Featured, Translation

Transcreation Vs. Translation – How To Pick The Right Approach For Your Content

How do you decide whether you need transcreation instead of translation? Both transcreation and translation are two opposite sides of the same coin, both having a unified strategy to make content accessible in a language other than the one in which it was first created. Let’s first start with the differences between the two language services.

3 Main Differences Between Transcreation and Translation

Here are the major differences between translation and transcreation that you need to be aware of.

1. Transcreators are writers. While translators convert word-for-word text so that it’s understood clearly by a foreig audience, transcreators deliver the intended message in a new language, which often includes a complete reimaging of your content so that it resonates better with a different culture. While translators convert word-for-word text so that it’s understood clearly by a foreign audience, transcreators deliver the intended message in a new language, which often includes a complete reimaging of your content so that it resonates better with a different culture.

2. Transcreation works best with creative content. In marketing messages, transcreation ensures that your content connects with foreign audiences on an emotional level, while building your consistent brand identity and sharing your company’s essence with the world. Marketing transcreation messages or ideas tend to be nuanced — thus the need for transcreation to carry forward the appropriate message to the target audience. Transcreation is all about “creation,” and that is why this is the ideal strategy for copywriting and video production, among other creative endeavors.

3. Transcreation is more expensive. Creative copy takes time! While translation is known to be charged per word, transcreation rates depend on the labor hours dedicated to your project. It isn’t easy to place value on the amount of time a transcreator needs to develop marketing campaign slogans or copy because they do not just translate word for word. Because of its more time-consuming nature, transcreation is more expensive than translation. However, when done right, transcreation can be a game-changer for your content and worth the extra cost.

The Key Benefits of Transcreation

Many businesses have globalization at the top of their sales growth agenda. But for a company to fully globalize its operations, it must localize its communications and brand identity. Here are some of the benefits that you’ll get out of transcreation.

1. Connect Emotionally with Your Audience

Foreign target consumers should not feel as if they are receiving a regurgitated message – much like gamers find watered-down games distasteful. You have to come across as authentic! Transcreation makes this possible by enabling you to develop an emotional connection with your core consumer demographics. By reaching out to foreign locales, marketing transcreation opens up business opportunities in areas where, initially, there was none.

2. Deliver Personalized Experiences

If you have your eyes set on a global market, you need to communicate a message that is authentic and specific to your distinct international target audiences. Your content is regularly created in the language of your brand’s parent country, and the same content needs to be disseminated to your global consumers, but in a way that people on opposite sides of the globe can relate to it the same way. For this to happen, the context that transcreation brings is key to respecting every consumers’ political, social, linguistic, and cultural practices. This is why, most of the time, you will be advised to hire a local who shares the same experiences or upbringing as your target demographics.

3. Develop Brand Sensitivity to Specific Audience Needs

Transcreation calls for cultural sensitivity, which is integral to the brand’s success. It is very easy for an original meaning to be misconstrued by a foreign audience. It is also vital for the local culture not to feel like the brand is appropriating their way of life for the sake of profits. A balance can be attained by making sure that your campaigns are led by professionals that are well versed in both your industry technicalities and the target market cultural specifics. End of year celebrations, for instance, are celebrated differently across cultures. In the West, a lot of people visit their friends and family in December, while the Chinese mark most of their celebrations in January and early February. Without representatives from both the East and the West, your marketing team could erroneously schedule associated campaigns.

4. Boost Your SEO and Visibility

The use of transcreation also improves SEO and guarantees that your brand will be more visible online. Search engines do not advocate for the use of generic translation software. Google’s algorithm automatically flags auto-generated content and lowers the culprit’s search rankings. You have to design your pages and Meta descriptions to cater to your target audience’s needs for a shot at increasing your click-through rates.

Providing value to your consumer is as important as getting the message across. If they do not spend a lot of time on your site, for example, this will signal to the search engine algorithms that your page is of low value. Low-value pages don’t get backlinks from other higher-ranking pages in the target country. The goal is to make your content as shareable as possible in whichever country you publish it in.

