For more than a century, V-ZUG has been developing premium household products that embody innovative design, high functionality and Swiss precision. Its mission? Zero compromises on quality, materials or sustainability. That goes for its marketing publications as well – such as the magazine Inspirations, which introduces readers to the concepts behind the brand.
Interior design stories, profiles and behind-the-scenes insights for print and web
V-ZUG publishes the magazine in the following languages and language variants:
- German (Switzerland/Germany/Austria)
- English (Australia)
- Italian (Switzerland/Italy)
- French (Switzerland/France/Belgium)
- Dutch
- Danish
- Chinese
- Spanish (Spain) – online only
This high-visibility content has the power to strengthen the brand’s image in the long run – but if it is to do so, each individual language version must be just as highly polished as the German original. At the beginning of 2023, the V-ZUG content team brought this challenge to Supertext. With high expectations: not only did the translations need to do justice to the magazine’s high-end content, but order management also had to be as efficient as possible so as not to place an additional burden on the operational business.
Effective premium translations…
Together, V-ZUG and Supertext put together a timetable. It quickly became clear that the language services provider would have to go beyond a simple translation of the magazine in order to achieve V-ZUG’s goals. Ultimately, the branding tool needed to do more than inform readers; it had to inspire and convince them, too. The solution? Transcreation. Local pros with a thorough knowledge of marketing and expertise in the relevant regions translated the texts freely and creatively into the target languages, with an eye to subtle linguistic nuances such as idioms and local vernacular. The result: texts that have the desired impact in every language.
To guarantee quality right from the start, the project began with a casting. Supertext invited selected local transcreators with relevant industry and marketing experience to take part in a test job – and, together with the client, selected the very top performers for each language. These chosen linguists would now localize around 60,000 words per issue for the print and web versions of the magazine, with a glossary and client style guide for reference to ensure consistent branding.
… meet efficient processing
Multilingual projects of this size stand and fall on more than the quality of the translation. They also require deft handling. At its best, the localization process integrates the existing brand systems without generating further production loops or involving additional people in the project. In short, the more languages you’re translating into, the more important a streamlined production process becomes. And V-ZUG is no exception. Once the brand was convinced of the quality of Supertext’s translations, the two companies began working together on process optimization.
The workflow received a permanent upgrade through a specially developed API, which seamlessly connected V-ZUG’s content management platform censhare with Supertext. This allows the content team to order translations with just a few clicks and have the results fed back into their own system by the transcreation professionals.
The advantages of this integration are obvious. V-ZUG can wave goodbye to copy-and-paste and place orders without ever leaving the comfort of its usual environment. In addition, the integrated translation memory ensures that repeated passages of text are translated consistently and provides a reference for linguists that helps improve quality over the long term.
According to Nadja Garcia, Co-Lead Creative Studio at V-ZUG, Supertext is now a preferred partner, one that delivers magazine texts flexibly, simply and to everyone’s satisfaction at all times:
“We make no compromises when it comes to content creation. We want our texts to inspire readers, and that means they need to be transcreated to the highest standards. This is the only way we can leave a lasting impression as a global, customer-oriented premium brand. Supertext understands this need, which makes it exactly the right partner for us.”
Cover image via Supertext