The translation industry is packed full of different kinds of services. Amongst them, one of the most difficult to execute is definitely marketing translations. Due to its specificity, the requirements which have to be met in order to perform such a translation are relatively greater than other types of translations.
The element which distinguishes marketing translations from among other types of translations is the necessity of a deep knowledge of not only the language itself but also the culture of a particular country. Types of materials which requires marketing translation are i.a.: promotion materials, internet websites content, newsletters, leaflets and advertising slogans. Due to the specificity of those materials, the translator working on them has to be completely familiar with cultural contexts, proverbs and wordplays tied to a particular country. It’s this exact element which causes the biggest obstacle in the process of marketing translation. The translator has to keep in mind not only a faithful translation of the source text but also to evoke specific emotions in the potential customer. Therefore, a person who would like to do marketing translations as a job should get an education not only in the linguistic area but also in the marketing area.
Another element which makes marketing translations so difficult is the responsibility which the translator has to bear. The amount of potential and actual receivers of his/her translations is significantly bigger in comparison to other types of translations. Depending on the character of the translation, the target group can be clearly specified but it’s also common that the translated text is meant to reach as wide an audience as possible. In such a case, the translator not only takes on a big responsibility but also has to use the full range of his/her ability and talents in order to make the final results as good as possible. However, if the marketing translation is directed at a particular target group, the person taking care of it must be familiar with the terminology, terms and everyday speech related to the target group of people. Besides, it’s crucial to emphasise the importance of the cultural contexts of a particular country, which in my opinion is the single most important element making a marketing translation efficient.
In conclusion, marketing translations are defined as specialistic because they require much more competence and knowledge then only a linguistic set of skills. The fully professional marketing translation is a combination of excellent language skills as well as a deep cultural understanding of a particular country. That’s the process called text localization.
(tranlsation: M.J.K)