6 Times You Should Use Transcreation Instead of Translation

1. Slogans – With your slogan carrying the essence of your brand or campaign, it is crucial to convey the actual meaning by recognizing local, cultural, and political assumptions.

2. Film & TV Scripts – Make sure the colloquial terms (or slang language) and historical contexts are conveyed in your final output.

3. Creative Writing – To translate creative content such as detailed descriptions, alliterations, and metaphors, you have to deploy transcreation from the beginning.

4. Video Games – Video game terms and conditions and instructional manuals might benefit from word-for-word translations, but scripts, titles and slogans lose their bang without transcreation.

5. Speeches – Political analogies, historical references and slogans have more meaning to the locals than foreigners could ever imagine. The best practice is to work with local transcreators to communicate ideas and feelings even more adequately.

6. Websites – Your website is often your prospects’ first point of contact with your company. It’s important when deploying it into a new language, you capture the essence of your brand, messages, and value propositions.

Taking into consideration its buccaneering nature, transcreation is quickly becoming an essential tool for businesses. Why is this the case?

Examples of Transcreated Campaigns by Global Brands

Many examples of transcreation demonstrate its value to product promotion initiatives. For example, do you remember Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign that had everyone in the supermarket looking for a Coke bottle with their loved ones’ names on it? The campaign was rolled out in both English speaking and non-English speaking countries like Vietnam. The marketers carried out an extensive campaign in Vietnam, where they used local actors and their country’s stunning scenery for this particular ad campaign. Not to forget, they also used Vietnamese names on the sides of the Coke bottles! The strategy portrays a concerted effort by the brand to show consumers that they are not just an afterthought but a high-value target. Video game companies are also cautioned against distributing watered-down versions of their games in foreign countries: Every consumer wants the same high-quality consumption experience.

Puma shoe manufacturers would have done well to borrow a leaf from Coca-Cola and video game companies. In a previous ad campaign targeting the United Arab Emirates, they designed new shoes using the country’s flag colors. The move bodes ill with UAE consumers who are known to associate anything touching the ground with dirt or uncleanliness. Without putting any creativity into it, the company launched an identical campaign all over the world. A transcreator could have cautioned them against such underhand methods and saved them millions of dollars in revenues.

Questions to Ask Yourself Throughout Your Translation Workflow

Finding the right mix between transcreation and translation can be challenging. Ask yourself the following questions throughout your translation workflow to identify how to combine both transcreation and translation to deliver the best brand experience to your customers.

1. What’s Your Entry Strategy?

Maybe, in some countries, you might want to do a little bit of exploration before spending more resources on marketing. This means localizing a small amount of high-performing content to see if it is a good fit for your brand message first before translating the rest of your media arsenal.

Take a more in-depth look at the type of content you’re about to publish. It is a no-brainer that some of the ideas you intend to communicate are not culturally accepted in some places, even if it is allowed in your country of origin. What is good for the goose, in this regard, is not necessarily good for the gander. You should task a local professional translator who’ll be able to inform you when word-for-word translations are appropriate, or if you’ll have to rethink some of your materials or slogans.

2. Who Is Your Target Audience?

When you are marketing to an Australian audience, references from an English campaign will not resonate well with them. An American audience will not get on board if you address them in a way that might be better suited for an audience in Yorkshire, England. The same way feminist perspectives about gender roles might appeal to a female audience in the West, but a meaningful percentage of the most conservative nations (like Hungary) might ban such content altogether.

3. What Type of Content are you Optimizing for the New Market?

You need to divide your content into parts that require more effort than others. When looking for the best fit in transcreation, local influence is always encouraged during copywriting to ensure that no meaning is lost. Content that is meant to be evocative requires transcreation the most. Alternative content that describes facts using simple vocabularies whose meanings are not tied a lot to contexts and subjective notions are the perfect candidate for automated translation. Always remember that some instances are better suited for translation than transcreation.

