Localisation – what is it?
Why is simple translation sometimes not enough? This is especially important when the goal is to create a translation tailored to the audience’s habits, cultural background, or even sense of humor. That’s when localisation comes into play – a translation adapted to the target audience. Localisation isn’t about rendering the text word-for-word but about recreating it within the user’s context. It is very common in software and video games, where literal translation simply doesn’t work. Localisation allows words or even whole expressions to be adjusted so that the user experiences positive emotions, trust, and an intuitive response. That’s why game characters make jokes familiar to local players, talk about traditional dishes, or have names recognizable in that culture.
Localisation is also widely used in marketing, for example when translating websites. Here, it’s crucial to consider the preferences of the audience. Depending on the country, users may expect a different approach to content, information, and tone of voice. In website localisation, emphasis is placed on elements that matter most to the target audience. As a result, the content across language versions may differ slightly in order to meet the needs of different users.
And what about transcreation?
Some types of content require a special approach. The message itself is not the priority – what matters are the impressions, emotions, and feelings it conveys. Translating such content into another language doesn’t always result in a successful text, even if the spelling, grammar, and punctuation are flawless. What may be missing is the emotional layer that the author originally intended.
In such cases, the solution is transcreation (from translation + creation). It enables the creation of a translation that evokes the desired emotional response. In literature, for example, transcreation is a way to convey the characters’ emotions, behavior, and personality. A literal translation of a book is rarely effective – in literature, surprising the reader and creating an enjoyable experience is key. With transcreation, you can be sure the reader will react to the book in the way the author intended.
Transcreation is useful not only in literature but also in all content related to art, creativity, video games, marketing, and even interpreting. Wherever the priority is to carry across emotions, impressions, feelings, or behaviors, transcreation is often a better choice than traditional translation.
Of course, much depends on the type of text. Transcreation is not used in technical translations. Medical texts also do not allow for much creative freedom – their purpose is accuracy and reliability.
So, what are the differences?
Localisation involves adapting content to a specific market while preserving its meaning and style. Transcreation, on the other hand, is an advanced form of localization that creatively reshapes the original message (e.g., marketing copy) so that it triggers the same emotions and reactions in another culture, even at the cost of literal accuracy. In practice, transcreation is a kind of “extended” localisation.
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