There has been much talk about how saturated we all are by advertising. The younger generations are said to have the largest visual vocabulary of any generation thus far and that the newer generations are becoming immune to advertising. Whatever the truth of these statements might be there is certainly a much higher quantity of advertising and visual stimulation in our society than ever before.
The result of this is that people have developed a certain scepticism when it comes to advertising and this means that advertisers have to think outside of the box. The old adage that sex sells has been used to death. Using a naked woman to sell toothpaste is simply not going to do the job anymore, no matter what language the advert is in.
With advertising being put to the challenge it also means that translating advertising material also needs new blood. Advertising is not simply about pictures, it is about words and using language to entice interest.
This means that the translation of advertising material cannot be a simple word for word translation, it must carry the humour or the attitude intended by the original advert. This, of course, is a lot easier said than done.
Translators of advertising need to have a keen understanding of the culture and language they are translating into. Otherwise the translation simply won't have the intended effect.