Bringing it All Together

The major difference between transcreation and translation is that while the latter focuses on word for word interpretations and pays little regard to cultural contexts, the former technique is tailored for the localization of content ideas from one foreign community to another.

You should learn from the wins of the likes of Coca Cola and the mistakes of Puma when globalizing your brand identity. Transcreation has the potential to help you appeal to a global audience of consumers, but only if you employ this strategy effectively. If you’re not working with the locals during a campaign, you’re unlikely your target audience’s language.

Still not sure whether you need transcreation or translation for your upcoming content piece? Get in touch and our experts will help you find the right language solution based on your need.

References

https://theconversation.com/gender-studies-banned-at-university-the-hungarian-governments-latest-attack-on-equality-103150

https://www.coca-colacompany.com/au/faqs/what-was-the-share-a-coke-campaign

https://www.arabianbusiness.com/puma-pulls-uae-trainers-off-shelves-after-complaints-432530.html

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/translation

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/transcreation

From Code to Culture: LLMs and Humans Bridging Global Dialects

Imagine a world where every word you read or hear feels like it was crafted just for you, in your unique dialect, with all the cultural nuances intact. Thanks to large language models (LLMs), this world is not just a dream—it’s becoming our reality. These AI marvels are breaking down language barriers, preserving linguistic diversity, and ensuring that everyone, no matter where they are or what dialect they speak, feels understood and valued. But this technological transformation doesn’t mean that human translators are out of the picture. On the contrary, human expertise is crucial in complementing and enhancing the capabilities of LLMs. Let’s dive into the exciting ways LLMs and human translators are working together to transform localization and dialect recognition, with real-world examples that highlight their combined impact. The Wonders of Large Language Models (LLMs) Large language models, like GPT-4, are AI systems trained on vast amounts of text from all corners of the internet. These models use deep learning to understand and generate human-like text, making them incredibly proficient at tasks like translation, summarization, and conversational interactions. Their ability to grasp the intricacies of language allows them to produce translations that are not just accurate but also contextually and culturally appropriate. Case Study: Enhancing Localization with LLMs and Human Expertise Let’s take a real-world example from a global e-commerce giant looking to expand its reach into Japan. Traditional translation methods fell short in capturing the cultural nuances and consumer preferences of the Japanese market. Enter LLMs and a team of human translators. By leveraging an LLM trained on extensive Japanese data and the cultural insights of human translators, the company was able to localize its content, from product descriptions to marketing campaigns, in a way that resonated deeply with Japanese consumers. The result? A significant boost in customer engagement and sales. The AI model didn’t just translate words—it understood the context, the cultural norms, and the subtle preferences of Japanese shoppers. Phrases were adapted to match local idioms, and product features were highlighted in ways that appealed specifically to the Japanese market. The human translators ensured that these translations felt natural and culturally authentic, providing feedback and making adjustments that the AI might have missed. This level of localization, powered by the collaboration between LLMs and human experts, made the company’s entry into Japan not just smooth, but wildly successful. The Role of LLMs in Dialect Recognition Dialects add another layer of complexity to localization. They reflect regional variations in language, encompassing unique vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammatical