Translations for marketing and advertising

translation of copy for marketing and advertising is a complex and often underestimated field. Documents include company magazines, brochures, press releases and newsletters, and translations are required of websites, slogans and text for social media.

It is not sufficient to transpose the source text into the target language on a 1:1 basis. Marketing and advertising text should inform, create interest, convince and ultimately help to sell. This means that the translation must be appropriately worded so that it addresses the target group. Depending on the target market it may also be necessary to adapt the text. It is often the subtle differences in language that make a big difference.

So how do you obtain a good marketing translation?

Allow sufficient time

Marketing and advertising texts challenge the translator to produce creative peak performance. It is therefore important to allow sufficient time. Additional time is then also needed for quality control. Just consider how much time you need to compose the text. If you allow the translator an equal amount of time, you will provide the support necessary for the creation of high-quality work.
Unfortunately though, it is often the case that the translator is expected to “quickly” produce the translation at the end of the process. However, the quality matters if the text is to be well received by the target market and be effective. It follows that early planning and notification of all parties involved is very important and helpful. This means that the necessary capacity can be planned in good time.

Choosing the right translator

A creative translator needs to have those skills that every good translator has, i.e. to render text from the source into the target language with due respect for grammar, style, terminology and subject knowledge, as well as a particularly good feeling for language. S/he must have detailed knowledge of the target market and must be very good at writing – in the best case, s/he would be a copywriter in the respective mother tongue! This can lead to the creation of text that has the same effect as text that was written in the target language, rather than a translation. Of course it is crucial that the author’s original message comes across.

In order to achieve best possible results, the translator needs as much information relating to the text as possible. This means you can give support by providing all necessary information on the text before the translation is due to begin, such as

  • the target group the text is aimed at
  • the core message of the text/campaign
  • the special characteristics of the described product
  • an indication as to how creative the translation is allowed to be, i.e. how far the translator may move away from the source text
  • the intended media
  • any corporate wording

Generally, it should be checked whether text produced for the German-speaking market is suitable for international distribution. Do the examples, references, images and writing style suit the target market?

Proofreading by customer

Depending on the degree of difficulty and the size of the document, it is recommended that the translated and checked marketing text be checked again by a reviewer or one of your proofreaders.
This person does not necessarily have to be familiar with the source language because at this stage, the focus is on ascertaining how the text feels when it is read. Again, it is important that the author’s original message comes across. This must not be changed.

Example from online marketing – SEO translations

Companies that are active internationally and therefore need a multilingual website have the opportunity to position themselves on the internet in a form that is optimised for the market and target groups. This requires keywords for search engine optimisation (SEO) in the respective languages. In order to achieve the objective, which is to convey the information or promotional text to the right user, these keywords must not simply be translated. They must be adjusted to the target country and it is important that the search behaviour of the respective target group is taken into account.

“We work with a pool of over 300 freelancers and have the right translator for any type of creative promotional text. Why not give us a try!”

Contakt & Information:
Daniela Badel
Translation management
+41 71 727 98 93
d.badel@dogrel.com

Daniela Badel

 

 

Infotrend June 2016