Recently, we’ve done a lot of talking about in-flight entertainment options. While there are more options than ever before to tailor our entertainment choices while flying, as human beings, we tend to view things optimistically rather than realistically. For example, a good WiFi connection will allow us to do anything we like online, but there are often usage restrictions as well as a fee to access the connection; or we might obsess over what content are going to get from what screen, but not consider that may not even feel like looking at a screen. (It’s actually entertainment fatigue.)
From those who are just seeking a little light reading to pass the time to people who would like to read about their travel destination or are just tired of staring at a screen, the solution since the dawn of air travel has been the in-flight magazine. If you just thought, “Nobody reads those anymore.”, you might want to think again. Statistics show that – even with the plethora of multimedia entertainment options – approximately 80% of the over 4 billion global air passengers spend an average of around 30 minutes reading and looking through in-flight magazines. Relative to the industry, 237 airlines place copies of 253 in-flight magazines on 90% of flights.
Having a half-hour of time from a captive audience of over 3 billion people, engaging content is king. For the domestic audience, the recipe can be fairly simple: destination-based travel topics and general interest topics that vary by country, region, or even airline route map. On the other hand, for the audience on international routes, the recipe must change to account for cultural and linguistic differences.
To illustrate this, let’s consider the British Airways in-flight magazine, HIGH LIFE. Describing itself as reflecting “a very British sense of irreverence, wit and attitude”, it’s only natural that the highest level of impact and understanding will be with those who have the same linguistic and cultural understanding. Naturally as well, other native English speakers will be able to connect with most of the content. The issue, however, is people who don’t understand English (the language and mindset): not only do certain English idioms and phraseology not directly translate into other languages, but, in some cultures, the level of openness with which some topics are discussed can be seen as inappropriate for light reading.
To market effectively to a global audience, transcreation is required
Considering the sustained appeal of in-flight magazines, the increasing amount of international air travel, and the drive to differentiate a brand from its rivals in the arena of customer satisfaction, it is worth investing the time and resources to assure that the content in in-flight magazines is properly and effectively transcreated, because the highest goal always involves conveying the correct message to your readers.
With an eye towards shrinking budgets, a service such as this might seem like an unnecessary expense, but, keeping in mind that in-flight magazines have been a robust sector within publishing, it could easily be money well spent. The key relies on partnering with a well-versed and well regarded within the industry LSP to develop a customized plan that meets the global marketing needs of your business.
EVS Translations is a unique LSP with its Translation as a Service concept and an in-house model, which has steadily grown and evolved over the past 25 years. The scalability and customisation of our transcreation solutions is guaranteed by in-house project managers who coordinate creative translation projects with our global in-house team of transcreation experts (specialists in advertising, marketing, copywriting, and other relevant subject areas) and provide customer support on an on-going basis. Stringent adherence to quality management certifications ISO 9001:2018 and ISO 17100:2018, an ERM system, automated workflows, and compliance with latest data security regulations guarantee the successful outcomes for all transcreation projects.
