Transcreation för Brother: så gjorde vi

Transcreation for Brother: what we did

What is a transcreation?

Transcreation differs from straightforward translation, in that it undergoes far more adaptation to the target market. Having said that, the degree of adaptation may vary from case to case. A transcreation fundamentally reproduces the same message as the original text, but is formulated with extra focus on everything from linguistic nuances to cultural aspects. In the worst case, a careless translation can reduce the impact of a message on another market, or even work against its intended purpose. A well-considered transcreation, on the other hand, gives the message a far greater chance of having the desired impact on the target market, while still staying within the framework of the overriding concept.

How it works:

Brother contacted Comactiva with a transcreation project: An ad written in English had to be adapted to the Swedish market, but it seemed to lose its edge in a conventional translation. We began by finding out where the ad would appear, who the intended target group was, and whether there were any other special considerations. In Brother’s case we were not allowed to change the picture in the ad, and this set the framework for our approach. We accepted the challenge, and after some creative thinking we presented the client with several different suggestions with varying degrees of adaptation. Brother could then decide which suggestion was best, or whether further work was required. The result was the ad shown below.