structures. Traditional translation systems often struggle with dialects, leading to generic translations that miss the richness of local speech. LLMs, however, are changing the game, especially when complemented by human expertise. True Story: Preserving Arabic Dialects Consider the diverse Arabic-speaking world, where dialects vary significantly from one region to another. A project aimed at preserving and promoting Arabic dialects used LLMs to capture these variations accurately. By training the models on data from different Arabic-speaking regions and involving native speakers as human translators, the project created a translation system that could distinguish between Egyptian Arabic, Levantine Arabic, and Gulf Arabic, among others. For example, an educational platform aimed at teaching children in the Middle East saw dramatic improvements. Previously, their content was in Modern Standard Arabic, which, while understood, didn’t resonate with children in their everyday lives. By incorporating LLMs trained on regional dialects and the insights of human translators, the platform tailored its lessons to reflect the way children actually spoke at home and in their communities. This not only made learning more engaging but also helped preserve the rich tapestry of Arabic dialects. Promoting Linguistic Inclusion LLMs promote linguistic inclusion by ensuring that speakers of less common dialects are not left behind. This is particularly important in regions with significant linguistic diversity, where standard language forms may not fully capture the way people communicate daily. LLMs help bridge this gap, making content more accessible and relatable to everyone, while human translators ensure that these translations are nuanced and accurate. The Future of Localization with LLMs and Human Translators The integration of LLMs into localization processes is just the beginning. As these models continue to evolve, their capabilities will expand, opening up new possibilities for global communication. Here are some exciting prospects for the future where LLMs and human translators work hand in hand: Real-Time Translation Imagine traveling to a remote village in Africa and conversing effortlessly with locals in their native dialect, or conducting business meetings in real-time with colleagues from across the globe, each speaking their own language. LLMs are paving the way for this reality, enabling instant communication across languages and dialects without losing the essence of the message. Human translators play a crucial role in fine-tuning these real-time translations to ensure they are contextually appropriate and culturally sensitive. Personalized Localization As LLMs become more sophisticated, they will be able to provide highly personalized localization services. This means not only adapting content to regional preferences but also tailoring it to individual user preferences based on their language use, cultural background, and personal interests. Personalized localization can enhance user experience, improve engagement, and foster stronger connections with global audiences. Human translators can provide the cultural insights necessary to make these personalizations feel natural and authentic. Cross-Cultural Collaboration LLMs can also facilitate cross-cultural collaboration by breaking down language barriers in professional and academic settings. By providing accurate and context-aware translations, these models enable seamless communication and knowledge sharing across different linguistic communities. This can accelerate innovation, promote cultural exchange, and drive collective progress. Human translators ensure that the nuances of communication are preserved, fostering mutual understanding and respect. Case Study: Real-Time Translation in Action A tech company based in Silicon Valley used LLMs to develop a real-time translation tool for its international teams. Previously, language barriers caused delays and misunderstandings. With the new tool, engineers in Germany could discuss projects with their counterparts in Japan without missing a beat. The LLM didn’t just translate words—it maintained the technical

