In the beginning, there was the blog…

When we came up with the idea of writing a blog to shine a spotlight on our profession and discuss thought-provoking topics or issues that are causing a stir in the no-longer-small world of translation, the immediate question was: where do you start?

The notion of “carte blanche” is usually accompanied by a (crippling) case of blank page syndrome – something that translators like us are less familiar with, given that our work is typically based on a source text that is then translated, adapted or rewritten, depending on the customer’s instructions. And since textocreativ specialises in advertising translation, the principle of transcreation is never very far away. Trans-what? I hear you say. No need to panic. In one of our first articles, we’ll be introducing you to this concept that has now become our speciality.

Also on the agenda in the next few months: the latest developments in our domain, which has evolved in just a few decades from typewriters to machine translation; the particularities of translations for the Swiss market; emerging buzz words; and a number of other fascinating topics that you’ll be the first to know about – once we’ve sifted through a whole mountain of fascinating topics, that is. 😉

Like a message in a bottle in the online ocean

You get the idea. This blog is our own little playground, an entertaining interlude, where, in just a few sentences, we share our story without taking ourselves too seriously. With a bit of luck, this short read might be served alongside your morning coffee, or maybe you’ll dip into it while you wait for your bus or between changing your little one’s nappies – in short, a brief distraction from the stream of content that floods our lives on a daily basis.

Incidentally, you may not be aware that you’ve probably already read or heard our work – in a prime-time commercial on RTS, on posters displayed in Bern city centre, on flyers handed out at Lausanne train station, on websites visited during or outside office hours, and on full-page ads in that glossy magazine you secretly love to read at the hairdresser’s. It isn’t our conscious choice to stay in the shadows, but such is the world of translation. Yes, our ideas often spring out of the darkness and we like to run towards adventure at full tilt, but we seldom sign our names as we add the final flourish to our work, graciously relinquishing the authorship of our creativity to our customers. No need to thank us: that’s what we’re here for.
And, most of all, we’re here for you.