Glossary of international corporate and brand communications

A to Z: Ad hoc announcement · Adaptation · Advertising copy editing · AGM documents · Annual financial report · Annual financial statements · Annual General Meeting (AGM) · Annual report · Back translation · Balance sheet · Certified translation · Copywriting · Corporate language · CSRD · Cultural check · ESEF · ESRS · Half-year financial report · Income statement · Intercultural intelligence · Internationalization · Interpreting · Localization · Management report · Master campaign · Microsurvey · Multi-stage editing · Naming and nomenclature · Native-speaker principle · Notes · Quarterly statement · Slogan and tagline · Sustainability statement · Termbase · Tone of voice · Transcreation · Translation

Translation, adaptation, localization

These terms are often used interchangeably. The main difference between them is how closely the new text sticks to the source.

Adaptation

Adaptation is the rewriting of a text for another language and culture, adjusting its style and, where necessary, its message to the target market. It goes further than translation: the aim is copy that reads as if it had been conceived and written in the target market. For advertising copy, adaptation and transcreation are mostly used as synonyms.

German: Adaption. At BMP, adaptation is the name of the core service: in German, we explicitly call what we do “Adaption” rather than translation. More under Transcreation and Marketing.

Back translation

A back translation is the translation of an already translated text back into the source language, usually by a second person who has not seen the original. It shows where the meaning has shifted and is common for questionnaires in market research. For advertising copy, it reveals departures from the wording but says nothing about whether the text works in the target market.

German: Rückübersetzung. How we check slogans and names for impact is described under Brand name and tagline check.

Certified translation

A certified translation is a translation whose accuracy and completeness a translator authorized or publicly appointed under German state law confirms with their signature. That is how Section 142(3) of the German Code of Civil Procedure describes it for foreign-language documents in court. Courts and authorities ask for it, for example when a foreign stock corporation files articles of association in another language for its German branch with the commercial register (Section 13f HGB). Who is authorized is listed in the interpreter and translator database of the German states.

German: Beglaubigte Übersetzung. Neither the WpHG nor the Frankfurt Exchange Rules call for certification of the English version of an annual report; more under Annual report translation.

Internationalization

In brand communications, internationalization is the decision to present a brand deliberately as a global player in every market instead of making it feel local in each one. That makes it the counterpart to localization. In a wider sense, the term covers any preparation of communications for markets beyond the home market. In software development, it means something else: getting a product technically ready for later localization.

German: Internationalisierung. BMP uses it in the wider sense: “We internationalize marketing and corporate communications.” Whether a brand should come across as local or global has to be settled before the adaptation starts.

Interpreting

Interpreting is the oral rendering of spoken language, either simultaneously, while the speaker is talking, or consecutively, section by section afterwards. Translation, by contrast, is written. A general meeting can need both: interpreters for speeches and debate in the hall, translators weeks earlier for the notice of meeting, reports and speech texts.

German: Dolmetschen. Which written documents belong to a general meeting is explained under AGM documents.

Localization

Localization is the adjustment of a text or product to the language, conventions and expectations of a specific target market. Besides language, this covers date and number formats, units of measurement, forms of address, examples and images. In advertising, the line between localization and transcreation is blurred.

German: Lokalisierung. Whether a brand should feel local or global belongs at the start of a project (see internationalization). What this means for the German market is covered under Campaigns for Germany.

Transcreation

Transcreation, a blend of translation and creation, is the rewriting of advertising or brand copy for another language and culture so that it keeps the impact, tone of voice and intent of the original, though not necessarily its words. There is no single definition in the literature, and for advertising copy transcreation and adaptation are mostly used as synonyms. One example: Deutsche Bahn’s corporate slogan “Zukunft bewegen” (literally “Moving the future”) became “On track for tomorrow” in English.

German: Transkreation. The English Deutsche Bahn slogan was written by BMP. How a transcreation comes about is described under Transcreation.

Translation

Translation is the transfer of a text into another language, keeping its content and meaning as complete as possible. For mandatory and technical texts such as management reports, notes to the financial statements or contracts, it is the right approach, because every statement there has to be verifiably correct. For advertising, it is rarely enough.

German: Übersetzung. Our view, as put in our Answers: “Corporate communications call for powerful writing, not translations.” When translation is enough and when it isn’t is covered under Transcreation.

Brand, campaign, copy

Copywriting

Copywriting is the writing of advertising and marketing copy such as headlines, ads, brochures or film scripts, with the aim of persuading readers. The people who write it are copywriters.

German: Copywriting, Texterstellung. At BMP, copywriting for different markets is part of Marketing, where copywriters work in creative teams with adaptation experts and copy editors.

