Marketing copy has a particular job to do: introduce an unfamiliar product, explain a service or give a reader a reason to continue a conversation. Translating that copy between Catalan and English involves more than carrying over its information. The message must retain its intended emphasis, its level of confidence and its relationship with the audience. Dialektikus UK Ltd provides translation for promotional material with those practical considerations in view.
A persuasive source can be understated or exuberant, formal or conversational. Its English version should not become grander simply because a translator has room for another adjective. We begin by establishing the purpose of the material and the character of the organisation behind it, so that the translation can strike the right note while remaining faithful to the claims and qualifications actually supplied.
Give the reader a recognisable reason to engage
An audience brief is useful when it describes real reading circumstances. A trade buyer consulting a product brochure has different questions from a visitor picking up an event leaflet. Tell us what readers already know, what they need to understand and what response the material invites. That information helps determine how technical explanations, introductory passages and calls to action relate to one another.
The central proposition should be identifiable before individual phrases are polished. A source may emphasise convenience, craftsmanship or a particular service feature, but the translation should not introduce a new selling point. Getting to the heart of the message means preserving the reason offered to the reader and the evidence used to support it, including limitations that might be less prominent than the headline.
Product ranges can create further distinctions. Similar names may identify different models, sizes or service options, while an umbrella term applies to all of them. We keep those relationships clear and retain approved product naming. A pleasing variation in wording is not helpful if it makes one product appear to be another or obscures which features belong to the option being described.
Voice, idiom and cultural references
A campaign voice is usually established through patterns rather than isolated slogans. Sentence rhythm, forms of address and the balance between explanation and invitation all contribute to its character. Existing approved material can help us identify those patterns. Please distinguish examples that remain current from earlier campaigns whose tone you no longer wish to follow, particularly where several contributors have supplied reference copy.
Wordplay deserves a deliberate decision. A phrase that makes an immediate connection in Catalan may not carry the same associations in English, and a literal rendering can miss the point. We consider its role in the passage and discuss difficulties that materially affect the message. Where creative alternatives or substantial adaptation are wanted, those requirements should be agreed as part of the assignment rather than assumed.
Local references can work beautifully for readers who recognise them and become obscure for others. An event, expression or familiar setting may need contextual explanation, depending on the audience and available space. The aim is to bring the reference into focus without supplying a miniature history lesson. We preserve what matters to the source’s argument and raise questions where an explanatory addition would change its balance.
Claims and qualifications belong together
Promotional statements should remain traceable to the wording supplied. A claim about a feature, an award or a comparison should not gain extra certainty in translation. Please provide the approved phrasing and any accompanying explanation that governs its use. If a statement requires legal or regulatory assessment, that assessment belongs with the appropriate adviser; translation alone does not establish that the claim may be used.
Small qualifications can be essential to the overall message. A condition concerning availability, a date attached to an offer or a limitation on a comparison should remain connected to the relevant statement. We take care not to gloss over these details, even when the main copy is deliberately concise. Their position and wording may need to be considered alongside the page layout or artwork.
Testimonials and quotations need similar restraint. The words attributed to a customer or speaker should retain their meaning and degree of enthusiasm, rather than being rewritten as a stronger endorsement. Identify whether an existing approved translation must be used and provide the relevant source. Names, titles and attribution lines should be checked against the supplied reference material so that the quotation remains intelligible in its new setting.
Brochures, presentations and campaign materials
Printed material often distributes meaning across headings, captions and short passages beside images. Please provide a layout reference as well as editable text, identifying which elements require translation. A caption may explain a feature that the main paragraph merely mentions. Reading these elements together helps us avoid losing sight of the whole message while attending to the wording of each individual component.
Space constraints should be defined early. A translated heading may need a different number of words, and a short label may become ambiguous if compressed too aggressively. Tell us where character limits genuinely apply and where the designer can adjust the layout. This allows the wording to be considered against an actual requirement instead of forcing every passage into the source’s visual proportions.
Presentations create a different relationship between visible text and spoken explanation. A slide may use shorthand that becomes clear only through accompanying notes. Please state whether the notes are also required in translation or are supplied solely for context. The translated material should support the intended presentation without silently converting a brief prompt into a detailed claim that the speaker has not approved.
A clear route from brief to final copy
When several people review a campaign, consolidated feedback helps prevent the text from being pulled in different directions. Identify the person who can resolve terminology and tone questions, and distinguish corrections from new creative preferences. If the source changes during translation, send the revised passages with a clear indication of their status so that earlier wording is not retained by mistake.
Before finalisation, it is useful to check the text in its intended setting, especially where headings, captions or references have moved. Agree whether a layout review forms part of the work. That final context can help tie up loose ends which are difficult to spot in a separate text file, such as a caption placed beside the wrong item or an instruction referring to an outdated heading.
For a quotation, email london@dialektikus.co.uk or use our contact page. Send the Catalan or English source, audience brief, reference materials and deadline. Our Catalan and English translation service also covers related commercial correspondence. Dialektikus UK Ltd will assess the requested work and clarify its scope, helping your translated material communicate with a consistent voice and a well-defined purpose.