Translating marketing texts – by translators with a flair for copywriting

Because your marketing material represents your company and is the shop window for your brand, it’s essential that the translation is not only accurate and reliable, but also captures the tone of voice through the right choice of words and style.

The translation of marketing material is not just about translating from one language into another, it’s also about putting a message across in a way that feels natural, relevant and well aimed in the target language. The reader must never suspect the text was originally written in another language.

A good translation requires a delicate touch, linguistic creativity, equivalence and a profound understanding of the source text, the market and the target audience. The translator must understand the message the writer seeks to convey and know how to adapt it so that the target audience receives it as intended. It’s all about finding wording that properly reflects the meaning of the original, while also adapting the tone of voice, style and expression to make the text sound natural and at ease in its new context.

When translating technical texts such as user manuals and medical information, the main requirement is for the content to be rendered accurately and unambiguously. The same also applies to marketing texts, but these require further treatment and adaptation. The translator must be able to reformulate and restructure the material, and make sure the tone of voice reflects the company's brand and suits the target market and audience. Also, factors such as content area and search engine optimisation may be important aspects, particularly in digital channels. Språkbolaget has the necessary experience and expertise to ensure your marketing communication works equally well in all languages, regardless of the channel.

The translated text may need adaptation to cultural differences between countries to ensure messages and communications are well received. What may sound new, fun and laid back in one environment may be incomprehensible in another, or perhaps even impolite or offensive. This is particularly true in advertising and copywriting where it’s essential to have an understanding of, and a good feel for, your market and recipients from different cultural backgrounds.

Translating a text into another language is difficult enough; it’s a task that requires an experienced professional. But in the case of marketing texts, localisation may also be necessary. Why? Because localization is about looking beyond the wording; it’s about giving the translated text the same (equivalent) function in the target language region – what translation theorists call the locale – as in the source language region. While this can apply to such obvious details as converting measurements and currencies, it can also be about finding relevant equivalents for web pages, legal texts and the official names of authorities. Here, the translator and project manager remain in touch with the client and make no crucial decisions without the client's approval. In the case of marketing, it may also involve adapting the message such that it cannot be perceived as foreign, offensive or provocative. A German or Japanese customer expects a completely different tone of voice than a Swedish one, and what might be a light-hearted joke in one language may be grossly offensive in a different culture. By localizing your marketing material you are protecting yourself from embarrassment, from sounding incompetent and from breaking marketing laws, unwritten rules and social norms.

Translation pure and simple is not enough for marketing texts, where it’s all about creating a feel that reflects the company's brand. It’s not just what is said in the text, but how it is said that provides a text with punch. So it can be a good idea to consider transcreation for marketing texts.

Transcreation, aka copy translation, is 19freer and more creative than classic translation. The method is applied primarily to marketing texts and is an additional step taken to ensure your message gets across in the way you intend. A brand uses a tone of voice, storytelling and visual content to create a specific effect on recipients. However, there are often many subtle nuances that cannot be translated directly. One example is a company slogan that consists of a witty play on words, which when removed from its original linguistic and cultural environment, may well fall flat. This is where transcreation comes in. Copy translation focuses on the feeling you wish to convey and how it can be recreated in another language and culture. A translation is not always enough to achieve the impact you desire in the new market; a completely reworked text with a new visual expression may be necessary. A copy translation adapts your source text to the target audience in the intended market. Contact us early in the project and let us help you find the right level and the right tone, and set up a process and schedule that suit your needs.

Different campaigns need to be presented with different messages from country to country. This applies equally to major international companies as to smaller businesses. Conditions such as the right tone of voice in the message, the imagery, the people who appear and speak in the marketing text, the product name itself and the facts that are highlighted, all vary from market to market. Translating the source text is only part of the work. The text may have to be completely rewritten. One market might expect greater objectivity, another more personality, and a third a completely different approach, and so forth.

