Localisation is the adaptation of content to a specific market or culture. This goes beyond translation: you adapt currency, date formats, cultural references, imagery and tone of voice. The original remains recognisable but is adjusted for the target market.

AI is good at localisation. With the right instructions, a model can adapt content for a specific market, account for formal or informal address and replace irrelevant cultural references. The structure and argument of the original text are preserved.

Transcreation is a different level. Here the goal is to preserve the emotional effect or message of the original content, but the way that message is conveyed can be entirely different.

A compelling Dutch campaign slogan does not work literally in French. The associations are different, the sound is different, the humour does not land. Transcreation requires a creative person who knows both languages and cultures from the inside and is capable of reinterpreting the essence in the new language.

AI localisation is sufficient for:

• Product descriptions that need to be factually accurate
• Informative content such as FAQs, manuals and technical documentation
• B2B content that is business-like and informative in nature
• Content where cultural adaptation is limited

In these cases, AI is an efficient tool that reduces the workload for human reviewers.

AI falls short with:

Campaign texts and slogans: Language that is deliberately chosen for sound, rhythm, ambiguity or cultural resonance. AI produces a correct alternative but misses the creative leap that transcreation requires.

Humorous content: Humour is deeply culturally determined. What works in the Netherlands falls flat in Japan or is too direct in the United Kingdom. AI knows the rules of humour but does not feel the timing and nuance.

Emotionally charged content: Obituaries, health communications, content that appeals to strong emotions. Here a human who understands what is really being said is indispensable.

Poetry and literary text: Translation of literary text requires artistic judgement that AI does not yet possess.

In practice, the choice is not always black and white. A hybrid approach combines AI for the base with human transcreators for the layers that require creative expertise.

An advertising text can use AI as a first draft, but the headline and call-to-action are rewritten by a native creative. This saves time and costs compared to fully human transcreation, without quality loss on the critical elements.

Ask yourself three questions.

1. Does the effectiveness of this content depend on specific linguistic choices (sound, rhythm, ambiguity)?
2. Is the emotional impact at least as important as the informational content?
3. Are there humour, metaphors or cultural references that are not directly transferable?

If you answer yes to one or more of these questions, transcreation is probably necessary.

Mach8 helps businesses determine which content deserves AI localisation and which content requires transcreation. We combine AI tools with a network of native creatives for content that requires human expertise.

AI is a powerful tool for localising informative and business content. But transcreation, the recreation of content while preserving emotional effect, requires human creativity and cultural knowledge that AI does not currently possess. The key is knowing when to choose which approach.

Want to determine which content strategy fits your multilingual challenge? Get in touch with Mach8.