Transcreation – a communication upgrade that’s more than just cosmetic

An increasing number of brands are reaching out to international audiences in order to establish an online presence in vibrant emerging markets. These brands depend heavily on global marketing and they have to be able to engage in an effective way, earning visibility and credibility in each market.

However, localising content for global audiences is more than just a translation job. This is where transcreation comes in.  It is the creative adaptation of marketing, sales and advertising copy in another language.

It involves creating a target text which preserves the same meaning, creates an equivalent appeal in different languages and evokes the same response as the source text.  After all, a good marketing campaign is all about engaging the consumer on an emotional level.

Let’s take LUSH cosmetics as an example of transcreation.

The home page has 47 flags, reaching across continents and cultures.  Each flag leads to corresponding website, tailored to the cultural expectations of the customer.

Let’s start with the visuals and the layout. Both have been altered to match the particular culture of the country. If we compare the German site with the Japanese one, we can already see a difference.

Whilst the German site is clear and orderly, with a list of products to the side and images in the centre, the Japanese site reflects the busy, cluttered nature of advertising in Japan. Japanese sites will typically cram as much information onto a page as possible. Site visitors can expect a colourful assault on their senses from a multitude of flashing rectangular blocks.

As Easter is approaching, images of Easter bunnies and eggs are flashing at you on the French and English LUSH sites. Being a Muslim country, the Turkish site has no such features as it wouldn’t be culturally appropriate.

LUSH is an example of a well localised site which takes into account the local norms so it looks and feels familiar and user-friendly to the target audience.

As I mentioned earlier, a good marketing campaign is all about emotion. The job of the transcreator is to trigger the desired emotions in any target language. I can state with confidence that LUSH cosmetics achieves that goal, because I’m a regular customer who has responded positively to their advertising in several languages. One example of the brand’s cross-cultural success is the way quirky product names have been translated between languages.

Let’s take the famous mint face mask as an example. The name “Magnaminty” is a combination of the Latin word “Magnus” meaning “Great” and the Mint plant.

The French website could easily have left the name in the English. However it used a play on words and translated the product as “La Grande mentheuse” which literally means “The big liar” (female liar). However they deliberately mis-spelled the French translation of “liar” (menteuse) to allow them to retain a reference to mint “menthe”. This required a lot of creativity and imagination. Not only did the French retain the meaning of great and minty, it also recreated the same fun and quirkiness.

Another product which I found interesting is the famous lip balm called “None of your beeswax”. “Rien à cirer” was the French translation which is, just like in English, a colloquial expression which means “not interested”. However, the translator still managed to retain the word “cire” which means wax, an ingredient found in lip balms.

In this example, the transcreator managed to find a suitable French translation. This requires a nuanced understanding not only of the target market but also the technicalities of the French language.

Effective branding enables us to speak to the world, and effective transcreation enables us to do it with a subtlety and distinctiveness which encourages our audience to listen attentively to every word. It’s a process that goes far deeper than mere cosmetics, but like a good LUSH product it can put a smile on the face of consumers in any target market.

http://soniasoundandvision.wordpress.com/2013/03/05/transcreation-a-communication-upgrade-thats-more-than-just-cosmetic-2/

Is bad grammar the great career killer?

Earlier this week, we all celebrated National Grammar Day. Did you miss it? I’m already a little nervous about this. I’m sure every English teacher who reads this on DeseretNews.com will be on my case about each and every grammatical error I make. And, I usually make a few — some even intentionally.

Earlier this week, I wrote about how some of us have become lazy in how we communicate electronically and how that makes us difficult to understand. After speaking with a colleague Monday afternoon, he introduced me to something Brad Hoover, CEO of Grammarly, wrote for the Harvard Business Review.

“(G)ood grammar is instrumental in conveying ideas with clarity, professionalism, and precision,” he writes. “Even so, the informality of e-mail, texting, and tweeting has crept deep into company communications. It is not uncommon to hear a co-worker make a grammatical faux pas such as ‘There’s new people you should meet.’ Even former Yahoo! CEO Jerry Yang was known for ignoring capital letters in his e-mails.

“Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit, wrote in a blog post for HBRthat he refuses to hire people who use poor grammar. He asserted that good grammar is a sign of professional credibility, attention to detail, and learning ability. In the process, he started a nearly 4,000-comment debate (on this website [hbr.org] alone) about the audaciousness of his stance. Some people criticized Mr. Wiens for his hiring approach, accusing him of being harsh or even elitist. Ultimately, this was a debate that had no data and reached no conclusion,” writes Hoover.

