Learn from a recognised transcreation expertlike Claudia Benetello

“Writing advertising or marketing copy for a specific market, starting from copy written in a source language, as if the target text had been originated in the target language and culture”.

This is my definition of transcreation.
It’s been cited in several publications and MA theses, along with other excerpts from my papers.

Also referred to as adaptation, transcreation is a service that’s halfway between translation and copywriting. It encompasses all texts that have distinctly marketing-related purposes, such as radio and TV commercials, press ads, billboards and brochures. As a copywriter I create advertising and marketing texts directly in Italian, and as a transcreation specialist I adapt these kinds of texts from English into Italian and from German into Italian, working closely with both Italian and international creative agencies and companies.

Since 2013 I’ve been teaching transcreation to translators and copywriters alike – IRL and online.
What are the challenges posed by marketing and advertising copy? How can it be rendered effectively from one language to another? Are there any good practices worth following? My courses provide food for thought and practical tips on how to tackle transcreation with a more conscious and professional approach.

Read my latest articles about transcreation.

L'importanza del voiceover negli spot televisivi

24 August 2022

Transcreation,Copywriting

The importance of voice overs in TV spots

12 May 2022

Case studies,Transcreation

Transcreating lip-synch spots for the TV: refurbed case study

31 December 2021

Case studies,Transcreation,Copywriting

Launching an international app in Italy: Vinted’s ad campaign

Transcreation presenter and trainer

In 2012 I was invited to be a speaker at a conference entitled “Transcreation: traduzione e copywriting nel marketing globale” held at IULM University in Milan. Over the following years I spoke on the topic of transcreation at many other conferences in Italy and abroad. And since 2013 I’ve been giving transcreation seminars and workshops for professional associations, companies and universities.

Click on the videos to see me in action.

Courses and presentations on transcreation

I have ten years of experience as a transcreation presenter and trainer. In addition to this list of talks and seminars, I also provide bespoke transcreation courses for companies.

2023: “Fra traduzione e copywriting: la transcreation EN>IT”, AITI

2022: “Parliamo di transcreation!”, ITI Italian Network

2022: “Fra traduzione e copywriting: la transcreation EN>IT”, AITI

2022: 6^th International Symposium on Translation “The New Normal in Audiovisual Translation: Insights from the Industry and the Academia”, Università degli Studi di Palermo

2021: “Translating advertisements: transcreation as a professional practice”, Università degli Studi di Salerno

2020: “La transcreation al servizio del marketing internazionale – Seminario teorico-pratico EN>IT”, TradInFo

2020: “La transcreation dei testi pubblicitari e promozionali: seminario teorico-pratico DE-IT / EN-IT”, Bern

2020: “The transcreation of advertisements: Exploring the space between translation and copywriting”, Università degli Studi di Palermo

2020: “La transcreation pubblicitaria: dove traduzione e copywriting si incontrano”, Il futuro della traduzione tra tecnologia e creatività, Università degli Studi Suor Orsola Benincasa, Napoli

2020: “Translating advertisements: transcreation as a professional practice”, Università degli Studi di Salerno

2020: “La transcreation al servizio del marketing internazionale. Seminario teorico-pratico EN>IT”, Bologna

2020: “Transcreation as a professional practice”, Centre for Research in Translation and Transcultural Studies, University of Roehampton, London

2019: “The role of transcreation professionals in global advertising”, Translation and Interpreting Responding to the Challenges of Contemporary Society international, Univerza v Ljubljani, Ljubljana

2019: “Beyond translation: Exploring transcreation”, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II

2019: “The transcreation of advertisements: Exploring the space between translation and copywriting”, Università degli Studi Suor Orsola Benincasa, Napoli

2019: “La transcreation al servizio del marketing internazionale. Seminario teorico-pratico EN>IT”, Napoli

2018: “Transcreation: (re)creating copy for international advertising”, Centre for Research in Translation and Transcultural Studies, University of Roehampton, London

2018: “The transcreation of advertisements: Exploring the space between translation and copywriting”, Translating Europe Worksop “Traduzione specialistica, interpretariato e creatività: competenze, strumenti, approcci”, Roma. Watch the video

2018: “Il triangolo sì! Laboratorio pratico di transcreation pubblicitaria dall’inglese all’italiano”, Bologna

2017: “What’s in a name? Defining transcreation as a professional practice”, first international interdisciplinary conference on “Intersemiotic Translation, Adaptation, Transposition: Saying Almost the Same Thing?”, University of Cyprus, Nicosia

2017: “La transcreation dei testi pubblicitari e promozionali EN>IT”, Genova

2017: “Tra copywriting e traduzione: la transcreation”, Fondazione Universitaria San Pellegrino, Misano Adriatico

2016: “When translation is not enough: transcreation as a convention-defying practice”, Translation and the Creative Industries International Conference, University of Westminster, London. Watch the video and read the paper

2016: “La transcreation dei testi pubblicitari e promozionali EN>IT”, Milano

2016: “Transcreation as Creation of a New Original: a Norton™ Case Study”, Creativity in Translation / Interpretation and Interpreter / Translator Training International Conference, Università Suor Orsola Benincasa, Napoli. Watch the video and read the paper

2015: “La transcreation dei testi pubblicitari e promozionali EN>IT”, Trieste

2014: “Tra copywriting e traduzione: la transcreation”, XIII Giornate della Traduzione Letteraria, Urbino

2014: “La transcreation dei testi pubblicitari e promozionali”, webinar

2014: “Addio traduzione, benvenuta transcreation: l’adattamento dei testi pubblicitari EN>IT”, Torino

2013: “La transcreation dei testi pubblicitari e promozionali EN>IT”, Roma

2013: “La transcreation dei testi pubblicitari e promozionali EN>IT”, Padova

2013: “La transcreation dei testi pubblicitari e promozionali EN>IT”, Pisa

2012: “Transcreation: traduzione e copywriting nel marketing globale”, Libera Università di Lingue e Comunicazione IULM, Milano

Wondering if you can trust me?

