On 17 June 2025, I had the pleasure of delivering a 90-minute transcreation workshop at the University of Augsburg titled “Clear Trumps Clever: Kreative Übersetzung und kulturelle Anpassung” (creative translation and cultural adaptation).
And what a session it turned out to be! Every seat in the classroom was filled – students, faculty members, and even the head of the Language Centre came along to hear more about the art and strategy behind marketing translation, more accurately called transcreation.
This wasn’t my first time hosting a workshop like this: we’d held a similar session the year before – but this time, the interested had tripled. We also had a more diverse group, including more male students, and more hands-on exercises that even sparked a thesis idea for one of the participants.
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What Is Transcreation, and Why Does It Matter?
Often referred to as creative translation or marketing translation, transcreation is the process of adapting marketing content from one language and culture to another, combining translation and copywriting skills.
As a transcreator working between English and German, I support international brands looking to connect with new audiences beyond their domestic market. Key to making this work is empathising with customer needs before adapting relevant marketing content so that it feels local and authentic.
In our workshop, I wanted to give a behind-the-scenes look at how this happens – and why clear messaging should take priority over clever wordplay.
Learning By Doing
One of the two exercises featured Claudia Benetello’s transcreation card deck to give the participants a feel for a typical transcreation workflow. (The cards fell on the floor when I was handing them out – but hey, we can all use some comic relief now and then, right? 😄)
Despite the limited time, the attendees came up with thoughtful and nuanced transcreation ideas that showed a real understanding of the target audience, the tone, and the cultural context – which was very impressive!
Real Impact In and Outside the Classroom
The final Q&A brought up some insightful questions (including the ever-popular “Are you scared that AI might replace translators one day?”) and a real-world brand anecdote – one of the university’s staff members had once contacted KitKat about a potential new slogan!
After the session, several attendees came up to ask follow-up questions one-on-one. An Applied Linguistics student told me she was interested in writing her thesis on a topic we covered during the session, so we had a quick chat about how she could approach it – and I’m excited to see what’s next for her!
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Why Workshops Like This Matter
As I told the students during the session, transcreation isn’t just about creative or clever copy in another language. It’s also about strategy, empathy, and research – and making smart decisions after all those factors have been considered.
Sessions like this one show how valuable an outside-in perspective and hands-on practice can be.
My hope is that the attendees walked away with a clearer sense of:
- What transcreation is (and what it’s not).
- Why literal translations almost never work in a marketing context.
- How to approach language and cultural adaptation with purpose and sensitivity.
- Why clear messaging outweighs ‘clever’ copy.
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Could Your Team Benefit From Transcreation?
If your organisation is curious about transcreation and what it can do for your awareness and conversions, let’s talk – I’d be happy to put together a custom workshop for you.
In my day-to-day work, I offer consultation sessions focused on content and culture, as well as transcreation services tailored to your goals and tone of voice.
📧 Questions? Get in touch:
→ Find out more about my transcreation service:
Special Thanks 😊
I’d like to give special thanks to my colleagues Nina Sattler-Hovdar and Claudia Benetello for their massively valuable contributions to our industry and the great advice they gave me in preparation for this workshop.
Also, a big thank you to the Language Centre at the University of Augsburg for having me back. It was a joy to return to so many eager attendees and share my knowledge and experience on such an impactful and meaningful topic!
