When it comes to translating creative content, we always need to start with the end in mind by asking ourselves, “What is its purpose?”
The objective is usually quite simple: to incite someone to take action. Buy your product or service, click on a button, or sign up for your newsletter.
A translation that meets your objectives
When translating your content, we make sure that the translation aligns with its purpose rather than literally translating word for word.
Detecting
cultural nuance
When translating marketing content, you have to communicate differently to people from another culture. There is nothing more inequitable than treating unequal things equally. This means that we will have to draw on a different cultural reference system than yours. We have a network of translators who are native speakers of the target language and its culture.
However, your source text may contain cultural nuances that are difficult for a foreigner to detect, even if the foreigner is a translator.
Focus on a
Customer Case
Here is a simple, French to English example that illustrates the cultural nuance of a text:
Our customer was targeting French-speaking women between the ages of 40 and 60 who are looking for beauty solutions. The opening paragraph contained the line “victime de la mode, tel est son nom de code” which could be literally translated as “fashion victim, that’s her code name.”
While you may or may not recognize the line, an American or English translator who did not live in a French-speaking country in the 1990s, when MC Solaar’s song “Victime de la Mode” was a radio hit, would certainly not have recognized it. The translator would very likely have ended up literally translating the line. However, the author’s intent was to connect with her readers and build rapport through a shared cultural reference.
ISO 17100
Quality translation
To eliminate any risk of cultural misunderstanding, we offer a translation and revision service, in compliance with the ISO 17100 translation quality standard. This translation and revision team has a native speaker translator of each language to ensure that cultural nuances don’t get overlooked.
Is your content rich in cultural nuance? Request a quote today to properly decode and re-encode your message in other languages.