Translation is... Well, a multifaceted problem studied since the great elders of Ancient Greece became a universal standard of truth: their influence stretched as far as one can imagine, and transcended geographical boundaries as well as those of the human mind. Okay, I might be a little biased here; I am indeed predisposed to emphasize the paramount importance of translation in affiliate marketing, but I have my reasons: watch me break it down for you in the clearest terms possible.
Creative Translation vs. Literal Translation
If you’re remotely familiar with translations — the professional sort of it — you might be able to distinguish two most common forms: creative translation and literal translation. As an impatient affiliate with no time to waste, you’re undoubtedly eager to spur me into action and require an instant reply to the question hanging in the air: tell me, which one is better!?
Here’s your first disappointment of the day: there’s no solid answer. It would depend on your preferences, expectations, and goals, but before we switch to that, let me clarify both terms and arrange a battlefield.
Literal Translation
You may have heard of this one. In literature, it’s called either direct translation or word-for-word translation, and either of the terms fully represents its nature, grasping the crux of this type of translation. Sounds remarkable until you delve deeper: literal translation doesn’t pay proper attention to the way sentences and phrases work altogether as a whole. Technically, in this type of translation, a translator — whether a human being or a machine — takes each word of a source text and replaces it with the word that presumably matches it in the target language. If the explanation looks a trifle opaque, imagine the following situation.
You are an avid manga reader: you are aware of every single title emerging in Japan, and you've just discovered a new one. Alas, your Japanese training is far from perfect — there's only a dictionary to help.
As a person who studied Japanese for three long, long years, I can assure you that the result of reading kanji without any basic knowledge will lead you nowhere. You'll stare at the incoherent lines of words mauling the original meaning of the text beyond recognition.
That is not to say that literal translation is an abomination that should not exist in the progressive world of innovation. We are trying to stay objective, and that is why we want to provide the full picture.
Pros:
The simplicity of word-for-word translation makes it a time-saving option: you take the word, pick its equivalent in your target language, and presto.
The literal translation gravitates toward basic vocabulary, so it's easier to digest by different kinds of people and, in the end, by a larger audience.
Cons:
More often than not, the literal translation is devoid of authenticity: it sounds automatic and unnatural, so people tend to suspect a trap where it isn't meant to be.
Almost any marketing technique boils down to careful modulation of emotion and setting the right tone with the public. In the case of literal translation, you can forget every emotion you catered to: it deprives the content of intended emotions and erases its tone of voice.
Evidently, we don't shed enough light on idiomatic expressions and grammar, but it should be obvious from the definition that idioms and grammar are an incubus no one wishes to carry.
The other extreme includes notions that do not have a similar concept in your language, so they have to be reconstructed and refashioned by the means of your language. Backtracking to the Japanese example, let me refer you to the cultural phenomenon of wabi-sabi (侘寂). As it does not exist in the English language, it can only be explained in a longer form: wabi-sabi is a Japanese vision, a philosophy in which you accept the transience and imperfection of existence. In Russian, you can encounter the concept of toska, a melancholic and deep longing without a reason. Finns are known for their untranslatable sisu, a term that incorporates a plethora of qualities: sustained courage, resilience, determination, perseverance, persistence, and tenacity. Dwellers of Iceland often speak about gluggaveður, window-weather, the kind of weather that is nice to look at (but not nice to be out in). You can sure come up with more examples (like hygge and lagom), but the idea is perfectly clear: there are accidental gaps that cannot be translated directly.
Example of wabi sabi (source: wikipedia)
Creative Translation
First of all, creative translation is a creative process, also known as transcreation, and it only stands to reason to compare it to content generation. It's not quite the same: in creative translation, you have a metaphorical pillar to rely upon (the original source), but the flight of imagination should stretch just as far and provide a compelling and witty copy with an engaging title.
“Shine” (死ね) in Japanese means “Die!” That’s where your cultural nuances come in (source: independent.co.uk)
Creative translation, unlike its literal counterpart, focuses on the source text as a reference point. In this case, translators create — perhaps not from scratch, but they nonetheless create — an equally compelling copy, often including innovative expressions and words to maintain the original meaning and tone of voice. Not infrequently, skilled translators stray quite far from the original material to convey the right message to a new audience: sometimes it inexorably implies complete transformation, making the remnants of the initial text almost unrecognizable. Where does affiliate marketing come in, you may be asking. Here's the catch: when affiliates explore new markets and expand, they face new cultural contexts that should be taken into consideration, otherwise the copy, no matter how compelling and engaging in the original, will not attract the right audience and will not entail desired ROI.
As we always try to stay impartial, regardless of our personal preferences, let us dwell on the subject of advantages and disadvantages.
Pros
Creative translation tailors your content to a specific country and the cultural requirements you have gleaned during your research stage, making it resonate with your new target audience in the best possible way: it sounds natural to the people, and they react more favorably to your ads.
Good transcreation sustains the right tone of voice across all your platforms and markets, ensuring that your brand's message is conveyed correctly.
Cons
Transcreation is not a cheap and time-consuming option: it is usually on the costly side and takes much longer than the standard translation process — definitely longer than the literal translation we've covered in the paragraph above. However, the higher ROI tends to assuage concerns after a pretty penny you paid for this service.