I once heard that Henry Ford would take potential executives to lunch before hiring them and refused to hire anyone who added salt or pepper to their food before tasting it. He assumed they would likely make decisions in the same way they seasoned their food — they’d forget to look before they leaped. He wanted people who would make thoughtful decisions and felt a casual lunch was a good litmus test.

I’m sure there are many who would suggest that Ford was unfair too.

Nevertheless, we judge people by their attractiveness, their grooming, their dress, and any number of other subjective measures every day (my wife won’t take me seriously when I wear my red PF Flyers, and she has a pair of earrings I don’t like very much). We make these kinds of judgments every day. Why shouldn’t grammar be added to the list? According to Hoover, if you have poor grammar you are already being judged.

Consider the results of a review of 100 LinkedIn profiles of native English-speakers in the consumer packaged goods industry. “Each professional had worked for no more than three employers over the first 10 years of his or her career,” writes Hoover. “Half were promoted to director level or above within those 10 years, and the other half were not.” 

The analysis showed:

- Professionals with fewer grammar errors in their profile achieved higher positions.

- Fewer grammar errors correlate with more promotions.

- Fewer grammar errors associate with frequent job changes.

Although this is a very small sample size, it would appear that good grammar could be a predictor of professional success. I’m sure my junior high school English teacher, Mr. Boehme, would agree. Although I didn’t appreciate the value of diagramming sentences at the time, hopefully some of those lessons have stayed with me (at least the lessons that weren’t distracted by a very cute girl named Michelle).

Anecdotally, I’ve noticed the same trend over the course of my own career. I’ve witnessed the careers of several colleagues get sidetracked when their inability to write was discovered. Fair or not, it seems to be a fact of life for many professionals.

Hoover suggests, and I have to agree, “good grammar is a predictor of professional success” and “grammar skills may indicate several valuable traits.” 

Here’s why:

Attention to detail: People who care about their writing demonstrate credibility, professionalism and accuracy in their work.

Critical thinking: Knowing how to structure a grammatically correct sentence is a sign that you can analyze and explain complex problems.

Intellectual aptitude: If you are a native English speaker and never learned the difference between “it’s” and “its,” an employer might wonder: What else have you failed to learn that might be useful?

I spend a lot of time writing in MS Word every day and often discover spelling or grammatical errors upon proofreading that Word missed. I think we’ve become complacent because we haven’t had to memorize vocabulary words or structure sentences. For most situations, technology does it for us.

Furthermore, every day I hear people mispronounce words and misspeak because they have never actually spelled a particular word and may even be guessing at its meaning. Embarrassing? It should be, but most of our colleagues aren’t so boorish as to correct us publicly — at least I’ve been off the hook since Mr. Boehme’s class. The offenders likely never know they are projecting a negative image of themselves and consequentially stunting their professional growth.

My English major son will sometimes read one of these pieces and ask me who my editor is. It’s his way of suggesting that I probably should have proofed my article a time or two more.

How much attention do you give to grammar? Do you think it’s important?

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865574999/Is-bad-grammar-the-great-career-killer.html?pg=1

Source Text Blues

One of the many challenges translators face is one that many newcomers don't anticipate: poorly written source texts. We frequently get some very good questions about how to deal with awful source texts, and we thought we'd address this issue here. This is a difficult topic, and as with most business-related issues, there are few black/white answers, but read on for our thoughts on source texts and the role of the translator. 

