Many of the translators I know also write content or copy from scratch instead of just translating content or copy that has already been written in another language. Translators who write content for promotional purposes such as websites, brochures or other marketing copy, advertisements, radio or TV commercials, company taglines, slogans or any other promotional media are also multilingual copywriters.
I would define copywriting as a finely tuned blend of promotional or marketing writing targeted to a specific audience with a specific goal in mind. The goal could be to get a company’s customers to sign up for a newsletter, visit a store or buy a product, and the way the copy is written along with the words that are used will of course vary based on this goal.
Professional translators make great copywriters for a number of reasons. First, and perhaps most importantly, they are specially attuned to the nuances of language in their first or target language. They have a comprehensive and very specific knowledge of what word to use in what context and for what purpose. With a superior understanding of two or more languages, translators understand how words can dramatically enhance, change or temper the meaning of a sentence or paragraph, which then affects whether the translated passage has remained faithful to the original document (or not!).
Second, most professional translators are subject matter experts (SMEs) is one or more specialty areas or fields of interest. If you are producing a brochure that promotes a highly technical product or one that makes extensive use of technical specifications, a translator who specializes in the expert field of a certain product will have first-hand knowledge of what the product looks like, sounds like, how it works and how best to convey its qualities as a copywriter, without burdening the consumer with all of the technical jargon that should appear in a technical manual rather than in a marketing website or landing page aimed at selling it and getting it into the hands of a designated audience.
Third, professional translators are comfortable, familiar and often well versed in the culture of the source language or the language they are translating from. They can write the content for a promotional brochure based on their knowledge of the cultural norms and standards that apply to the country where the promotional brochure or other marketing copy will be issued. This is especially important for companies who export products throughout the world and wish to appeal to the values and needs of a target audience in a given country.
You should keep this information in mind the next time you’re considering multilingual promotions. Perhaps instead of hiring a translator to translate existing content written by a copywriter you might want to hire a translator to write the content for your marketing materials, brochures, websites and other promotional copy.
Can you think of another reason translators make great copywriters? Let me know in the comments!
I worked in ad agencies for many years in Spain, Mexico and in the U.S. I learned that some copywriters who are fluent in more than one language can also be great translators of ads and marketing materials.
That’s such a great point Janine. Really could work the other way too, especially since the copywriters would be familiar with copywriting practices and processes in addition to their language knowledge. Thanks for your extra insight!
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I don’t agree. My personal experience: translator don’t realy know how to tell a story. They can write words, paragraphs, pages, but someone else has to structure the text, inclure narative hook, etc.
Thanks for your comment Etienne! It probably depends on the type of copywriting project you’re working on. A unilingual project may not require the specialized writing/knowledge skills of a translator. But translators with some marketing and advertising background can be quite skilled at creating content that really speaks to the target audience’s needs, fears and desires.
I don’t know if Etienne has had a bad experience with a translator who was not so great or who was primarily technical (and therefore for whom linguistic flair or cultural sensitivity were not necessarily their strongest suit), but those of us who are marketing specialists would fit into the picture you paint. Nice post
.
Like in any service business, it probably does depend on who was hired and what kind of translation quality was produced. Thanks for reading and commenting Oliver!
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