Have you ever wondered how people in other parts of the world say “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch“? While we might be thinking of farm animals, a hunter in France is likely thinking about a bear, and someone in Italy is probably focused on a cat in a bag.
I recently collaborated with MediaLocate on a project that explores these fascinating linguistic nuances. As a marketing consultant, my goal is to help companies like them project an image of deep competence and active involvement in their market. By highlighting the complexity of global communication, I aim to help them build lasting trust with their clients.
The Global Challenge: How Well Do You Know Your Idioms?
I’ve put together a quick challenge based on the LinkedIn carousel I developed for them. It’s designed to test your “transcreation” instincts. Can you match the literal translation to its correct language?
- “One should not praise the day before the evening.“
- “Don’t rejoice for the eggs before the chickens hatch.“
- “You cannot profit from your crops until they have grown, processed, and turned into money.“
The Answers:
- German: Man soll den Tag nicht vor dem Abend loben.
- Greek: Μη χαίρεσαι για τ’ αυγά πριν βγουν τα κοτόπουλα.
- Mongolian: Yp тариа нь ургаж… мөнгө болж хувирах хүртэл…
Whether it’s a Polish hunter dividing a bear’s skin or a Chinese reminder not to be “too happy too early,” the core message remains the same: patience and certainty matter.
The Human Touch in a Digital World
In my work supporting MediaLocate, I emphasize that while AI tools like Gemini are incredibly efficient, they are most effective when guided by expert hands. Their CEO, Stephan Lins, makes a great point in the carousel: these technologies only truly resonate when combined with human expertise.
My role is to help companies bridge that gap, ensuring that their message doesn’t just get translated, but actually connects with the culture it’s entering. Projecting competence in a global market isn’t just about using the latest tech; it’s about showing your audience that you understand their world.
Update: From Bard to Gemini
It is worth noting that the translations featured in this carousel were originally generated using Google Bard. For those following the fast-paced world of AI, Bard was the first publicly available LLM created by Google. It was an early, imperfect version of generative AI and was later replaced by the more robust Google Gemini.
Despite being an early iteration, I found the results—from Arabic to Dutch—to be quite impressive. It demonstrates just how far machine translation has come in discerning “idiomatic nuances and intricate linguistic subtleties.”