1. We are not the language police. Stick to your role: the client has hired you to perform a specific service, which is translation, so you should focus on that (of course, there are always exceptions).  Now, if the client asks for feedback on the source text, that's a different story. Hiring a translator who then critiques your source text is a bit like hiring an architect who comes to your house to talk about the new backyard porch and then points out that you have poor interior decorating skills. Some of our trusted clients do want us to put together a list of source text errors that we might come across, and we usually put together a very matter-of-fact list and refrain from making any unsolicited comments.
2. Consider the possibility that you might be wrong. Many times, translators don't fully understand some of the sentences in the source text, and there's nothing wrong with that. There's where the international networks of linguists come in: we help each other! It is part of our job to dissect very complex documents and to produce a linguistic equivalent in the target language. However, consider this: perhaps a translator is not understanding the text (or a portion thereof) not because it is so poorly written, but because the translator has not kept up with current usage in his or her source language. It happens. Translators must consider the possibility that they are wrong, especially if they have not lived in a country in which their source language is spoken in many years. For instance,  we are very aware of the fact that the Spanish we grew up speaking in Mexico City has changed and evolved, and to stay on top of it, we read Spanish-language newspapers, magazines or books on a daily basis. Many times, certain passages initially strike us as being slightly off, but turns out that we were out of the loop!
3. Read the entire source document before you accept a project. If you feel that the source text is so incomprehensible that you can't possibly translate it, then decline the project, and do so politely. If it's a long-time client, you might want to point out some of the shortcomings of the source text, but before you say these things with iron-clad conviction, check with a trusted colleague to get a second opinion. 
4. Source texts are almost never perfect (unless you get very lucky). Expecting the perfect source text (easy to read, no strange abbreviations and acronyms, no formatting issues, perfectly written) is similar to a doctor expecting the perfect patient who describes her symptoms with razor-like precision or a CPA who expects her client to be obsessed with Excel spreadsheets. Poorly written source texts will be a big part of your life as a professional translator. Look at the bright side of poorly written source texts: any grammatical or style issues can usually be eliminated by translating the text!
5. Research before you ask/comment. Knowing when to ask the client for clarification is another tricky subject. We wrote more about that here. But before you comment on any source text, you might want to do some research about the source text in question. Google a few lines and see if your client is the author -- now, then you must really use kid gloves. We heard about a colleague who a few years ago told a client that the source text was "terrible," only to be informed that the client, a highly respected economist, had written the text herself. Our hunch is that our colleague wasn't familiar with the highly specific way of writing for academic journals, but tried to shift the blame to the source text, which brings us to the next point.
6. Stick to your areas of expertise. There's a reason we don't translate documents for the pharmaceutical industry: we are not qualified. The source texts wouldn't make sense to us not because they are poorly written, but because we lack the expertise to understand them.
7. Now, different standards apply to homemade "translations." Many clients think their foreign-language skills are so strong that they can translate the text themselves. Then they simply request an editing job from a professional translator, but oftentimes, the "translations" are so poor that you have to start over. In this case, we think it's perfectly acceptable to state that you recommend a new translation (you don't have to go into great detail). But again, be kind: the misguided "translator" might be very proud of his or her work. We like our colleague Chris Durban's line about refraining from finger-wagging. 
8. No public complaining. Don't mock a client's source text (and don't make fun of any clients, period) online or anywhere else where the client might see it. It's unprofessional. If you have to ask for clarification on a source sentence from colleagues, stick to members-only listservs or to close friends and colleagues. Never identify the client by name. 

Again, there are no easy answers, but we hope to have contributed some food for thought to this interesting topic. We very certainly don't have all the answers, but we try to be remember that we are in the customer service business. 

We would love to hear from our colleagues -- how do you deal with sub-par source texts? Have you ever said something about a source text that you wish you could take back? What's been your best/worst experience/resolution? Please leave a comment and let's continue the conversation. 

http://translationtimes.blogspot.it/2013/03/source-text-blues.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+TranslationTimes+(Translation+Times)&utm_content=FaceBook

Translating or transcending

Translation creates empathy and understanding between cultures, but only when we are ready to acknowledge and value the differences.

We are a polyglot nation, and we have knowledge of at least two languages: we have a mother tongue and a language in which we have been educated at school and college, which is often different from the mother tongue. Often this second is English. Every language you learn has its own sensibilities and its own idiom. It has its own registers, value systems, class distinctions and levels of the acceptable and the unacceptable. Each language that we know sensitises us differently to different things, and develops in us different personalities with different sensibilities.

Each time we switch to another language, we subtly shift to being another person. Our gestures and facial expressions also alter accordingly. A language is not simply about words and sentences, it is also about pauses, emphasis, intonation, cadence, pitch, silences; the appropriate use of these in sentences and words is what creates the meaning of what we say, and conveys nuances.

In translation of texts, the non-verbal aspects of language are hidden until the text reaches the reader. But to get the text to reach the reader in a way that the reader interprets the semantic signals to create the same meaning is the job of the translator. A translator of literary texts especially has to be acutely conscious of the different personalities he/she has developed in different languages. The moment of translation is the moment when the translator’s two personalities in two different languages are in dialogue with each other. It is the moment of interlocution between the two personalities of the same person. Only then can the eternal argument of ‘faithful’ and ‘beautiful’ be resolved in translation, because it is then transcended, and we reach another level of understanding about translations. Faithful and beautiful are no longer opposed to each other and are no longer even players.

