses it
SourceTarget scopes transcreation separately from translation, because it is a different craft with a different cost. Where a brief is creative rather than informational, the work is routed to writers, not just translators, and reviewed for effect as well as accuracy.
Transcreation compared with Localisation
| Transcreation | Localisation | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | The intent of the message | The existing translated content |
| Output | Fresh copy that may depart from the source | The source adapted to a locale |
| Best for | Campaigns and creative | Products, documents and UI |
| Judged by | Whether it lands the same way | Accuracy and local fit |