MET workshops

Speaking a brand’s language: a deep dive into verbal identity

To stand out in an overcrowded marketplace, brands and businesses need to have conversations and build relationships with their audience. Verbal identity plays a crucial role in that. It conveys a brand’s message and personality and shapes how the target audience perceives it. You know that voice you hear when you read engaging copy? That’s the brand’s voice, and it needs to be conveyed consistently, no matter who’s writing and in what language. But how can we get the verbal identity right as marketing translators if we can’t hear that voice or the guidelines (if any) are vague?

Facilitator: Elina Nocera

Purpose: To suggest ways transcreators and marketing translators can convey the verbal identity of a brand or business effectively.

Description: This workshop will explore the nuances of verbal identity. It will help transcreators and marketing translators discover:

• the elements of voice
• the difference between voice and tone of voice
• how to ensure that verbal identity doesn’t get lost in translation

In part one, we’ll see what a strong verbal identity looks like and go through various examples to find out which tones of voice create a connection with the audience and which don’t. We’ll also discover a framework that can help us when the voice is bland and guidelines are vague or non-existent. In part two, participants will rewrite or translate snippets of texts, injecting personality and letting the verbal identity of the brand or business shine through.

Participant profile: This workshop is for transcreators, marketing translators, and anyone who wants to know more about voice and tone of voice, and go beyond what’s on the page. Most examples will be in English, although there will be a few in other languages.

Outcome: The workshop aims to give participants a clear idea of how to analyse voice and tone, adapt the style to better connect with the target audience, tackle the challenges posed by bland brand voices or vague (or missing) guidelines, and consistently deliver marketing translations and transcreations that reflect the brand’s verbal identity.

Preparation: None.

About the facilitator: Elina Ilaria Nocera is a bilingual Italian–English marketing translator with 17 years of experience who recently branched out into copywriting. She helps brands and service-based businesses connect with their audiences through compelling copy and a natural tone of voice. Elina is based in Umbria, Central Italy. She is a member of MET, IAPTI, and the Italian Copywriters’ Association.