Transcreation: Process Requirements and Client Expectations

In order to remain competitive, many translation companies are expanding their fields of activity to include technical communication, layout, terminology, and other related services, and are thus becoming full-service multilingual and cultural communication vendors. As translation agencies expand their services and competencies – in line with the broad definition of translation used in modern-day translation studies – translating Marketing communications materials is one potential area into which they might expand. However, international advertising campaigns for multinational companies are often handled by or with advertising agencies, frequently without the involvement of translation agencies (Anholt 2000).

In this project, we look at the challenges translation agencies may face when entering this field. In an exploratory empirical study, we investigated the expectations of 10 regular clients of an Austrian translation agency regarding the translation (or transcreation) of marketing communications materials. For this purpose, 13 qualitative interviews were carried out with agency clients in Austria, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. The interviewees were asked about their interest in such a service in principle, its potential added value, and their expectations of the product and process. The study also looked at their expectations of the briefing and review processes. The results serve to outline the necessary modifications to the processes required to offer this specific translation service.