A UK-based lifestyle brand launched in the UAE last year with confidence.

They had a strong identity. A cheeky, irreverent tone that worked brilliantly in London. Campaigns that made people smile. Copy that felt human, not corporate.

Then they translated everything into Arabic. Word for word. Same jokes. Same phrasing. Same attitude.

And it bombed.

Not because the translation was wrong. The words were accurate. But the tone, the personality, the entire feeling of the brand, didn't travel. What felt charming in English felt inappropriate in Arabic. What sounded confident in the UK sounded arrogant in Dubai.

They'd translated the language. But they'd lost the brand.

This is the trap. And almost every brand expanding internationally falls into it at some point.

Why Translation Isn't Enough

Here's what most brands get wrong about going global.

They think language is just a technical problem. Get a translator. Swap out the English for Arabic, French, Mandarin, whatever. Done.

But language isn't neutral. It carries culture. Context. Expectation. And a sentence that lands perfectly in one market can feel completely off in another, even when it's technically correct.

Translation is literal. Transcreation is lateral.

Translation asks: "What does this say?"

Transcreation asks: "What does this mean, and how do we make it mean the same thing here?"

That's not a subtle difference. It's the difference between a brand that feels native to a market and one that feels like a tourist.

The Tone of Voice Problem

Let's talk about tone, because this is where things get tricky.

A brand's tone of voice is one of its most defining features. It's how you sound. Whether you're formal or casual. Serious or playful. Direct or diplomatic.

In the UK, brands can get away with being cheeky, self-deprecating, or even slightly irreverent. British humour rewards that. Customers respond to brands that don't take themselves too seriously.

In the Gulf, that same tone can backfire.

Not because people in Dubai don't have a sense of humour. They do. But the cultural expectation around professionalism, respect, and authority is different. A brand that sounds too casual can come across as unprofessional. A joke that works in London might feel inappropriate in Riyadh.

This doesn't mean you have to be stiff or corporate in every market. It means you have to understand where the line is, and adjust accordingly.

What Happens When You Get It Wrong

We've seen this play out in painful ways.

A UK fashion brand ran a campaign with the tagline "Dress like you don't care." In London, it was aspirational. Effortless cool. The idea that great style looks easy.

They translated it directly for their Dubai launch. And the response from local audiences was... confusion. "Why would I dress like I don't care? That sounds lazy."

The words were right. The meaning didn't land.

Or take a tech company that used the phrase "Let's break things" in their UK marketing. A nod to innovation, disruption, moving fast. In their Middle Eastern copy, the same phrase translated as something closer to "Let's destroy things." Not quite the message they were going for.

These aren't translation errors. They're transcreation failures.

The translator did their job. But no one asked whether the concept itself would resonate. Whether the cultural context supported it. Whether the tone matched local expectations.

How Transcreation Actually Works

At DARB, we don't start with translation. We start with meaning.

What is this copy actually trying to communicate? Not the words, the intent. The feeling. The action you want someone to take.

Then we ask: how do we create that same feeling, that same response, in this new market?

Sometimes, that means keeping the phrasing close to the original. Sometimes, it means rewriting it entirely. And sometimes, it means realising that a concept that works brilliantly in one culture just won't work in another, no matter how you phrase it.

Here's our process:

We don't just translate. We culturalise. We look at the original copy and ask what cultural assumptions it's making. What references. What tone. What unspoken context.

We test the emotional response. Does this phrase inspire confidence? Does it feel premium? Does it make someone want to act? If the answer changes between markets, we adjust.

We localise without losing consistency. The goal isn't to create a completely different brand in every market. It's to make sure the same brand feels native wherever it shows up.

We collaborate with native speakers who understand both the language and the market. Not just translators, but cultural consultants who can flag when something feels off.

And we iterate. Transcreation isn't a one-pass process. It's a conversation between the original intent and the local reality.

The Fine Line Between Adaptation and Dilution

Here's the tension every global brand faces.

Adapt too much, and you lose your identity. You become a chameleon that looks different everywhere, and no one knows who you really are.

Adapt too little, and you feel foreign. Out of touch. Like you're speaking to a market you don't actually understand.

The sweet spot is consistency in meaning, flexibility in expression.

Your brand values shouldn't change. Your core message shouldn't change. But the way you express them? That should flex.

Take a brand that positions itself as "approachable and human." In the UK, that might sound casual, friendly, first-name-basis. In the UAE, it might sound warm, respectful, and attentive. Different tone. Same meaning.

Or a brand that's "bold and confident." In London, that could be cheeky and disruptive. In Dubai, it might be assured and authoritative. Different voice. Same personality.

This is the art of transcreation. Keeping the soul of the brand intact whilst allowing the expression to shift.

What Happens When Brands Get It Wrong

Look at HSBC's "Assume Nothing" campaign. In the UK and US, it was empowering, challenge assumptions, think differently. When it rolled out internationally, it translated poorly in some markets, particularly where "assume nothing" sounded like "don't trust anyone." The campaign was eventually pulled and reworked.

Or take Pepsi's entry into China in the 1990s with "Come Alive with the Pepsi Generation." It translated roughly to "Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the dead." Technically accurate translation. Culturally disastrous meaning.

Contrast that with Coca-Cola's approach to naming in China. Instead of translating phonetically, they found characters that sounded similar but meant "delicious happiness" (可口可乐). Same brand. Culturally intelligent adaptation.

The DARB Edge

We don't just translate your brand. We make sure it means the same thing everywhere it shows up.

That means working with teams who understand both the language and the culture. Who can tell you when a phrase works, when it doesn't, and what to say instead.

It means treating every market as a design problem, not a translation task. Because the goal isn't accuracy. It's resonance.

And it means protecting your brand's personality whilst making sure it feels native, not imported.

Because the brands that win globally aren't the ones that speak the most languages. They're the ones that say the right thing, in the right way, every single time.

Expanding into new markets and not sure if your message will land? Let's make sure it does. Get in touch with DARB.