Many companies simply translate mainstream concepts and copy, meaning the original message is often 'lost in translation'.

At Etcom, our copywriters and checkers go the extra mile to develop culturally relevant material. Based on community insights and unparalleled knowledge of language, we create copy that is both creative and memorable - copy that utilises the nuances, rhymes and wordplay that exist in every language to the advantage of your message.

We understand that for clients, the translation process can be a nervous time. The experience and expertise of our Languageand Research team offers peace of mind with a language process that is based on stringent quality control. You can be assured that having worked with hundreds of professional NAATI qualified translators over the years, we know the best. In many cases, one of the Etcom team is already fluent in the language being translated.

Research and language go hand in hand at Etcom. Our focus groups, in-depth interviews and large-scale surveys lead to identifying the key pieces of information that lead to BIG business changing ideas.

Insights, not stereotypes

Moving beyond traditional qualitative and quantitative research by having direct connections with your key target groups means that you will gain genuine insights into individual communities. This allows development of an accurate strategic direction for your campaigns. These insights, not stereotypes, are what drive our strategy and deliver real results.

Our clients have achieved unprecedented success through Etcom's unique cultural testing service. By testing both mainstream and community-specific concepts, images and written material with target communities first, our clients save time, money and possible embarrassment. We discover what written material offends, which creative ideas fade, and the concepts that have consumers rushing to the phone and falling in love your brand.

Outside formal research methods, we also find that our longstanding relationships with our copywriters, checkers, voice talents and community leaders allow us to uncover key community insights.

Where Translation Can Go Wrong

When translating, the risk of offence is huge. Even the world's biggest brands have got it wrong. As you'll see below, creative English language copywriting in some cases does not translate well into other languages!

In the US, beer giant Coors' "Turn it Loose" campaign translated to "Suffer from Diarrhoea" in Spanish
In German, Clairol "Mist Stick" curling iron translated to "Manure Stick"
In Chinese, Pepsi "Brings you back to life" campaign translated to Pepsi "Brings your ancestors back from the grave"
In Spanish, Microsoft's Spanish language version of Windows XP, destined for the Latin American market, asked users to select their gender between "male" or "bitch"

At Etcom, our strict quality control procedures will ensure you never have to endure such horror stories!