Here are some testimonials about my transcreation courses.

Many years ago, Claudia was very probably the first translator to hand me her “transcreator” business card, and I was more than interested to hear her talk of how she had transcreated the Norton AntiVirus software tagline for the Italian market. Since then I have constantly followed her presentations, talks and publications. Both her content and style convinced me that she perfectly encompassed “the added value” of a competent and creative professional translator. So, I was very fortunate that between her real work she also took the time out to write an excellent article on “the translator plus” for my own peer-reviewed journal Cultus in 2021, where she talks of her own experience adding value to translation and to interpreting. In 2022, at a roundtable we were both involved in, she introduced herself as a communications all-rounder – which is exactly what she is, and still with an unparalleled passion for improving communication.

David Katan

Università del Salento

BBT SE is the European Public Limited Company in charge of building the Brenner Base Tunnel, a key element of the Trans-European Transport Network. Because we are an international, cross-border company, we have an in-house translation and interpreting department. Towards the end of 2022, we asked Claudia to hold a transcreation course for us, focusing on German into Italian. This was no small challenge, because our translation work has very little in common with glitz and marketing; it’s all about technology and engineering. Claudia did a fantastic job, using materials that were clearly carefully chosen and highly relevant to what we do, with an excellent balance between theory and practical work. Claudia is an exceptionally well-prepared professional and we will certainly work with her again.

Lisa Marie Terzariol

Brenner Base Tunnel

I had the chance to experience Claudia’s professionalism, creativity and warmth during a series of webinars on transcreation that she held in collaboration with the Swiss Association of Translators, Terminologists and Interpreters (ASTTI). The lessons were carefully prepared, and she provided a range of specially created materials in advance. They were very interactive and she made sure that the technology was in place so we could connect with each other and share our work. I found the deep dive into Claudia’s past work for big brands particularly interesting. A very worthwhile course, which has already yielded results!

Livia Marazzi

Credit Suisse

I have known Claudia since she presented “Transcreation as the Creation of a New Original: A Norton™ Case Study” at the international Creativity in Translation/Interpretation conference I organised at Suor Orsola Benincasa University in Naples in May 2016. The paper was published in one of the two volumes I edited with other colleagues to collect the best work presented at this conference. Più recentemente Claudia e io siamo state relatrici al Translating Europe Workshop 2018 che si è svolto presso l’Istituto di Alti Studi SSML Carlo Bo a Roma. I then invited Claudia to give a talk on transcreation to my BA and MA students as well as to PhD candidates from three English linguistics doctorate programmes in the Campania area in 2019. She is highly intelligent and has excellent communication skills. Both her oral and written work is clear, concise, and well-articulated as well as interesting to listen to/read, and her work portfolio is evidence of her high-level professional skills.

Emilia Di Martino

Università degli Studi Suor Orsola Benincasa

Claudia’s Transcreation Workshop was incredibly inspiring and very comprehensive. She is a good speaker and her presentation was dynamic and engaging. Claudia highlighted relevant aspects of what we aim to do at FARFETCH and we were pleased to have the possibility to further discuss this topic with her during the Q&A session.

Ute Klöpper

FARFETCH

Claudia is an experienced transcreation professional, as well as an eloquent speaker, author and lecturer. I have read some of her articles in English, and have included one of them in a special collection that I guest edited (“Translation in the Creative Industries”, The Journal of Specialised Translation, 29) In November 2018, I invited Claudia to give a workshop and a talk in our Transcreation course at Roehampton. Both these events were very informative and a lot of fun. The students and I benefited immensely from Claudia’s first-hand knowledge of the practice of transcreation.

Dionysios Kapsaskis

University of Roehampton

In December 2015 Claudia held a seminar on two afternoons for the Italian-speaking group of Coop’s Language Service at the headquarters in Basel (Switzerland). The course was divided into two phases, one that was theoretical and analytical and the other practical, about translating and writing advertising slogans. We appreciated Claudia for her excellent speaking skills, her professionalism in addressing the various topics and the passion she puts into her work. I am very grateful to Claudia for this valuable opportunity to meet and exchange ideas, which enriched our group.

Valeria Mazziari Randazzo

Coop Genossenschaft

Papers on transcreation

Although transcreation is a buzzword these days, a universally accepted definition of it does not exist, nor is there consensus over its fields of application – even among academics and practitioners. As a transcreation expert, I wanted to contribute with some papers which illustrate my point of view through real examples, often taken from my own professional experience.

Click on my papers to read them.

Want to organise a transcreation course?

Get in touch

Transcreation courses

Learn from a recognised transcreation expertlike Claudia Benetello

Read my latest articles about transcreation.

Transcreation presenter and trainer

Click on the videos to see me in action.

La transcreation pubblicitaria: dove traduzione e copywriting si incontrano

The Transcreation of Advertisements: Exploring the Space Between Translation and Copywriting

When Translation Is Not Enough: Transcreation As A Convention-Defying Practice

Transcreation As The Creation Of A New Original: A Norton™ Case Study

Courses and presentations on transcreation

Wondering if you can trust me?

Papers on transcreation

Click on my papers to read them.

“Hybridisation adds value in translation and interpreting”

“When translation is not enough: Transcreation as a convention-defying practice. A practitioner’s perspective”

“Transcreation as the Creation of a New Original: A Norton™ Case Study”

Want to organise a transcreation course?