Translation, Transliteration, & Transcreation: A Universal
Understanding
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Definitions: Translation, Transliteration, & Transcreation
Translation The process of translation includes transferring meaning from the source language to the target language.
Translation is a universally preferred means of conveying meaning from one language to another to ensure global communication.
TransliterationThe process of converting text from one script to another without any loss in content.
Transliteration is a branch of translation that involves converting the message from one script to another verbatim. This process is preferred by linguists.
Transcreation
The process of transferring meaning from the source language to the target language keeping the tone, context, style, and mood of the source language intact.
Transcreation, as the name suggests, is a creative rendition of translation. This process is most widely used by advertising and marketing professionals across the globe.
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Translation & Its Scope
Over 6000 different languages are spoken around the world. The science of translating a message from one language to another is the most effective method of a global communication.
The process of translation is used in a wide variety of fields such as:
Translation for business purposes is most effective when you choose to get your content translated from a reputed organization that offers reliable translation services and boasts a team of bilingual experts.
The prime point is to carefully choose your translation company to ensure effective translation of your content that is accurate and is not merely machine translated.
Literary Translation Technical Translation Scientific Translation Medical Translation
Financial Translation Legal Translation Administrative Translation
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Transliteration & Its Scope
Transliteration involves the transfer of a character script directly from one script to another. This is a reversible process. That is the characters that are converted using the process of transliteration can be reconverted into exactly the same meaning.
In the process of transliteration, there is no loss of meaning or content.
The prime objective of this process is to enable the reader to understand the original characters of a script as opposed to the original sound. However, many transliteration systems match characters that are pronounced similarly.
Transliteration is mainly used for processing and subsequent storage of textual data, especially in libraries.
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Transcreation & Its Scope
The process of transcreation involves the relaying of a message form the source language to the target language, carefully maintaining the tone, mood, and intent of the message. Not only is the message intact on being transcreated but also the emotion that it brings to the surface is accurately duplicated.
Transcreation is a relative novice in comparison to the processes of translation and transliteration.
Transcreation is the process of innovative and creative translation.
A transcreated message is akin to a localized message wherein a message is shared with the target audience in the attempt to invoke similitude to facilitate business needs.
Trancreated text is most commonly used for advertising and marketing purposes. Advertisers and business owners utilize this process to share their message along with the intention.
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Example
Original Text: 彼女は自然に美しいですし、彼女の美しさはさらに化粧品のbecause強化されています。
Translated Text: “She is naturally beautiful and her beauty is further enhanced because of cosmetics.”
Transliterated Text: “Kanojo wa shizen ni utsukushīdesushi, kanojo no utsukushi-sa wa sarani keshōhinno beacuse kyōka sa rete imasu.”
Transcreated Text:
“Maybe She’s Born With It. Maybe It’s Maybelline”
[Brand recognition by creating a tagline indirectly suggesting that She is beautiful not just naturally, but because her beauty has been enhanced my using Maybelline cosmetics.]
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Reach & Outreach
“To be a translation, transliteration, or a transcreation expert, one
has to master certain areas, especially pertaining to linguistic
specificity, to be able to translate, transliterate, or transcreate a
message accurately and efficiently.”
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Translation Expert
A translation expert should be a bilingual expert. This entails that the expert should not only be able to achieve language fluency but also linguistic (grammatical) accuracy.
A translation expert should ideally be a subject expert. For example, a translation expert who is also a legal expert can accurately translate technical terminology from the source language to the target language.
A translation expert should ideally be aware of the socio-cultural aspects of both the source and the target language to be able to adapt meaning from one language to another to achieve language fluency while translating. This is where a well translated text differs from a machine translated text.
A translation expert should be aware of the intended audience to accurately decipher the tone, mood, and words to be used. For example, tone and language used for a website will and should differ from that used in an academic research paper.
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Transliteration Expert
A transliteration expert has to be an expert of the phonetics, syntax, and semantics of both the source and the target language.
If a translation expert should know the socio-cultural aspect of a language, a transliteration expert should be well versed with the linguistic aspects of a language.
The process of transliteration is reversible, that is, any transliterated text can be back-transliterated. This process is also known as retro conversion. An expert should be able to achieve this.
The process of transliteration is similar to any exact science. Therefore, a transliteration expert has to fulfill certain industry certifications before entering the industry.
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Transcreation Expert
Should be in sync with the desired target audience to avoid miscommunication or ineffective communication.
To ensure the effective transcreation process, a transcreation expert should ideally be living in the target country and should be well versed with the socio-cultural nuances.
A transcreation expert has to be a language expert. Even if the expert is not a native of the target country, she/he has to be have sufficient exposure to the culture and traditions of the place to be able to transcreate a message accurately.
A transcreation expert should ideally have sufficient knowledge of the know-how of advertising, branding, and marketing to efficiently serve business requirements.
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Last Word
The dissemination of a defined message or an idea from a source language to the target language is vital for effective global communication.
• Ideal Usage: Serious communication, academic papers, legal documents.
Translation helps in converting a text message while maintaining language and grammatical fluency.
• Ideal Usage: Linguistic studies, data storage in libraries and other databases.
Transliteration helps study and analyze the similarities and dissimilarities between scripts while strictly adhering to the original message.
• Ideal Usage: Advertising and marketing domains.
Transcreation helps in sharing a message from the source language to the target language for effective recall and immediate, although fleeting, attention of the target audience.
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