What is transcreation?
Transcreation starts with a question: what should this message trigger in the reader? It then reconstructs the text to achieve the same effect in another culture. The term comes from advertising, where a word-for-word translation often falls flat. It applies just as much to media relations.
Translation, localization, or transcreation?
The three approaches are distinguished by what they are willing to change. Translation preserves the meaning of the sentences. Localization also adapts formats: currencies, dates, units, and legal references. Transcreation can change the angle, the examples, and the structure of the text.
| Approach |
What changes |
Example (US release adapted for France) |
When to use it |
| Translation |
The words, the meaning stays the same |
“category leader in North America” becomes “leader en Amérique du Nord” |
Contracts, technical documentation |
| Localisation |
Words and formats: currencies, dates, units, legal notices |
“Oct. 13, 2026” becomes “13 octobre 2026” |
Website, product, documentation |
| Transcreation |
Angle, examples, proof, tone |
“category leader in North America” becomes data on French businesses and a French customer |
Press release, pitch, slogan, key pages |
Why isn't a translated press release enough?
Because a journalist judges a topic by the standards of their own market. A French startup that presents itself as a "leader in France" tells a British journalist nothing. What interests them is what the company changes for their readers, and data relevant to their country. Journalists are demanding on this point: 88% immediately discard a pitch that is outside their field (Muck Rack, State of Journalism 2026).
Transcreation also touches on conventions: the dateline, the length of quotes, the tone—whether more or less direct—and the placement of figures. A text that respects these codes comes across as one written specifically for the publication.
What should be prioritized for adaptation?
- The angle: start with the local market's problem, not the company's French history.
- The evidence: clients, figures, and case studies from the target country, or at least comparable ones.
- The key messages : rephrase them so they sound natural in the language.
- The quotes: a spokesperson must be able to say them exactly as written during an interview.
Learn more
Transcreation applies first to the press release in English, and more broadly to the storytelling of the company in each market. For a press narrative adapted to France or a European market: our public relations support.
Last updated: October 2026
