If only I could show you the cereal box that was in front of my eyes this morning! In fact, we’ve all seen too many of them, with their awkward translations.
In Canada, packaging must be bilingual. We have no choice in the matter. The Consumer Packaging and Labelling Regulations, applied in accordance with the Act of the same name, clearly states: “All information required
The law exists and must be followed, but this is often done with minimal effort, like teenagers who have just come to the conclusion that school is useless. It’s plain that their hearts are not in it. The result is clumsy packaging, word-for-word translations, cumbersome constructions, and even blatant misspellings.
However, many companies offer us very successful bilingual packaging. But in order to do this, they have to call upon specialized translation resources. An eight-word slogan can sometimes prove to be more difficult to translate than a 22-page annual report, especially when going from a concise language to one that is less so. French, for example, has an expansion ratio of 15 to 25% in relation to English. To avoid having a dynamic eight-word sentence in English become a boring ten-word description in French, creative thinking is required, combined with excellent language proficiency.
Hain Celestial Canada is a company that makes considerable efforts in this regard. As the distributor of a host of food and personal care products, it stands out for its simple and clear packaging. The “Tranquillithé” brand might make you wince, but it has the merit of being brief, descriptive, and just as original as “Sleepytime,” its English equivalent.
Simple packaging is more appealing than a plethora of information. However, packaging regulations also require manufacturers to provide an entire range of information, such as quantity, product composition, and nutritional value to name just a few ─ in both languages, of course. Once again, concise and precise wording is mandatory. Additional information, describing the benefits and source of the product, and other details, can appear on the website. In fact, consumers are increasingly likely to look online for information about the products they buy. Hence the importance of taking special care in maintaining a website, in both languages, as Hain Celestial Canada does so well.
By calling upon the services of a multidisciplinary translation agency, this company has access to advertising specialists who can deliver lines with punch, and translators who can provide good descriptive writing. As a result, the packaging is lighter, and the website is enhanced. My advice to the company now would be to acquire a cereal brand to liven up breakfast time!
