5.7.1 The skills of a transcreationist
As you have just learned, transcreation involves a complex range of skills. In the next activity you will examine a few examples illustrating the specific relevance each of these skills can have in the process of mediating culture through transcreation.
Activity 46
a.
(a) Market awareness
b.
(b) Linguistic knowledge
c.
(c) Understanding of the history of the target culture
d.
(d) Understanding of the target culture today
e.
(e) Understanding of psychological factors
f.
(f) Awareness of stereotypes
The correct answers are a, c, d and e.
Answer
The required skills are (a), (e) and, to a limited extent, (c) and (d). The transcreationist would have needed more market awareness, including some understanding of the trade history of Volkswagen in Brazil, as well an understanding of psychological factors governing trust in a product.
a.
(a) Market awareness
b.
(b) Linguistic knowledge
c.
(c) Understanding of the history of the target culture
d.
(d) Understanding of the target culture today
e.
(e) Understanding of psychological factors
f.
(f) Awareness of stereotypes
The correct answers are c and d.
Answer
A knowledge of the sectarian nature of Northern Irish society (d) and the history of Ireland (c) was needed to avoid a marketing disaster.
a.
(a) Market awareness
b.
(b) Linguistic knowledge
c.
(c) Understanding of the history of the target culture
d.
(d) Understanding of the target culture today
e.
(e) Understanding of psychological factors
f.
(f) Awareness of stereotypes
The correct answer is b.
Answer
Linguistic knowledge (b), including knowledge of phonology and the correlation between the written sign and its sound in Chinese, was needed to come up with this solution.
a.
(a) Market awareness
b.
(b) Linguistic knowledge
c.
(c) Understanding of the history of the target culture
d.
(d) Understanding of the target culture today
e.
(e) Understanding of psychological factors
f.
(f) Awareness of stereotypes
The correct answers are b, d and f.
Answer
The correct answers are (f), and also (b) and (d). The campaign was built on stereotypical views of the French as particularly elegant. The creator of this campaign also needed the cultural and linguistic knowledge to judge whether the code-switching in the slogan was easy to understand and would be received positively in both France and Britain.