Translation in the Creative Industries

By Chiara Grassilli
In Translation
Jul 14th, 2014
0 Comments
2798 Views

Translation in the Creative Industries

Creativity has always been a strong suit for humans – a statement which can be reflected in the modern world. Many industries involve the creation and development of new things, and together they are called the creative industries. These industries are ever-growing and are prominent in the global market. As a result, the creative industries greatly need translators for a variety of services.

 

The Creative Industries

The term “creative industries” refers to many industries which deal with making new things conceptualized by imaginative people. Such industries include the design and fashion industries as well as the advertising industry. The video, film, and photography industry is also grouped with the creative industries. So are the music and radio industry as well as industries involving the arts. As you can see, the creative industries aren’t a few closely-related industries, but rather a large spectrum of fields with a common essence. Aside from dealing with creativity, these businesses are similar in their need for translation services, although the actual things that they require to be translated may vary.

 

Translation and Advertising

As you might already know, there is no shortage of translation jobs in the advertising industry. Having content translated helps companies to reach new people in new markets. Translators help with websites, ads, mottos, and slogans. There’s even a special type of translation that goes on in the advertising market – transcreation. Transcreation focuses more on recreating feelings in another language than preserving the strict meanings of words, like you’d find in translation of legal documents. Because of this, it is more effective in ad translation and therefore is more needed by the industry.

 

Video and Film

Another industry that is grouped with the creative industries is that of video and film. Translators in this industry do many jobs, but the most notable ones are probably the subtitling and dubbing of foreign media. Accurate translation of languages is a must if people are to enjoy what they are watching, so good translators are high in demand.

 

Design, Fashion, and Architecture

When it comes to design, translators have a variety of jobs. They work in architecture and construction doing things such as translating blueprints and manuals. In the fashion industry, they translate clothing designs. On top of that, many fashion magazines require translators. Such magazines include Cosmopolitan, which is printed in 35 different languages, and BurdaStyle, which is printed in 16.

 

Computer Games and Software

One of the creative industries that you don’t usually think of is the software and computer games industry. This industry, like the others, also uses translators. They are assigned to jobs translating dialogue, menu screens, and more. Gamers exist all around the world, so when it comes to multiplayer games, translation services are a must. After all, games and software have to be made compatible with the languages of all the countries that they are sold in.

 

The truth is that the creative industries provide a lot of jobs for translators. Maybe this is just because of how big the creative industries are. Or, it could be that these industries are in great demand around the world. Maybe it’s just because translation itself is a creative industry, helping the world to expand through the innovative minds of its workers.

 

References

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About "" Has 118 Posts

Since an early age I have been passionate about languages. I hold a Master's degree in Translation and Interpreting, and I have worked as a freelance translator for several years. I specialize in Marketing, Digital Marketing, Web and Social Media. I love blogging and I also run the blog www.italiasocialmedia.com

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