Key Elements of Transcreation in Affiliate Marketing
Before entering a new market, any affiliate marketer conducts research — potentially, a set of research — to clarify all aspects of this new market, choose the right approach, and refine your existing techniques. If you're just about to start a new campaign in a new market, please get acquainted with the challenges you may encounter.
Tone and Style Adaptation
It's not my place to tell you how big of a role the tone of the message plays in the cultural perception of the ad; as a profound specialist in the industry, you already know the route. Different countries and cultures tend to have varying preferences when it comes to communication. In Japan and Germany, for example, a formal tone is preferred (you can read it here, here, and here); in other countries, like in the U.S., a more casual or outright humorous tone resonates better. It doesn't mean, however, that the joke you found funny will be considered such in the region you're aiming at: before you toss it at the target audience, make sure you understand the cultural expectations.
Localization of Visual Elements
Images, colors, symbols, and gestures aren't a universal lifesaver either; it is a slippery slope that can land you in the middle of controversy. Visual elements can be interpreted differently across various cultures, and you should be aware of the most common traps. Like so, purple in Western countries usually means fame, wealth, and prosperity, while in Latin America, this color signifies death. Red in Europe is normally associated with passion and love; in the Middle East, red is usually linked with danger and caution. You can find more information on colors here, or you're free to explore the topic yourself. It's even harder with gestures: their connotations are so diverse that they won't even come out as funny — they may be perceived as outright offensive.
Colors in different countries (source: cieden.com)
Idiomatic Expressions
Idiomatic expressions and local phrases are the lifeblood of any language as they effortlessly enhance relatability and engagement. The literal translation absolutely won't do, as it is bound to fail and ruin the perfectly contrived campaign. For example, English speakers often hear phrases like break the ice or a piece of cake, but these expressions may not make a modicum of sense in other languages, so you'll have to find a colloquial replacement that would sound natural for the audience in the market you're working with.
CTAs
CTAs are the trigger that hits the spot and nudges a person to buy your product or service. If it falls short, your potential customers leave, mesmerized by your exceptional visuals but not reminded to smash that BUY button. CTAs guide users to take the desired action, and you can only guide the person whose behavioral patterns you understand. Expectedly, they differ from country to country (or, in some cases, from region to region.) You probably shouldn't egg on a reserved Japanese customer with the American Don't Miss Out!; such a straightforward phrase should be translated in a more subtle way, replaced by Learn More or Feel Free to Explore.
Tools and Resources
This is the paragraph where you most likely find the answer to the question that has been throbbing in your brain for a while: can you use the renowned neural machines to adjust your campaign to the needs of the newly gained target audience?
Yes and no. Creative translation requires a combination of technology and human expertise because it is a sensitive topic with a cultural bias, which only humans can assess and revise. However, we are still ready to deliver the best few options to lift the burden off your shoulders.
There's quite an abundance of AI tools that can help you deal with the ordeal of transcreation. We will overlook the almighty Google Translate and make up a list of a few other options.
DeepL
DeepL won't fully replace a human, but it can compete with one in over 30 languages. For the time being, it is considered to be the most accurate translator in the world (according to TechCrunch), and Le Monde literally thanks the developers for translating French text into more French-sounding expressions.
Smartcat
Smartcat is a cloud-based translation and localization platform that connects businesses with translators and translation agencies in a single delivery loop. This platform claims to be an "all-in-one" translation platform, combining CAT (computer-aided translation), TMS (translation management system), and other translation technologies. Another feature you will like the tool for is an ability to translate a wide range of formats, including files, websites, videos, and even e-learning content.
Quillbot
QuillBot is an AI-powered translation tool that supports 45 languages. It quickly deals with words, sentences, and paragraphs, so you might consider using it both for work and travel. The service is available online, requires no downloads, and offers free, ad-free translations.
Lokalise AI
Lokalise AI is a versatile tool that can help you automate your translation projects and collaborate with other people working on them with minimal effort. Apart from translation, this platform is known for its bulk translation features and AI-driven editing suggestions.
Unbabel
Unbabel claims to be the first LangOps platform fueled by an always-on AI with optional human review when needed. There are many reasons why we can call this tool unique: for example, the developers implemented an AI quality estimation technology that helps businesses monitor translation performance and optimize whenever necessary.
Appendix... Kind of
As much as you are tempted to feed your content to one of the many online translators and translation platforms, halt and ponder the options instead. Machine translation is smart, but it's not nearly as good as a human being.
You can, of course, use AI as a cost-effective solution if you want to translate repetitive technical content, instructions, manuals, or website footers; email support and high-volume content can also be translated with the use of DeepL or any other online translator you know. But marketing content that is deemed to receive high visibility and get posted on high-traffic web pages requires human creative translation: only humans know what to do to engage users and convert customers effectively. Marketing is all about emotional responses, and emotionless machines, no matter how superior in terms of grammar and vocabulary, will hardly provide the expected results.
Wrapping Up
Creative translation is essential for affiliate marketing: not only does it make people respond emotionally to the ads you post all over the internet, but it also shows the expertise of the specialists in your team. While the literal translation is a cheaper option that requires nothing but an English dictionary at your side, it will never compare to the creative translation performed by an expert who can grasp every cultural nuance and make every phrase sound relatable and engaging. It doesn't mean you can't use AI tools: simply be careful and don't ask too much of a perceived-to-be-sentient machine that only behaves according to the algorithms it was trained on.
