There’s just one problem: the range of products on the internet is enormous, and the consumer shows no mercy. If they’re not hooked within the first ten seconds, they’re gone. Internet sites and other advertising materials are nothing less than the long version of a slogan – they need to get people’s attention first and then win them over. That will only happen if the text is right from the very first word: right for the product, right for the target audience, and right for the language.
The text has to work right from the beginning
A text has to grab the reader’s attention, guide them through the information, and appeal to them on a personal level, regardless of what language it’s in. Emotions, humor and metaphors, on the other hand, are tied to specific languages. They’re not just in the words; they’re also in the melody of the sentences, in the rhythm and in the associations they trigger in the mind of the reader. The mark of a professional translation is that it brings these aspects of the original into the target language too, as well as the obvious ones.
So to make sure a good text comes across just as well in another language, you need a translator who is a native speaker and has a feel for the source and target languages, as well as for your various target audiences. They have to know which wording will work best for each target market while retaining the core message of the original. Only a native translator knows instinctively when a translation will no longer do the job and a transcreation is required.
What’s written between the lines has to come across
Machine translation software is getting better all the time. But what’s the point of “better” if it’s not perfect? In a translation, the words are only half the story. The information you read between the lines has to be in the translation too. Even the best software can’t do that. And your colleague John Doe doesn’t have the experience or the feel for the language to do it either.
That’s exactly what makes Supertext stand out. We don’t rely on neural networks and software-based automation. Strictly speaking, Supertext isn’t really a translation agency at all. We don’t translate. We produce texts specifically designed to hit the bullseye with your target audience. In more than 30 languages. Regardless of whether we’re working from a briefing, comprehensive background documents, or templates in a foreign language. Supertext is a network of native speakers putting their heart and soul into what they write. For the text. And the subtext. In any language.