The translation of marketing texts greatly differs from other types of translation. While professional or legal texts rely on terminological accuracy, those marketing texts have a different purpose: attracting attention, provoking emotions and motivating the audience towards a particular reaction.
This is why literal translations of marketing materials often fail to deliver.
Marketing conveys information, but also impressions
Marketing texts such as slogans, ads or website content are designed to convey a specific tone of voice and brand message. As such, they often contain wordplay, metaphors, humor and emotional messages. More often than not, these elements are strongly connected to the language and culture from which they originate. Thus, their literal translations may sound unnatural or lose their power, as illustrated by the examples below.
When the Parker company advertised its pens in Croatia, their English slogan, “It won’t leak in your pocket”, was literally translated into Croatian. Although the translation was correct from a technical standpoint, it sounded too informal and clumsy. The local marketing team then adapted it to sound more natural, i.e. Bez mrlja u džepu (“Doesn’t stain your pocket”) and Kemijska olovka koja ne prlja (“Stain-free pen”), thus managing to convey the idea of the slogan in a linguistically acceptable form.
Some translations of Pepsi’s marketing slogan (“Come alive with Pepsi”) intended for Asian markets implied that the marketed beverage could “bring dead ancestors back to life“. This often-quoted example from marketing literature illustrates how metaphors and slogans can become rather problematic when translated literally.
Cultural differences
Marketing communication is also defined by the audience’s cultural habits and expectations. Phrases which sound attractive or funny in one culture do not necessarily have the same effect in another. Therefore, when translating marketing texts, professional translators consider seek to answer questions like:
- How will the target audience interpret this message?
- Is the tone of voice adequate for this particular market?
- Is there a better way to express the same idea in the target language?
This approach often results in translations which are not identical to the original, but convey the same intention and effect.
Transcreation instead of literal translation
Marketing projects often include transcreation. This is a process in which the translator retains the basic idea and message of the original text, but is at liberty to adjust them, in order to make them effective in the target language.
Transcreation may include elements such as:
- changing the sentence structure,
- adapting a slogan,
- replacing cultural references or
- creating an entirely new expression to convey the same idea.
The purpose is to attain the same communication effect as the original.
The importance of cooperation with the client
It is often useful to provide a translator working on a marketing text with additional information on the project, for example, on the target audience, the brand’s style of communication and the purpose of the marketing campaign. Such information helps align the translation with the company’s identity and ensure its effectiveness on the new market.
Translation as a creative process
The translation of marketing texts is largely a creative endeavor. It requires close familiarity, not only with the language, but also with the culture, the audience and the manner in which communication works in various contexts.
A successful translation of marketing materials does more than simply convey words — it conveys the idea, emotion and impression which the brand wishes to communicate.
At Dialektos, we believe that the translation of marketing texts is a a strategic tool for successful communication on new markets. Our team of translators and language experts ensures that each text is not only correct from the standpoint of language, but also adapted to the target audience, culture and communication objectives or a brand. Make sure to contact us you are looking for a way to convey your message effectively even outside of the confines of its original language. Together, we will build a solution for making your content visible on every market.