Transcreation
services
Take Orange Is the New Black. The title plays on an English fashion idiom, “the new black,” wrapped around the orange of a prison jumpsuit. Translate it literally into most languages and the wordplay collapses, which is why many markets simply kept it in English rather than lose the joke.
When Netflix expanded across the Middle East, it needed hundreds of film and series titles, along with descriptions and marketing copy, that would land for Arabic speakers spanning a wide range of regional variants. We built a team of copywriters and transcreation specialists across the region, all with film and media backgrounds, to recreate that content so it felt native to each audience rather than converted for it. Read the Netflix case study.
How did Coca Cola become tasty fun in Chinese?
For creative text with emotional impact, cultural nuance, humor, or wordplay, we recommend our transcreation services. Transcreation is best described as a blend of copywriting and translation, as it involves adapting – and often recreating or reimagining – your original message to better resonate with the cultural context of your audience. It gives the translator more creative freedom to convey your intended voice across languages and bring your message home.
Take Coca-Cola, which is called Kekoukele in China, meaning “tasty fun.” Not only does it sound like its international name, but it has a meaning that resonates with the Coke brand. This is an example of transcreation.
What is transcreation?
Transcreation is a creative service. Where translation converts meaning, transcreation reconstructs impact. A linguist working on a transcreation project isn’t asking “what does this say?” They’re asking “what does this do?” From there, they and then build a version in the target language that does the same thing.
That means your tagline might come back with different words. The rhythm of your headline might shift. A metaphor that works in English might be replaced with one that lands the same way in French. The source content is the brief, not the blueprint.
When should you use transcreation instead of translation?
The short answer: it depends on what the content is for. When the goal is emotional or cultural impact, you need transcreation. When the goal is accuracy to the source, you need translation. Here’s how to tell them apart.
Choose transcreation when your content includes:
- Emotional appeals that need cultural adaptation to maintain impact
- Wordplay, puns, or humor that don’t translate literally across languages
- Brand slogans or taglines where creativity matters more than literal meaning
- Marketing campaigns targeting specific cultural values or local trends
- Creative advertising where visual and textual elements must work together
- Product names that need cultural relevance in new markets
Choose traditional translation when you need:
- Technical documentation with standardized terminology
- Legal contracts requiring precise linguistic accuracy
- Academic research where literal meaning preservation is critical
- Business communications with straightforward informational content
The marketing transcreation advantage
Advertising transcreation
Campaigns, headlines, and creative copy get adapted for international markets so the work performs, not just reads. That means going beyond what the words say to carry the emotional register, cultural references, and brand personality into each language, so every version feels like it belongs in its market rather than imported from another one.
Brand messaging adaptation
A brand voice- built deliberately in one language needs to be rebuilt in another, not just converted. We work with your brand guidelines and brief to adapt the positioning and personality behind your messaging not only its words, so your target market experiences the brand the way your home market does.
Collaborative creative process
Transcreation is a conversation, not a delivery. Our creative linguists and copywriters present multiple options for key content, with explanations of the choices behind each one. You’re not just reviewing a translation. You’re choosing between creative directions, with full context for what each option is doing and why.
Creative translation for global impact
Advertising transcreation expertise
Successful advertising transcreation requires deep understanding of local culture, consumer behavior, and market dynamics. Our advertising specialists work with global brands to adapt campaigns that maintain brand consistency while speaking authentically to local audiences. From social media content to video advertising scripts, we ensure your creative vision translates into measurable marketing results.
Brand messaging adaptation
Global brand consistency doesn’t mean identical messaging. Our transcreation services help brands maintain their core identity while adapting tone, cultural references, and emotional appeals for different markets. We understand that what motivates consumers varies significantly across cultures, and our creative adaptation process reflects these nuanced differences.
Collaborative creative process
Unlike traditional translation, transcreation is inherently collaborative. Our creative teams work closely with your marketing professionals to understand campaign objectives, brand guidelines, and success metrics. We provide multiple creative options with detailed rationales, allowing you to choose adaptations that align with your brand strategy and local market knowledge.
What to expect from a transcreation project
We consider using transcreation based on the purpose and intent of the content and your business objectives. The purpose is what drives the decision of translating vs transcreating all or some of the content.
