Transcreation sounds like one of those marketing words worthy only of a weary eyeroll but it makes sense, especially now that there is a legislative push to produce Irish-language versions of advertising campaigns.
At its core is the idea that it’s not enough to translate from one language to another, what’s needed is the linguistic and creative ability to translate the concept of the advertisement – to transcreate it.
It was a point pushed home last week in an RTÉ-led webinar where nearly 200 industry professionals tuned in to understand how they could fulfil the requirements of an amendment to the Official Languages Act.
Public bodies now must ensure that at least 20 per cent of advertising placed every year is in the Irish language, and at least 5 per cent of the advertising budget must be spent in the Irish language on Irish-language media.
Transcreation emerged in the 1960s as brands went global and experienced some epic fails when they simply translated English into another language.
There’s a long list but favourites include Pepsi, whose slogan was “Come alive! You’re in the Pepsi generation!”. When the brand launched in China it translated it to “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the dead”. Or Parker pens’ inept translation of its slogan “It won’t leak in your pocket and embarrass you” for the Mexican market. In Spanish it read “It won’t leak in your pocket and get you pregnant”. Then there was KFC’s “Finger lickin’ good”, which became “Eat your fingers off” in Mandarin.
Reworking an Irish-made, English-language campaign to comply with Irish language requirements isn’t fraught with the cultural pitfalls that can trip up global advertisers, but there are significant challenges. At its most basic, Irish speakers tend to be alert to dodgy Béarlachas, poor grammar and faulty delivery.
According to Tara Keenan, digital and campaign manager at Electric Ireland, the company has translated various marketing communications into Irish, including brand campaigns for Electric Ireland and ESB, products such as ESB ecars and smart meters as well as sponsorship campaigns supporting Darkness into Light, the GAA and Science Blast.
“Revoicing an Irish advertisement presents unique challenges, particularly when it comes to timing and translation,” says Keenan. “Literal translations often fail to capture the essence of the original message, making it essential to have scripts written and reviewed by individuals who are proficient in Irish.”
Initially finding an appropriate Irish voiceover artist proved difficult. “However, the landscape has significantly improved, with a growing pool of talented Irish-speaking voiceover artists emerging.”
The legislation has expanded the company’s Irish language offering, making it more visible to non-Irish speakers. “As a public body, before the introduction of the new legislation, the ESB had already established a presence in Irish-language marketing albeit more focused on below-the-line marketing aimed at our Irish-speaking audience.”
The rules also discourage advertisers from dubbing – “In the interest of the parity of esteem”. That’s a wise stipulation given how often viewers are subjected to the weirdness of out-of-sync advertising, usually for cleaning products marketed by multinationals that were originally made in German or Dutch before being dubbed awkwardly into English.
The reason for the RTÉ seminar – the large attendance suggested that a legal requirement to do something tends to concentrate minds – was to explain how advertisers could comply with the legislation, to emphasise standards and to detail how the broadcaster’s copy-clearance committee (which approves advertising for broadcast) has the expertise to scrutinise Irish language ads.
Conor Mullen, head of strategy and commercial compliance at RTÉ, says there are supports that agencies might be unaware of, such as the list of approved translator’s from Foras na Gaeilge.
He emphasises the importance of choosing Irish speakers for voiceovers and not just someone who can speak Irish. That seems obvious but I remember that when I was an advertising copywriter producing radio ads, when versions in both languages were required, typically for a government information campaign, an actor could get the job of winging it for the Irish version. That was the norm but it won’t cut it any more.
Loretta Ní Ghabháin, managing director of Galway-based Irish language marketing company Lorg Media, has produced Irish-language campaigns for a range of clients across all media, from outdoor to direct marketing and including Facebook and radio. She says it is challenging for agencies to get it right and that advertisers need to realise that meeting the 20 per cent requirement requires additional resources in campaign budgets.
“There are very talented Irish-language voiceovers,” says Ní Ghabháin, adding that a database is needed to bring them together. Getting the right voice for any campaign shouldn’t be a problem, she says, noting the range of English and American programmes on TG4 dubbed into Irish. “Even Peppa Pig, it’s not a problem.”
Perhaps those likely to be most critical of poor Irish or amateur delivery are the native-speaking listeners to RnaG.
In March, the Irish-language station began accepting advertising for the first time in its 50-year history, and the 5 per cent requirement for advertising by public bodies will probably see the station’s commercial content grow. It’s a slow build, with advertising breaks so far only at the top of the hour.
It is difficult to know how successful the Act has been to date because, while public bodies had to file a compliance return to Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga in March in respect of 2023 advertising, the first full year that the Act was in force, the Irish-language watchdog is not releasing details of compliance.
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