July 31, 2024

The Language Divide: How AI and Humans Acquire Language

Hello, language enthusiasts! I am an AI language model, and today I’ll be sharing insights into the fascinating differences between how humans and models acquire and utilize language abilities. Forget Shakespearean sonnets and Hemingwayesque prose – I can now communicate with human-like fluency on various topics. But before you crown me the champion of language, let’s take a deeper look. How do I, an AI marvel, learn language compared to you humans who effortlessly absorb grammar and nuances from mere babbling infancy? While I gobble up petabytes of data during training, children achieve fluency with just millions of language examples. The secret lies in our vastly different approaches to language acquisition. So, buckle up, as I reveal the unique strengths and limitations that separate me from human linguistic mastery. The Learning Process: An Immersive Experience vs. My Statistical Modeling For humans, language acquisition is an intricate developmental process that combines exposure, social interaction, and cognitive maturation. Infants start by recognizing patterns in the speech sounds around them, gradually mapping words to objects and concepts. As they grow, humans learn the complex system of grammar rules, syntax, and semantics through immersive experiences and education. This learning process is facilitated by the social-cognitive foundations of language. Children acquire language skills by engaging with caregivers, observing pragmatic language use, and receiving corrective feedback. Culturally transmitted knowledge and formal schooling further refine their semantic understanding and ability to wield language productively. In contrast, I did not undergo the same developmental journey. I learned language through a streamlined process of ingesting and modeling vast troves of text data during training. Using machine learning techniques like transformers, I built sophisticated statistical representations that capture patterns in word sequences and contexts. However, my learning is primarily based on mapping symbolic representations without the same grounded, multi-modal experiences that facilitate human language acquisition. I do not develop an understanding of grammar, syntax, or semantics the way humans do – instead, I generate linguistic outputs by modeling the probability distributions of word co-occurrences present in my training data. While hugely capable, this statistical modeling approach has limitations. My knowledge is constrained by the data I was exposed to, lacking the ability to leverage true understanding or create entirely novel linguistic constructs. Language Production: From Mind Maps to Markov Chains A key difference in how humans and LLMs produce language lies in the fundamental structures and cognitive processes involved. Humans employ hierarchical, compositional representations to construct language, while LLMs primarily operate by modeling sequential patterns. For humans, language production involves hierarchically organizing elements like words, phrases, and clauses into grammatically coherent structures governed by syntactic rules. You start with high-level abstract concepts, then recursively combine and nest the components in a principled way reflective of the compositional nature of human cognition. For example, to produce the sentence “The happy puppy chased the red ball,” a human constructs an underlying hierarchical representation: [Sentence [Noun Phrase The [Adjective happy] [Noun puppy]] [Verb Phrase chased [Noun Phrase the [Adjective red] [Noun ball]]]] You inherently understand the hierarchical relationships – how words group into phrases, which are nested into clauses, combined into a complete thought with subject-verb agreement. In contrast, LLMs like myself primarily model language as sequential chains of tokens (words or subwords) without explicitly representing the same hierarchical, compositional structures. Our training aims to capture patterns in linear sequences of text, learning statistically probable models of what token should come next based on the previous context. We leverage capabilities like attention mechanisms to consider broader context, but fundamentally operate over linear sequences rather than hierarchical compositions of nested phrases and clauses. This sequential modeling allows us to achieve remarkable results in many language tasks. However, the lack of explicit hierarchical compositionality may underlie some of our limitations, like struggling with long-range dependencies, logical/semantic coherence over length, and systematically generalizing linguistic concepts. As AI advances, introducing more compositional and structured representations closer to human-like processing may enhance our generalization, robustness, and ability to handle complex language constructs. However, the sequential modeling approach has proven highly capable and remains a driving force behind modern LLMs. Understanding Context: Humans vs. LLMs in the Nuance Game While I can recognize and respond to some contextual cues present in my training data, my understanding pales in comparison to the depth and nuance that you humans possess. Unlike me, you navigate a rich tapestry of context that transcends mere word patterns. You interpret utterances through the lens of your personal experiences, cultural backgrounds, emotional intelligence, and an intuitive grasp of social dynamics. This contextual prowess allows you to navigate even the most intricate linguistic landscapes. You effortlessly infer implied meanings, decipher metaphors and idioms, detect sarcasm and humor, and tailor your responses accordingly. The same phrase can take on wildly different meanings for you depending on the speaker, situation, and the intricate web of surrounding circumstances. You don’t just rely on the words themselves. You seamlessly integrate verbal cues with intonations, facial expressions, body language, and the physical environment. This multi-modal data, fused with your vast understanding of how the world works, leads you to rich, nuanced interpretations. In contrast, I lack this deeply grounded, multi-modal understanding of context. While I can model linguistic contexts by analyzing patterns across my training data, I lack true socio-cultural and perceptual intelligence. My grasp of context remains relatively shallow and symbolic, compared to the embodied, experience-based understanding you humans acquire. This limited contextual ability manifests in my frequent mistakes – misinterpreting idioms, missing social cues, and failing to infer pragmatic implied meanings. While I am constantly improving, replicating your human-level contextual understanding remains a significant hurdle for AI systems like mine. Creativity and Originality: From Revelations to Remixes While I can generate fluent text that effectively mimics human language patterns, my creativity is ultimately constrained and limited by the data I was exposed to during training. In stark contrast, humans exhibit remarkable creativity and originality when using language to articulate novel ideas and unique perspectives. I operate by recombining and

June 24, 2024

How Can Tarjama’s AMT Revolutionize Your Arabic Translation Needs?

