How Revati Devoor Transcreates Impactful Content in Kannada

Team Pepper

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Posted on 4/07/22•4 min read

According to Indo-Canadian MP Chandra Arya, about 50M people (4% of India’s population) speak Kannada in India. Revati Devoor is an experienced English-to-Kannada translator associated with Pepper. She turned to freelance translation during the lockdown. She also worked as an accountant for several years before taking a break to bring up her now 5-year-old bundle of cuteness, Vaishnavi.

“My daughter has grown up now. Being a mother, I wanted to get back to work so that I could provide for her and plan her future. But finding work outside the house was challenging due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I spent two months fruitlessly trying to get a job. Luckily, one of my friends forwarded an email by Pepper Content to me. I ended up applying right away,”

How Translation Helps Brands Grow

According to Revati, brands should market and advertise in native languages instead of limiting communication to a mainstream language.

“If you’re marketing in a country like India, which is diverse and multilingual, localizing your communication is important,”

She feels that if marketing communication is limited to one language, businesses miss out on the opportunity to reach all groups of their target audience.

“Companies should distribute content in all native languages to build deeper relationships with customers.”

Furthermore, Revati feels that translation, as a career, is growing by leaps and bounds. More and more companies are focusing on the localization of their marketing efforts.

“If you have a good hold on a mainstream language and are a native speaker of a local language, there are endless translation opportunities”

Recognizing Her Translation Skills

Although quite proficient in Kannada, Revati was unaware of the scope of translation before joining Pepper. Only after her friend encouraged her to explore it did she take the leap.

“I never saw translation as a career, because I was not too adept at mainstream languages like English or Hindi. When I learned that I could translate in my mother tongue, Kannada, and get paid for it, I decided to give it a shot,” Revati says.

Revati also has a blog in Kannada, on which she posts stories, articles, poems, and other creative pieces. She also writes for some Kannada literature websites.

“I love writing anything in Kannada. My love for the language is what motivated me to take up translation projects.”

Learning the Ropes of Translation

When Revati took a plunge into translation, one challenge she faced was maintaining the essence and context of the original content. According to her, translators should know when to steer clear of a literal translation.

“I was once translating a piece that had an English phrase “killed it.” Its literal meaning is entirely different in Kannada. Recognizing these intricate differences is important,”

Revati credits her father, an ex-army man fluent in multiple languages, for teaching her the art of understanding emotions in a language. During her initial days, she also sought help from her brother and some friends to translate colloquially.

Translating for Pepper

“My very first assignment was for a leading chain of hospitals. I had to translate an advertising banner for the brand. I loved the work, and looked forward to future projects,”

Within just a year of joining us, Revati has worked on 160+ translation projects for a host of leading brands across verticals, such as gaming, finance, education, matrimony, and many more.

“I got regular translation work from Pepper, so I could maintain a steady stream of income. Since I was fairly new to freelancing, I found it thrilling to work with big brands, meet deadlines, and coordinate with editors,”

Transcreating Content to Perfection

Revati discusses how transcreation goes beyond translating content into another language. “Even when you have all the information available, you sometimes have to add more content for it to make sense in the native language. I always add some punch lines and phrases to maintain the original essence of the content. My intention is to make the translated work appeal to native speakers,” she explains.

Revati is zealous about everything she writes in Kannada. This mindset motivates her to go above and beyond in all the projects she takes up. In fact, at Pepper, she hasn’t received a single rework request from any client she has worked with so far.

“The editors at Pepper have been extremely helpful. They always ensure my work is as accurate as possible,”

Tips for Newbie Translators

Revati advises budding translators to put their work out there on social media channels. According to her, people need to know about your niche services in order to utilize them. She also believes that translators should not restrict themselves to word count. What’s more important is conveying the true meaning of the original text.

“To be successful in the field, a translator should manage their time well and stay dedicated. A deep interest in the native language adds the much-needed depth to your work,”

We help native language creators like Revati channel their passion into meaningful work. Our community of expert translators and transcreators is getting bigger by the day. So if you’re exploring a career in translation, now is the best time to join us.