There are a lot of reasons why hiring a translator is better than using digital translation services – grammar, syntax and localisation help are some, but specific to marketing and advertising is transcreation, where a message is fully considered down to its tone, style and context.

How can transcreation go wrong?

A famous example of this is Pepsi – when Pepsi entered the Chinese market, it launched with the slogan, “Pepsi Brings You Back to Life.”  This phrase actually translated into “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave” – not a good way to advertise in the Chinese market!  Though the translation was technically correct, the meaning and integrity of their message had disappeared.

So why are transcreation writers so important?

Well, for a start they’re actually writers.  As well as being translators, they also act as copywriters and have marketing experience.  Instead of just receiving a piece and translating it (as Pepsi attempted to), people involved in transcreation tends to receive a brief and come up with a relevant campaign for your new market.  They need to fully understand your wants, needs and current business state so that they can help you achieve your goals.  This way your copy resonates in a creative way – not just like someone translated it into the local language!

This means the message is both new and old.

Because you’ve taken the time to fully localise your message, it will resonate with a completely different segment group.  Even though the translation itself may not be the same, the actual meaning and integrity of your original message is preserved.  This isn’t the same as with a basic translation – this is more about meaning and ensuring that your message still impacts audiences the same way as in your original market.  This means that when you want your audience to do something – say, interact with emotional content or click through – transcreation is ideal.

Transcreation is more.

It also involves going into other dimensions of media – which images resonate well with audiences (which don’t?), when it’s best to launch a campaign, is there more that can be done with your campaign to resonate with your chosen target market?  Even though a translation may be technically correct, it may not be received well enough by consumers.

Employing a company like AccuEast in transcreation means you are receiving a full, marketing service.  We truly help you try to reach your chosen market segment in your new environment.

For more information about transcreation or other services we offer, please contact us.

Sources:

Smartling: https://www.smartling.com/blog/six-ways-transcreation-differs-translation/

Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelzakkour/2014/10/02/chinas-national-day-golden-week-a-good-time-to-make-sure-you-dont-bite-the-wax-tadpole/#1ceb1069560f

Image courtesy of Canva.com

With the next Winter Olympics already being planned in Beijing (and an absolutely glowing closing ceremony including Flying Pandas in PyeongChang), at AccuEast we’ve decided to take a look at how translation affected the games and its 200 nations of participants!

1. The Olympic Channels
The Olympic Channels don’t just translate to different languages – there are actually multiple social media channels streaming content in their audience languages, including Korean, Spanish, Portuguese and English. This way the content is targeted specifically at their audiences.

2. 15,000 eggs – they’re not yolkin’ around!
What’s the worst translation error you’ve made? Was it not realising that Venti means 20 and buying a coffee that was way too big for your appetite? Well, in an example of how translation is truly relevant, Norway accidentally ordered 13,500 eggs too many for their 100 athletes at the Olympic Winter Games.

It’s examples like these that show us how translation is remaining relevant despite technology’s advancement – some suggest Google Translate was used in the error, but South Korea also has a different counting system which is purpose-built. With AccuEast, we have native speakers who ensure that your message is localised and you don’t have this egg-sperience!

3. Genie Talk
It’s not in a bottle, but it is magic! “Genie Talk” is an app that’s the official translation app for athletes and sports officials during the 2018 Winter Olympics. Developed by a local Korean software firm, it translates Korean, Japanese, English, Chinese, Spanish, French, German, Russian and Arabic!

4. A message of warm welcome for Beijing 2022
Chinese President Xi Jinping invited the world to Beijing during the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics with a pre-recorded message, stating “Together with all the Chinese people, I welcome friends from all over the world. See you in Beijing in 2022.” As over 200 nations participated in the Winter Olympics, imagine how many languages this message was translated into! With just 8 minutes to demonstrate how Beijing is ready for the landmark achievement of hosting the first Summer and Winter Olympics in history, Chinese film director Zhang Yimou used projection screens and subtitled video clips to demonstrate China’s achievement.

Although the Winter Olympics may be over we still believe that the translation lessons learned here are still relevant. Language is much more than copying and pasting into another dialect, and hiring a translator like AccuEast enables your message to be made truly local.

Don’t get egg on your face – talk to us about how we can make your message global!

Sources:
The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/08/norway-olympics-team-orders-15000-eggs-by-mistake-south-korea
The Olympic Channel – Twitter, https://twitter.com/olympicchannel?lang=en
Huffington Post, http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/2018-winter-olympics-closing-ceremony-live-updates_us_5a9167f9e4b03b55731c8f02
K-International, http://www.k-international.com/blog/translation-at-the-olympics/

