Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Translation at the A Strategy for Better Service Differentiation by Sarah Palmer in academia, translation scholars fervently discuss whether localization and transcreation should be seen as new types of translation processes or as simply translation rebranded for marketing purposes. They debate whether post editing of machine translation and generative artificial intelligence output are evolutions of traditional translation practices enhanced by technology or new practices in their own right.
[00:00:37] Meanwhile, language industry professionals spend their days delivering and developing new high end services for demanding clients. For them, these academic discussions may seem trivial or irrelevant, but in fact, defining the concept of translation and effectively conveying the differences among diverse services could be key to helping businesses succeed in competitive markets. In my recent doctoral research conducted at the University of Surrey, I analyzed service diversification in the marketing translation sector and found that in an attempt to appeal to potential clients who might otherwise turn to freely or cheaply available MT solutions, language service providers often obfuscate the meaning of translation and ultimately weaken potential client views of their services in the longer term. In this article, I argue that LSPs that want to market a range of services need to be able to differentiate them clearly in relation to the generic concept of translation, highlighting which client needs are met by each service. Research Findings My research shows that the vast majority of LSPs active in the marketing translation space offer multiple types of translation services.
[00:01:57] From an initial sample of 179 large LSPs, 70 were found to specialize in marketing translation. While all of them offer translation as a service equated with human or standard translation, 83% offer at least two of the following as well localization, post editing, and transcreation see Figures 1 and 2. Surprisingly, considering the focus is on marketing, transcreation is the service offered least often. Deeper qualitative analysis of the website contents of the 70 LSPs in my study reveals that the translation service option is regularly described in negative words such as slow, costly, constrained, rigid, or disappointing. Perhaps not surprisingly, the three services that are not called translation localization, post editing, and transcreation are described predominantly in words that imply that they are improved versions of translation. In my sample, descriptions of localization classify this service predominantly as more than translation, and descriptions of transcreation present the same pattern 89% descriptions of post editing most often present this service as either equal to 47% or more than translation.
[00:03:25] The website analysis did not give enough evidence to conclude that quality is used as a criterion to differentiate the four services.
[00:03:33] One would expect, for example, that translation would be described as a more expensive service that guarantees a higher level of quality. Instead the term quality is mentioned almost twice as frequently in descriptions of post editing as it is in descriptions of translation, usually to emphasize that the quality of products produced is equal to those produced through human translation. According to the website analysis, efficiency, meaning cost effectiveness and speed and customization, adaptation to a new cultural context or target audience are more often used to differentiate the four services.
[00:04:13] The data shows that post editing is described as more efficient than standard translation, whereas transcreation and localization are described as offering more customization compared with standard translation. Interestingly, text type recommendations for translation and post editing were not clearly distinguishable in the data, even though both industry and academia emphasized the need to use post editing only in suitable contexts. Finally, on the 452 web pages I analyzed, nearly half of all descriptions of translation are ambiguous as to whether they refer to the generic concept, something that is present in all services, or the specific service called translation. Figure 3 illustrates how the term translation is sometimes used interchangeably to refer to both a generic concept and a specific service that is different from the other three services. Information Asymmetry Similar to the services provided by doctors, lawyers, or accountants, translation is a knowledge intensive professional service.
[00:05:22] The business concept of information asymmetry describes a situation in which the service buyer lacks the specialist knowledge of the professional service provider and is therefore dependent on the provider to define and solve their problems. Translation buyers come to the language industry simply knowing they have a need for translation, and providers are responsible for both identifying customers specific needs and meeting these needs with traditional or new solutions. Thus, both the definition of translation needs and the specific services offered are in the hands of the provider, and how providers define the concept of translation by extension dictates how potential buyers see it. Using the term translation interchangeably to mean both a general concept and a specific service may lead to confusion for not only buyers but but also LSPs and translators. Information asymmetry would advise that there should be clarity over what LSPs offer. Additionally, presenting localization, post editing, and transcreation as superior to human translation naturally leads to an increased difficulty in selling human translation alongside these other services.
[00:06:37] Presumably, there would be no need to introduce these services in the first place unless they represented something better than traditional translation. If all other services are superior, why would anyone opt for standard translation? And if post editing is equal to human translation, who would pay more for something that gives you the same outcome? But slower CSA research has for the past few years reported a decline in demand for human translation, a fact that may be influenced by this tendency to describe it as something less than other services similarly, descriptions of post editing that focus solely on efficiency might not address text type recommendations leading to the problem of translators finding MTUSed in inappropriate contexts as reported by CSA Research A Better Way I suggest that a translation service diversification scale could be a useful tool for marketing translation companies to clearly and transparently signal the value of each of the four core services to uninformed buy see Figure 4. On this scale, efficiency and customization stand in inverse relation to one another, with translation appearing in the middle as a service that places equal value on both, perhaps offering the right balance for each client request. According to academic definitions, translation as a concept has always included both efficiency and customization as features that cannot be inserted or removed according to the type of service offered. Efficiency is something all translators and LSPs must strive for in the productivity focused translation industry, including meeting tight deadlines, using the right technology, and offering good prices. At the same time, functional translation theories taught in education Programs since the 1980s emphasize the need to adapt translations to the purpose intended, effect, and audience of the target text. Consequently, customization is part of what trained translators learn to do and something they tend to consider part of their professional duty. The central position that translation occupies on the proposed scale highlights its value as both a generic concept and a specific service that integrates both technological advances and functional translation strategies. Under this model, all services are defined as types of translation differing in terms of which aspect they emphasize. With post editing on the efficiency side and localization and transcreation on the customization side, the translation service diversification scale promises to benefit not only customers but also translators and LSPs. For example, seeing post editing as an efficient type of translation could raise its profile among translators who are reluctant to provide this service, as this framing empowers them to adjust the level of efficiency and customization as necessary for each assignment. Similarly, including localization and transcreation in the scope of the generic concept of translation means that LSPs do not need to devalue standard translation while selling these services. Instead of making statements like translation is verbatim, transcreation is a creative adaptation or localization goes beyond translation to adapt cultural nuances. Descriptions of these services could clarify that they are types of translation that put more weight on customization or that apply functional translation strategies to the highest degree. Although localization and transcreation are not differentiated on this scale, LSPs can clarify that text type is an important difference between these two services.
[00:10:31] Primarily geared toward digital text localization descriptions can highlight the need for cultural and stylistic adaptation. Meanwhile, transcreation is aimed at advertising texts and thus focuses on effective communication across different target audiences.
[00:10:51] Conclusion the discussion of how to define translation may seem far removed from the reality of the current language industry and the minds of busy professionals. However, it couldn't be more relevant due to information asymmetry. Service diversification needs to include clarification of the choices translation buyers have. If translation is the simplest and best known concept to buyers, presenting it as something less than other services may influence LSPs marketing efforts negatively. A broader definition of translation that clearly encompasses related services is could reduce the term's ambiguity while helping distinguish the four main services offered by the marketing translation sector. By replacing the current ranking system in which human translation is given a lower position, a new definition of translation could strengthen the industry and present a scale in which buyers, LSPs, and translators can all find a place for their needs, skills, and specialized services.
[00:11:54] This article was written by Sarah Palmer, a doctoral research student at The University of Surrey's center for Translation Studies under the supervision of Dr. Felix du Carmo and Prof. Sabine Braun. Prior to embarking on her PhD, she worked in the marketing and audio visual translation industry for 12 years.
[00:12:15] Originally published in Multilingual Magazine, issue 237, February 2025.