When is transcreation or copy translation required? A common workflow begins with transcreation, then translation. Different languages require different types and degrees of processing before the outcome suits the intended market or target group. The translator has to take cultural differences into account and be considerably freer in the translation. Perhaps the text also needs to include certain words or be SEO-optimised, or must perhaps adhere to a given layout space. It’s here transcreation comes into the picture. Our linguists are professional native-speaking translators well-versed in current trends, expectations and conventions in their target language areas.

A text that has undergone transcreation, rather than simple translation, has the same tone and evokes the same feelings in its new linguistic environment as the original text. We choose our translators to make sure your texts elicit the intended response from your recipients, whether the text concerns factual product descriptions, inspiring blog posts or compelling ads. Get in touch and let us help you find the right process and the right translator or transcreator for your project.

It’s not only the content that’s important, but the entire context – the environment in which your text will be presented. Together, we review the important things to consider to help you achieve the best possible result.

Your requirements
Start by identifying your own requirements. What do you seek to achieve?

The goal and the message
Once you have identified your requirements, you also need to set a goal. What is the message? What do you seek to convey? Your message must be clear for the translation to be clear.

The recipient
What is your target audience and your market? Whom do you wish to reach? Which market do you seek to influence? This may involve different demographic, geographical, and behavioural groups. Different target groups and/or segments may need different approaches and texts.

Cultural adaptation
The translation must take cultural differences into account and the message must be presented in a way that is relevant to the target audience.

Channel
Which channels will be used? How should the message be put across? Does the translation need to be SEO-optimised? Are there print area constraints to consider? Must the alt texts also be keyword-optimised? There are many aspects to identify for the translation to be as good as possible.

Linguistic precision and style
Once the above is clarified, it’s time to review the company's linguistic requirements regarding tone and style. How does the company want to convey its message? At what linguistic level? What approach should characterise the texts? What approach do the recipients expect? Not only must the translation be precise and clear, it must also use the correct terms and expressions. The translation must reflect the brand's tone and style in the target language.

Translation method
There are several methods for tackling a text. For pure information sharing to employees within a company, carefully post-edited machine translation can go a long way. But for a marketing text designed to convey a message, evoke emotions and strike the right chords, human translation, transcreation and localisation are the primary methods. It may take longer. It may cost more. But together with us, you will reach your goal.

We work with many different translators. Some are pure technicians who specialise in conveying factual information and technical data to the reader in the clearest possible way. In addition to being factual, others also possess a creative talent, and are copywriters and transcreators as well as being translators. Marketing texts and copy require a great deal of creative thinking, research and adaptation – not just pure translation.

It’s not always easy to tell the difference between a copywriter and a translator. A copywriter is a professional writer, who is often also a translator. A translator is first and foremost a linguist, but many of our translators have extensive experience of both writing and translating copy and marketing texts. As a translation agency, Språkbolaget finds the right professional for every assignment. In this context, it’s important to know that a translator, however creative they may be, does not have the authority to deviate from the source text beyond a certain point. Which is why it’s absolutely vital that we review your specific requirements and instructions right from the outset, and establish the framework for communication between you, the project manager and the translator. Only then can the result be truly excellent in putting your message across.

We believe in the power of a well-crafted message. Our experienced translators take pains to make sure every text is both informative and engaging, with a tone of voice that reflects your brand's unique identity. By carefully analysing your target audience and your brand's core values, we select the right translator for each project and create translations that not only reach out, but also hit the mark.

Språkbolaget provides you with a team of knowledgeable translators, reviewers and project managers with many years’ experience in writing market-adapted texts across a range of industries. Many of our translators and reviewers have backgrounds and training in journalism and copywriting. They only translate into their native languages and they either live in a country where the language is spoken or have regular contact with their homeland. This is especially important as languages are constantly evolving. A translator must keep up to date with language developments and local trends in order to create appealing, contemporary texts.

Having worked for many years with high-quality translations for a multitude of clients with a wide range of needs and requirements, we’ve built up reliable, efficient processes that we can adapt to suit your particular project.

Get in touch and we’ll arrange a meeting to discuss your requirements and needs. The easiest way to contact us is via our contact form.