Ex-agency Duo Launch Creative Translation Agency Franklyfluent

Former M&C Saatchi account people Jordan Woolley and Catherine Barr have officially launched franklyfluent, a creative, cross-cultural translation agency that specialises in making brands fluent in all relevant markets.

Having worked across a spectrum of international clients, including Diet Coke, Danone and RBS during their time agency-side at DDB UK, BETC London and M&C Saatchi, the language graduates realised the market need for a more creative, craft-led approach to translation.

Their new agency franklyfluent marries up insightful cultural knowledge with a network of respected copywriting talent from across the globe. This provides clients with a creative approach to translation that avoids the pitfalls of clunky, literal adaptations.

Says franklyfluent founder Jordan Woolley: “You only have to look at the English language and its colourful use of idioms to appreciate just how delicate cross-cultural translation can be. Rarely will a literal translation do justice to a copywriter’s original carefully chosen words, or indeed even make much sense once translated. By combining the correct choice of words with the appropriate cultural nuances, the message will inevitably pack a more powerful and far-reaching punch.”

To coincide with its official launch, franklyfluent has produced a series of colourful illustrations (IDIOMASCOTS) bringing to life some of the weird and wonderful sayings from across the globe to highlight the extent to which cultural expressions can get lost in translation.

Each IDIOMASCOT is accompanied by a literal translation of the phrase as well as a more natural and fluent creative rendering. As one illustration demonstrates, the Slovenian saying ‘300 hairy bears!’ is an English equivalent of ‘holy moly!’