The Appropriate Approach to Advertisement Translation

Advertisement refers to any type of promotional effort that uses tools such as texts, pictures, and videos to present something to a specific audience.

Today, advertisement is a must-have concept for businesses seeking to reach their target audience. An advertisement indicates the first interaction between the prospective customer and the brand.

A word-for-word translation is not always enough to make a brand’s voice heard internationally, as an advertisement must engage customers, be creative, and appeal to the senses, expectations, and needs of the target audience.

There are some strategies to avoid language traps while creating the effect of the original message in the advertisements. We can summarize these strategies as follows:

1. Firstly, the original advertisement text is analyzed: ”Is it a verbal or written advertisement? Is it a normal advertisement or an advertisement campaign? Is it published on social media platforms? What kinds of images accompany the advertisements? What are the client’s demands?
2. Basic language transfer, in other words, standard translation might not be sufficient for advertisement translation. At this point, it is remarkably important that the translated text be fluent, natural, and free of ambiguity.
3. When standard translation fails, adaptation becomes involved. In such cases, the translator adapts cultural references, word plays, and humorous elements that cannot be conveyed in different languages. It is also taken into account that each culture has its own beliefs, sensitivities, and lifestyles. While a word, picture, or sign can be pleasant in one society, it might be humiliating, impolite, obscene, or slang in another.
4. Transcreation, which means the recreation of a message in another language while preserving the same effect, is commonly used in advertisement translations. This strategy is generally preferred when standard translation and adaptation are not sufficient and efficient to convey the original message. The compatibility between the advertisement and the image should also be discussed. There might be a contradiction between the image and message after the linguistic elements are translated and/or localized. In such circumstances, the image can be changed with the approval of the client.
5. Each brand has its own voice and style. In order to ensure consistency between the brand and the customer, using a categorized terminological database specific to the brand is another significant strategy.

Ultimately, an advertisement aims first and foremost to persuade the customer by addressing them. Inaccurate translation not only results in customer loss but also harms brand image. Entrust your verbal or written advertisements and slogans defining your services and products to professionals and specialized translation agencies.