If you’re a regular reader of this blog, then you’ll know that it’s rare for me to blatantly promote my company’s services. However, today I’m making an exception, so if you choose to stop reading right now then I’ll totally understand.
We’ve just launched Qarto, an online transcreation portal for businesses and organizations that need a quick and easy way to localize documents or artwork.
So, what’s “transcreation”? Well, a good explanation can be found here. Fundamentally, it’s taking a document’s content from one language and totally re-creating it in another, in such as way so that the reader isn’t even aware that the text actually originated from another language. Transcreation is not simply translating text from one language to another. It’s about creativity and originality, not a ‘word-for-word’ transcription, employing the destination language’s cultural and linguistic nuances.
Qarto takes the concept of transcreation even further, in two clever ways. Firstly, the system is an online service that effectively streamlines the whole localization process.
If you have ever had to translate a document, you’ll know that the production process is often a nightmare. Appointing and then sending documents to translators, chasing people with phonecalls and emails, getting the translated text approved, making sure that the right version of the right text gets sent to the right person, etc. It’s a major pain and a logistical headache.
The second Qarto feature lies in the document format itself. If you’re translating something that’s intended to be printed – like a brochure, report or catalog – then once you’ve finally got your translated text, someone then needs to create a new layout file in the new language, using software such as Adobe InDesign or QuarkXPress before it gets to be printed. Qarto, on the other hand, doesn’t just work with MS Office or text files, but allows you to submit artwork file formats as the source files. Throw a QuarkXPress file up there, and get a QuarkXPress file back. A quick once-over to check everything’s OK and the file’s ready for printing. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.
Qarto’s not for everyone, mind you. For example, it’s not for ‘one-off’ transcreation requirements – not yet, anyway. However, the system makes a great commercial argument for any organization that needs to produce localized content from documents or artwork on a regular basis.
Does Qarto sound like something that you – or someone you know – could use? If so, I’d really appreciate it if you’d get in touch with me and I’ll give you more details.