Marketing Translation and Transcreation for Growing Brands
Marketing translation that works in every market
We translate and transcreate campaigns for every market you plan to enter. Marketing translation keeps the message on-brand while making it work locally. Transcreation adapts the creative idea itself, so intent, style, tone and context stay intact from brief to launch. Headlines and descriptions arrive inside Google Ads and Meta character limits. Our process is certified to ISO 9001, ISO 17100 and ISO 18587, and we have held these certifications since 2021.
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Why campaigns fail in other markets
Literal translation is the usual cause, and puns, idioms, wordplay and cultural references do not survive it. One flat headline can damage brand credibility in a market you plan to grow. Layout breaks next: German copy needs about 35% more space than English, while Chinese copy needs about 50% less. Truncated headlines and overflowing layouts follow. Keywords do not translate either, and pages stay invisible without per-market keyword research and hreflang annotations. Ads that breach the ASAI Code must be withdrawn or amended, and upheld complaints are public.
Transcreation from a brand brief
Transcreation recreates the message for a new audience rather than translating word for word. Senior creative linguists work from your brand brief, and voice, tone and audience come from that brief rather than from a dictionary. Glossaries and style guides enforce product names in every market, and do-not-translate brand terms stay protected. Machine translation has a defined role here: creative copy goes to human transcreators, while MT is used only with defined light or full post-editing.
Platform-ready, layout-aware delivery
Platform limits are part of the brief from the start. Google Ads headlines run to 30 characters and descriptions to 90; Meta shows about 125 characters of primary text, with headlines from 27 to 40 characters by placement. Expansion budgets sit inside the quote, because German copy expands by about 35% and Chinese copy contracts by about 50%. Layout-aware QA checks InDesign artwork and bilingual packaging panels for overflow. Multilingual product pages, email flows and packaging panels are covered on our ecommerce translation page.
Claims-safe across Ireland, the UK and the EU
The ASAI Code applies to all commercial marketing communications in Ireland, in every channel, and breached ads must be withdrawn or amended. Section 4 covers misleading advertising, while Sections 8, 9, 11 and 13 cover food, alcohol, health and beauty, and financial marketing. The UK runs the same model: the ASA regulates and CAP drafts the Codes. The EU applies the UCPD, which prohibits misleading practices and carries a blacklist in Annex I. Food and drink marketing must meet labelling-language rules, and Regulation 1169/2011 Article 15 requires food information in a language consumers understand. TMS version control keeps every translation tracking the source, and a qualified linguist checks every translated claim against that source before delivery.
Multilingual SEO and Irish-language campaigns
Visibility starts with keywords, researched per market, and metadata and URLs are localised to match. Bidirectional hreflang annotations connect the language versions, and landing pages, app-store metadata and in-app strings follow the same rules. See software localisation for that route. We also run Gaeilge campaigns and bilingual public-sector signage. Section 9(1) of the Official Languages Act 2003 sets the rule: public-body signage must be in Irish, or equally in Irish and English. Gaeilge errors are called out publicly, and An Coimisinéir Teanga investigates them. DCU reports more than 5 million English-to-Irish words a year, including radio and television ads and signage. The wider Gaeilge practice sits on our Irish translation page.
Process and timeline
One dedicated project manager owns your campaign from brief to delivery. The route runs brand brief, transcreation, 6-eyes QA and delivery, and three people check every campaign before it leaves: one prepares it, one translates or post-edits it, and one proofreads it. TMS-based version control keeps translations tracking the source. The SLA is set at quote, before any work starts. An urgent-turnaround lane covers campaign dates, and seasonal capacity planning protects Q4, Black Friday and product launches. See how we work for the full process.
Frequently asked questions
Can you meet our campaign launch deadline?
Yes. A dedicated project manager owns the schedule from day one, and the SLA is set at quote. An urgent-turnaround lane covers tight campaign dates, and seasonal capacity planning protects Q4 and product launches.
How do you keep our brand voice and terminology consistent across markets?
A brand brief sets the voice, and a glossary plus style guide enforces terminology in the TMS. Do-not-translate brand terms stay protected in every market.
Will our Google and Meta ads fit the platform character limits?
Yes. Linguists localise within the specs: Google Ads headlines run to 30 characters and descriptions to 90, while Meta shows about 125 characters of primary text and headlines run from 27 to 40 characters by placement.
How do you stop our ads breaching advertising rules in other markets?
Every commercial marketing communication in Ireland must comply with the ASAI Code. The UK runs CAP and ASA, and the EU applies the UCPD. TMS version control keeps every translation tracking the source, and a qualified linguist checks every translated claim against that source before delivery.
Do you use machine translation on campaign copy?
No, not on creative copy. Campaign copy goes to human transcreators, and machine translation is used only where defined, with light or full post-editing specs.
How do you protect our unreleased campaign material?
Standard NDAs and data-processing agreements apply, and file access is restricted. No unauthorised machine-translation engines touch campaign files.
Talk to us about your next campaign
Book a consultation or request a quote, and we will scope from your brand brief and target markets. The quote is fixed, and you get a named project manager and a defined SLA before any work starts. InDesign and DTP files follow our file workflow. Confidentiality terms are on our data protection page.