From Briefing to Voiceover Direction: The Transcreation Workflow in a Practitioner’s Experience

The term “transcreation” (“translation” + “creation”) in the context of translation studies has been used for over 65 years, but there is no consensus on what it is and where it should be applied. For the advertising industry, transcreation seems to be defined ex ante as the interlinguistic and intercultural adaptation of marketing and advertising copy. As a hybrid professional (translator + copywriter), the transcreation specialist steps out of the traditional role of the translator, increasingly under threat from automated options, to serve as a fully fledged consultant. They are expected to advise clients on how to best communicate the message to the target audience by making choices based on their cultural sensitivity, their understanding of the local market as well as their own personal taste. Moreover, they often perform tasks that are not limited to the rendition of a text from a language to another, but which are nonetheless part and parcel of transcreation as I see it. By examining a typical transcreation workflow with examples from my experience as a practitioner, I will show how transcreation truly is a future-proof occupation. With the range of skills they use and the variety of tasks they perform, transcreation professionals create more value for clients than machines ever will.