Why Machine Translation Isn’t Enough (Especially for Do-Gooders)
Imagine this: You pour your heart into a campaign about dignity and inclusion. It’s beautifully written in English. Then, using an online translation tool, it becomes a robotic message that reads like a tech manual with none of the heart you started with. That disconnect? That’s the gap between translation and transcreation.
It’s easy to rely on machine translation it’s fast, free, and always available. But when your work involves building trust, honoring identities, and speaking with care, word for word translations just don’t cut it. Especially for nonprofits working in multilingual communities, your message deserves more than a literal conversion it needs cultural understanding.
What Machine Translation Misses
Tools like Google Translate or AI based platforms may be improving, but they still struggle with:
Emotional tone and subtlety
Cultural references and idioms
Inclusive or gender-neutral language
Contextual accuracy in advocacy or sensitive topics
A 2022 study by the USC Center for Public Diplomacy found that 41% of machine translated nonprofit materials failed to reflect the intended tone or message particularly in multicultural and multilingual contexts. That’s not just a language issue; it’s a trust issue.
Why Transcreation Makes the Difference
Transcreation goes beyond translation. It captures the essence of your message its emotion, intent, and cultural significance and rebuilds it in a way that feels native to your audience.
Take, for example, a phrase like “empower your voice.” In some languages, a direct translation can sound vague or even confusing. A skilled transcreator will find a culturally appropriate equivalent that still captures the spirit of what you mean.
Key Considerations When Reaching Multilingual Communities
If your organization wants to engage meaningfully with diverse audiences, here are a few things that matter and that we specialize in:
Adapt messages, not just words: Don’t settle for direct translation. Cultural context is everything.
Preserve the emotional tone: A message that inspires in English should do the same in any language.
Use inclusive and accessible language: What feels empowering in one culture might alienate in another nuance matters.
Avoid assumptions: Community specific knowledge helps avoid missteps that can weaken credibility.
Build with intention: Consistency across languages shows respect, professionalism, and care.
Transcreation is not a luxury it’s a necessity when your work is rooted in equity, identity, and inclusion. And it’s something we’ve built our studio around. Because when your message is grounded in purpose, it deserves to be understood with that same intention, everywhere.