In the knowing of another tongue, which maybe indigenous or foreign, in therefore developing of an alternate personality, we create space for the understanding of Another. Translation, comparative literature and writing in a second language all constantly pose the question of rapports with Another.

If we take as a preliminary truth that all societies are based on some Universal Human Values, it becomes extremely limiting. We then narrow ourselves down and choose texts and subjects that we feel represent those universal values which we understand also as our own. In such a case we close doors to understanding the Other. The Other cannot be Another unless he/she has Otherness. If we do not acknowledge the otherness of the other, if we think we know their truths already, then we close our minds and do not go out in search of their otherness. In such a case in translation we are actually just searching for mirror images of our own selves and we are not transcending ourselves or the texts. What would be the value of translation when we do not want to know why someone/something represents or IS another?

In the theory of translation earlier , there was a search for syntactic (logic and grammar in a sentence) and semantic equivalents (conveying the same meaning) .Today, especially in poetry and literary texts, acknowledging the translator as a sort of transcreator of the text, the previously mentioned rhythms, pauses, cadences are also considered of value. Transposition of idiom in its original form also enriches the text.

Some readers remark that the very act of reading in a second language, let alone writing in it or translating, is an act of translation. Translation and interpretation become synonymous. The interesting and very exciting aspect of this work between languages is the possibility of shifting between personalities, which may be a theatrical and dramatic exercise that helps understand many similar but different worlds. (Gayatri Chakravarty Spivak at the Jaipur Literary Festival this year said, at one point, that one must learn many languages, but since the skimming and somewhat surface discussions of literary festivals rarely are able to involve the public to an extent of answering their queries in depth, her remark was left in the air and dissipated without hitting a mark.)

Translation and work between languages also fulfils the ambassadorial function of creating empathy and understanding between cultures, but only when we are ready to acknowledge and value the differences, (Otherness) to accept them for what they are, to see how these very differences enrich and strengthen societies.

http://www.thehindu.com/books/books-authors/translating-or-transcending/article4465244.ece

Does a Translator Need a Visual CV?

I often get asked how to make a CV stand out from the crowd of other applications. And I always say to get some basics things right (have a look here), including the headline, profile, or some data-heavy bits. But I know sometimes it’s not enough. That’s why I think visual CVs can be useful, definitely when you want to catch some direct clients.

The biggest advantage of having a visual CV is that you can highlight your experience and achievements much easier. They also have the benefit of being innovative and are much more personalised. You don’t need much more to stand out! So have a look at a few options of getting a visual CV.

1. GET IT DESIGNED

It’s the most expensive and time-consuming option, but hey, have a look here:http://pinterest.com/webrecruit/visual-cv-gallery/. Aren’t they just amazing? And you don’t have to be a graphic designer to use one. Copywriters and editors use them, too.

(One of our colleagues on the Facebook page, Fátima López Sevilla, brought this post – Thanks, Leon – to my attention, where a great example of a translator using a visual CV is used. In Spanish, though)

2. TURN IT INTO AN INFOGRAPHIC

The more adventurous translators and interpreters may want to try turning their CV into an infographic. In here: http://visual.ly/nurses-how-do-they-do-it you can have a look at what I’m talking about. This one talks about nurses, but why not come up with something similar about your own translation business? If you like one of their designs, you can get in touch with the author and work on visualising your CV.

3. VIZUALIZE.ME

This tool is free and allows you to turn your LinkedIn data into a visual CV. Like mine in here:http://vizualize.me/mstelmaszak?r=mstelmaszak (and you can even add a badge to your website!). What I like about it is that I can customise the background and the colours, and I think experience looks much better, too. And the map of languages you cover is brilliant in our profession!

4. SEELIO.COM

This is a startup for “student builders and doers”, but I’m currently looking at its potential to showcase our experience. Seelio.com allows you to put up projects you’ve worked on online and add some details about them. I think it would be great to put some projects up there and link to them from my CV.

5. ABOUT.ME

Here’s another useful tool, and you may appreciate it even more if you don’t have your own website (yet). About.me allows you to upload some details about you and keep them online. Here’s how Valeria Aliperta uses it: http://about.me/RainyLondon. Looks cool!

What do you think? Are you going to try getting some new clients with a visual CV?

http://wantwords.co.uk/school/lesson-52-visual-cv-in-translation/