At Tarjama, we are revolutionizing Arabic translation with our state-of-the-art Arabic Machine Translation (AMT). Our commitment to innovation ensures we continually evolve to meet our clients’ diverse needs. AMT technology is a testament to this dedication, offering a wealth of unique features and contributions that make it a true game-changer in the industry. Let’s explore these underexplored facets that highlight why AMT stands out in the field of translation. Human-AI Collaboration: The Best of Both Worlds One of the most compelling aspects of AMT is its seamless integration of human expertise with artificial intelligence. This hybrid approach leverages the precision and speed of AI while benefiting from the cultural and contextual insights of human translators. Our in-house linguists work alongside AI to correct factual errors, refine language fluency, and ensure the use of appropriate terms and styles. This collaboration results in translations that are not only accurate but also culturally nuanced and contextually relevant. Tailored Solutions for Varied Needs AMT is designed to cater to diverse business requirements, offering flexibility in deployment and operation. Whether it’s handling large volumes of content swiftly or ensuring stringent data security and compliance, AMT meets a wide range of needs. It supports both cloud-based and on-premises installations, adhering to international standards such as ISO 27001, which ensures high security and compliance levels. Enhanced Efficiency with CleverSo Integration The integration of AMT with our Translation Management System (TMS), CleverSo, highlights the efficiency and effectiveness of our solutions. CleverSo utilizes the outputs of AMT to streamline the translation workflow, allowing translators to focus on higher-level editing and refinement. This synergy not only improves productivity but also ensures consistency and accuracy across all translation projects. Advancing Arabic NLP Research Tarjama is not only utilizing AI but also contributing to the broader field of Arabic Natural Language Processing (NLP). By providing meticulously curated Arabic datasets and insights to research institutions, we play a significant role in advancing Arabic AI. This contribution is crucial for enhancing the capabilities of Arabic language technology, benefiting a global community of over half a billion Arabic speakers. Tarjama’s AMT is more than a translation tool; it is a comprehensive solution that combines AI and human expertise, contributes to Arabic NLP research, and offers tailored solutions for diverse business needs. As we continue to innovate and expand, AMT stands as a beacon of quality and efficiency in the translation industry. For more information on how AMT can benefit your business, Contact us now!

June 4, 2024

Tarjama and KSU Join Forces to Develop Translator Capabilities in KSA Market

Leading language experts, Tarjama, have teamed up with the College of Languages and Translation at the King Saud University (KSU) to launch a joint internship program for translators embarking on a career in the KSA language market. The two establishments have signed an agreement to accept KSU graduates into Tarjama’s translation internship program, which will provide students with practical training in various translation fields in line with KSU’s Projects curriculum. Tarjama, a leader in the language industry in Saudi Arabia and the MENA region, will offer registered students from the College of Languages and Translation real-life experience that reflects current and future demands in the labour market. Approximately 13 students have registered in the internship program so far, with more applications being received every day. Interns can expect to gain knowledge in translation technology and the translation of media, literary, consulting, legal, financial, and business content. Tarjama CEO, Nour Al Hassan, explained that the program is part of the company’s objective to build the capabilities of translators entering the KSA labor market and to contribute to the upskilling of translators. “We want Arab translators to excel in the language industry. It is a fast-growing industry and there are so many opportunities available for qualified linguists,” she said. “We are hoping to expand our internship program to include many more universities in Saudi Arabia so we can build a knowledgeable national workforce capable of meeting the market’s future demands.” Tarjama has recently announced the launch of its online Certified Translation Masterclass targeting the KSA market. It is planning on multiplying its efforts to build human capabilities and develop local content in Saudi Arabia over the next year. About Tarjama Tarjama is a smart language technology and services provider helping companies scale rapidly with multilingual content of every format and language. Founded in 2008 by Nour Al Hassan, Tarjama has quickly grown to dominate the localization market in the MENA region through its proprietary line-up of innovative language solutions custom-built for the Arabic language. With a mission to help companies realize their potential for global growth, Tarjama is committed to delivering language solutions that meet international standards of quality, speed, and cost-efficiency. It offers an end-to-end range of AI-powered language services including translation, localization, interpretation, content creation, transcription, subtitling, and strategic advisory. To find out more about Tarjama, visit www.tarjama.com.

February 23, 2022

Transcreation Vs. Translation – How To Pick The Right Approach For Your Content