Image courtesy of Canva.com

Voiceover, or dubbing, is a linguistic art that enables your audience to understand your media without the difficulty of reading subtitles – particularly important with the rise of “dual screening”, where audiences engage with more than one media at a time!
Voiceovers give emotional depth in a chosen market and enable you to connect with an audience more readily. Intonation and rhythm are important to dubbing, and it’s a complex art that not only involves translating material appropriately but ensuring that it matches seamlessly with the original media. For film, this means that language must be recreated with the original source material; for advertisements, this means that the message must be put in a local market context and then dubbed. If even one aspect is wrong – tone choice, rhythm, syntax or translation – it can spell disaster.
Voice actors and voice actor choice is also integral to voiceover. Voice actors must be carefully selected, and able to convey the correct emotional mood. They must be able to engage with the audience as if it were a home market, finding the best pitch and cadence for the material.
Putting all these things together is how AccuEast translate for you. We ensure that the work is high quality and resonates your original message, but for a new market. With Customer Services available 24/7, we’re also here if you have any questions throughout the voiceover process.
For more information about our voiceover or other services offered, please Contact AccuEast
References:
Computer World (https://www.computerworld.com/article/3123729/retail-it/a-new-channel-challenge-for-retailers-dual-screening.html)
World Good Voices (http://www.worldgoodvoices.com/index.php/Mall/Index/channel/id/4.html)

Often complex and nuanced due to language syntax and colloquialisms, subtitling is an AccuEast specialism that enables our clients to convey their messages directly.
Subtitling is a precise task, as text must appear and disappear exactly when words are said but also remain long enough to be read. Text should have a minimum display time, such as 1½ or 2 seconds, but when dialogue becomes rapid this can be complicated.
It’s important to ensure that your target market can read your message and follow what’s happening in your video – if it’s a CEO discussing their company message this can be easier, but if there are lots of visual aids or action going on in a video this can be more difficult. That’s why AccuEast ensure that there is balance to the timing of your subtitling so that your intended audience can feel the full effects of your work – even if it’s in another language.
Maintaining subtle nuances is important as well – as our language is what often defines us, we try to keep your phrases and filler words like “but”, “ah”, etc, as well as background noise so that your audience can truly feel like they are hearing your words. This also means including colloquialisms and repositioning messages for our new audience – making it so that your chosen market truly knows that you have taken the effort to localise your message. Our 24/7 Customer Services also work directly with you so that you’re truly comfortable with the message that is being conveyed to your audience.
As subtitling is so exact, at AccuEast we use the latest technological tools to break it down into the following steps, enabling a fast turnaround:
1. Spotting – here we examine your footage, identify any timing that needs to be addressed at any later phases, and examine camera shots and footage to see how they will impact the subtitling process.
2. Translation – this is where our translation service take place, including examining your vernacular, personal language and any background noises. This has to be done in a very technical manner to convey meaning to the audience in an efficient timescale – which is why we sync up our translating work with our spotting work.
3. Simulation – at this stage we ensure that everything matches up and that everything reads naturally.
4. Correction – the end of our process – double checking for errors, as we value high quality content and readjusting the text if necessary. After this stage you can promote your content globally with ease.
An example of our previous subtitling work is below.

For more information about our subtitling or other services offered, please Contact AccuEast
References:
Permondo (http://www.permondo.eu/volunteers/introduction-to-subtitling/)

There are more than 250,000 translation companies around the world. Some of them feature extensive translator resources. Some boast to specialise in certain industries. Some are committed to one or several language combination(s). To assess whether a translation company is able to deliver up-to-standard projects, the following factors should be taken into consideration: legitimacy, clients, testimonials, translator registration criteria, translation technology knowledge, quality assurance, customer service, dispute settlement, and more.

At AccuEast, our streamlined work process includes Solution Design – Translating – Proofrading & Reviewing – Project Manager Final Check – Delivery – Client Feedback. Your project manager will be ready to hear what you want to say at any time and will send frequent updates of project progress.

More about how to work with us, please go to “How we work” on the top of the screen.

Proposed by President Xi in 2013, the One Belt, One Road Initiative, or B&R, focuses on connecting China with over 60 countries in the rest of Eurasia by increasing trade and investment, boosting economic growth and stimulating cultural exchange. Infrastructure projects are particularly supported by this development campaign.

To celebrate the success of the initiative, the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation was held in Beijing on 14 and 15 May 2017. On the opening ceremony, British chancellor Philip Hammond, who attended this event along with other important UK policymakers and businesses, has called for strengthened economic ties with China in the era of post-Brexit and described Britain as a “natural partner” to China as between now and 2030 Asia would need to spend about $26tn on infrastructure-$4tn of which China had pledged to help fund-while the UK has planned a massive infrastructure campaign.

Hammond posted on Twitter: “Britain is ready to work with all [Belt and Road] partners.”

Welcome to AccuEast Blog! AccuEast is committed to providing high-quality Chinese, Japanese and English translations. This weekly-updated blog is run to let you be the first to know the latest news and trends in the international trade market, especially between China, Japan and the UK, as well as in the translation market. Topics covered include trade and business news, government talks and policies, case studies, everything about translation, everything about AccuEast, and more. If you are interested in any topic not covered here, please let us know!

Do you know? You can contact our responsive team by clicking “Contact us” on the top of your screen. We look forward to hearing from you!