Each project is unique and our team will tailor the process to your specific needs. For example, for slogans and taglines, our bilingual copywriters and editors brainstorm to create two or three versions of your idea. With each new option, we provide a back-translation and a set of reasons for word choice. This lets you see why we’ve created the new copy and why our new copy fits your style and message and will engage your audience.
Comprehensive transcreation project process
Discovery & strategy phase
We start by understanding your content’s purpose. What’s it meant to make people feel? What’s the cultural context of the target market? What constraints apply: character count, brand guidelines, regulatory requirements? The brief we build at this stage shapes everything that follows.
Creative development
Our linguists develop the target-language version with genuine creative latitude, treating your source content as the brief it is. For key assets like taglines and slogans, we present multiple options so you can see the range of what’s possible.
Back-translation & rationale
This is one of the most important steps, and one that separates a rigorous transcreation process from a loose one. We provide a back-translation of the new version, a literal rendering of what the new copy says in your original language, alongside a written rationale explaining the choices made. You see exactly what your audience will experience and understand exactly why those words were chosen.
Review & refinement
You review the options, the back-translations, and the rationale, and we refine from there. This is a collaborative step, not a hand-off. Your in-market team or stakeholders can weigh in, and we incorporate that feedback into a final version you’re confident in.
Implementation support
Once the transcreated content is approved, we support implementation, including any layout and typesetting work needed to fit the new copy into your existing design. If your materials need desktop publishing support to handle text expansion or contraction across languages, that’s available under the same roof. See the full Üllo project for an example of transcreation, localization, and desktop publishing working together.
Related Services
If your project needs creative adaptation alongside broader multilingual content support, our related services connect naturally. Website and app localization services handle digital presence for target markets beyond what transcreation covers. Desktop publishing team ensures translated and transcreated materials look exactly as intended after layout. And for campaigns that include non-creative content alongside brand copy, our marketing and advertising translation services cover the full scope.
Ready to transform your global marketing?
Transcreation services that capture hearts and minds across cultures require specialized expertise and creative collaboration. Our transcreation team helps global brands create authentic connections that drive real business results. Contact us to discuss how creative translation can amplify your international marketing impact.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is transcreation?
A blend of copywriting and translation that adapts marketing content to resonate emotionally and culturally in a new market. Rather than translating word for word, transcreation recreates the effect of the original, so a tagline or campaign feels native to the target audience instead of converted for it.
Which languages do you offer transcreation in?
We provide transcreation across 75+ languages, including regional and cultural variants, which matters as much as the language itself for creative work. Arabic for the Gulf isn’t Arabic for North Africa; Spanish for Mexico isn’t Spanish for Spain. We match your content to linguists who know the specific market you’re targeting.
What is back-translation in transcreation?
A literal translation of the newly adapted copy back into the original language, so the client can see exactly what the new version says and understand the creative reasoning behind it. It’s how we keep the process transparent and give clients real insight into what their audience will experience.
How much does transcreation cost?
Transcreation is typically priced differently from standard translation, often by the hour or by project rather than per word, because the work is creative rather than volume-based. A short tagline can take significant time to get right, while a longer piece may be more straightforward. We scope each project based on the creative complexity, the number of options you want, and the languages involved.
How long does transcreation take?
It depends on the creative complexity and the number of languages and options involved, more than on word count. A single high-stakes tagline across several markets can take longer than a larger volume of straightforward copy. We build the timeline into the brief at the start, so you know what to expect before work begins.
Featured services
Marketing
translation
Our marketing translation services provide the foundation for successful global campaigns. When your content needs linguistic accuracy and minimal creative and cultural adaptation, our marketing translators ensure consistent brand messaging across languages while maintaining persuasive impact and technical precision.
Desktop
publishing
Transcreation often requires layout adaptation to accommodate text expansion, cultural design preferences, or right-to-left languages. Our bilingual desktop publishing experts design, format, and typeset transcreated content, ensuring visual elements support your creative messaging across all marketing materials.
Website & app
localization
Digital transcreation extends beyond text to user experience, navigation, and interactive elements. Our website and app localization services combine transcreation creativity with technical expertise, creating digital experiences that feel intuitive and engaging for each target market while maintaining brand consistency.
