The concept of transcreation: Translation is the art of changing text from one language to another. Transcreation, however, is more than just finding words to say the same thing in a different language; it requires thinking about conveying the same tone and emotion as if it were written by a native speaker.
To ensure your translation resonates with your target audience in different countries, you need to be creative. If you’re unsure where to start with translation, here’s everything you need to know.
Transcreation is the process of transferring literature and creative texts from one language to another in a way that preserves the original spirit and aesthetic of the text. It demands exceptional linguistic skills and a deep understanding of both the target and source cultures. It differs completely from traditional translation, which aims to convey the literal meaning of the text. Transcreation, on the other hand, strives to reproduce the unique beauty and literary originality of the source text in a different, innovative style that aligns with the target culture.
The concept of transcreation
What is a Transcreator?
A transcreator is both an artist and a scholar. They need to employ a vast set of skills to effectively express literary ideas, emotions, and concepts in a new language. A transcreator must be able to grasp diverse literary voices and styles and present them in a way that maintains a balance between originality and innovation.
What Does Transcreation Require?
Transcreation demands a deep intuition for language and culture. The translator must be able to understand the cultural nuances and subtle linguistic details that characterize the original text. They need the ability to treat language as a living entity that evolves and changes with time, place, and culture.
Transcreation is a challenging endeavor for the translator, as they must find a balance between fidelity to the original text and to the target readers in the target language. They must be capable of making crucial decisions regarding the changes and adjustments that need to be made to maintain coherence and interaction between the original text and the translated text.
What Distinguishes Transcreation?
What distinguishes transcreation is its ability to convey the spirit and main ideas of the original text in a way that inspires and excites readers in the target language. It can enrich literature and culture in target societies by providing access to wonderful literary works that are translated creatively and inspiringly. Transcreation may involve the use of metaphors, beautiful imagery, and various literary techniques to express the original text in a unique and captivating way. Transcreation can be an effective method for cultural exchange and strengthening global understanding.
Despite the difficulties and complexities of transcreation, it plays a vital role in strengthening cultural diversity and cultural interaction between peoples. It helps enrich literature and culture with new ideas and diverse perspectives. Transcreation can contribute to broadening reading horizons and providing rich and exciting cultural experiences for the target audience.
Literal Translation vs. Transcreation:
You might be accustomed to literal translation, which involves taking words from one language and replacing them with words from another. This type of translation focuses on accurately reproducing the original text in the target language and is suitable for functional content, such as a user manual or an instruction booklet.
Transcreation, however, uses the original text as a reference point to create an equally compelling translation, typically employing the unique expressions and phrasing of the target language.
A transcreator asks questions like, “Who is the target audience? What does the businessman in the source text need to convey to his audience?”
The goal of transcreation is to capture the attention of the target audience in the same way the text did in the original language. This may require adapting the text, changing vocabulary, or sometimes completely rewriting it to suit the local market.
Can Literal Translation Be Used in Promotional and Advertising Materials?
Using a literal translation in advertisements, marketing, and promotional materials can make your content appear rigid, strange, or, at worst, inappropriate.
Therefore, it is essential to understand the cultural differences of the target audience; otherwise, you risk losing potential customers.
When Should You Use Transcreation?
If you are unsure whether you should stick to a literal translation or opt for a more creative text, here are some reasons that warrant the use of transcreation:
Transcreation must be used when translating poems, songs, and advertisements because they contain more than just words; they reproduce music and beauty. This often involves wordplay, rhythm, or alliteration that needs to be conveyed into the target language. In such cases, the final result may not look similar to the source, but it will have the same impact.
Often, films, books, music, and advertisements invent their own words to attract their target audience. In this case, the translator must decide how to take these creative words and give them the same meaning in another language, by coining a new word in the translated language to give the reader a sense of what the original word means.
It’s Not As Easy As You Think
Some translators may not excel at transcreation, as it is not limited to linguistic skills but requires a high degree of linguistic sensibility, the ability to understand and express well, and excellent writing skills.
For example, let’s consider translating an advertisement document about a new product, let’s call it “X.Y,” from Arabic to English.
First, we must accurately understand the distinctive features of the product and its sales outlets. We also need the ability to write a translation that captures attention. If the translator cannot produce a good translation without using the source text, they will likely find transcreation difficult.
Fluidity in thinking processes and the ability to produce translations that not only reflect the content of the original text but also its tone and create the same impact as the original text – that is the kind of versatility required from a translator.
Does This Mean Ignoring the Source Text?
Generally, in translation, close attention is paid to both the source and target languages, and the source text must be thoroughly understood to avoid mistranslations.
However, in transcreation, we express ourselves in our own way after thoroughly understanding the source text, where higher priority is given to effectively conveying information and using creative expressions and phrasing for each target language. Who is the target audience? What do you need to tell them? These two points are given higher priority in transcreation.
The source text cannot be ignored; rather, attention must be paid to the essence and tone of the original text. Simply put, transcreation means rewriting. And this, by its nature, facilitates a lot of creativity.
In the end, transcreation is an art and a science that aims to convey literature and creative texts in a way that preserves the original spirit and enriches culture in target societies. It requires advanced linguistic skills and a deep understanding of culture and literature. Through transcreation, we can strengthen global understanding and cultural communication among diverse peoples and fulfill shared human aspirations and hopes.