Corporate language

Corporate language is the binding set of language rules a company uses: preferred terms, tone of voice, spellings and how it addresses people. It is usually laid down in a style guide and, alongside corporate design, is part of corporate identity. Across several languages it only holds if terms and tone are defined for each language.

German: Corporate Language, Corporate Wording, Unternehmenssprache. On our IR/PR page we put it this way: “With multi-stage editing, client-specific terminology support and one dedicated localization team throughout any given process, the consistency of your message is guaranteed.”

Master campaign

A master campaign is a campaign developed centrally as a template for all markets and then adapted for each one. Whether its idea travels should become clear early on: ideas that are fresh in one market can be old hat in another, and colors and images carry different associations from one culture to the next.

German: Masterkampagne. At BMP, the Cultural Check includes an “advisory function in creating master campaigns that work internationally, including visuals and color choices”.

Naming and nomenclature

Naming is the development of names for companies, brands, products or services; a nomenclature is the system by which the names within a portfolio are formed. For international names, there is the added question of how a name sounds in other languages and what it means there. Trademark clearance is a separate, legal check.

German: Namensfindung, Nomenklatur. Naming is part of Marketing at BMP. In our Cultural Check, we probe product names and nomenclatures for cultural compatibility and impact; more under Brand name and tagline check.

Slogan and tagline

A slogan or tagline is a short, memorable line that sums up a company or brand (corporate slogan) or a single campaign (campaign tagline). German marketers call it a “Claim”, a false friend: in English advertising, a claim is a statement about a product. Slogans rarely survive word-for-word translation because they rely on sound, rhythm and double meanings.

German: Claim. “‘Translating’ taglines is an art form”, as our Answers put it: ideas start from the client brief and are assessed for message, associations, culture-specific aspects, uniqueness and impact. More under Transcreation and Brand name and tagline check.

Tone of voice

Tone of voice is the way a company or brand sounds: word choice, sentence structure, form of address and attitude. It cannot be carried over word for word, because the same devices work differently in each language. German nominal style, for instance, quickly sounds heavy in English.

German: Tonalität. Our aim, as stated on our home page: “finding a tone of voice that sounds local and your target group can identify with.”

Checking for culture

Cultural check

A cultural check tests slogans, names and creative concepts for whether they will be understood and have the intended impact in another culture. The main targets are mistakes that lurk just under the radar: a visual that misses the reality of the target market, ad copy built on aspirations its readers don’t share, a product name that sounds like the local language “yet is somehow a little off”.

German: Kulturcheck. “Cultural check beats culture shock”: at BMP, the Cultural Check is a service area of its own. Clients use it to probe corporate slogans, campaign taglines, product names, nomenclatures and creative concepts for cultural compatibility and impact. How this works for names and slogans is described under Brand name and tagline check.

Intercultural intelligence

Intercultural intelligence is the ability to pick up on foreignness and culture-related stumbling blocks in communication and get rid of them. Research distinguishes cognitive, metacognitive, motivational and behavioral components. For a piece of copy, what counts is whether it feels foreign in the target market.

German: Interkulturelle Intelligenz. Our Answers add what it does for advertising: it helps “infuse ads with an atmosphere that primes your target audience to embrace your message.”

Microsurvey

A microsurvey is a small survey in the target market used to test the impact of a slogan, name or visual before it goes live. It is not representative. It shows whether a version is understood and how it lands.

German: Mikro-Mafo, Mikro-Umfrage. “Pre-evaluation of effectiveness through microsurveys” is part of the Cultural Check at BMP, and we can test new slogans the same way.

Annual reports and capital markets

The annual report, the annual financial statements and the management report are often treated as one thing. The annual report (Geschäftsbericht) is the publication; the annual financial statements and the management report are the parts the German Commercial Code (HGB) requires. The word Geschäftsbericht does not appear in the HGB at all.

Ad hoc announcement

An ad hoc announcement is the mandatory disclosure by which an issuer of financial instruments makes inside information that directly concerns it public as soon as possible. The legal basis is Article 17 of the Market Abuse Regulation (MAR); in Germany, BaFin supervises ad hoc disclosure. In the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, Deutsche Börse requires ad hoc announcements in English as well, and the Exchange Rules require the English version at the same time as the German one (Section 56 BörsO FWB). The English version of the MAR calls the content inside information.

German: Ad-hoc-Mitteilung. Time-critical capital markets communications are part of our IR/PR work, backed by our network covering several time zones. More under M&A, ad hoc and crisis communications.

AGM documents

AGM documents are the documents a listed German stock corporation has to make available on its website once it has convened its general meeting. Under Section 124a and Section 175(2) of the German Stock Corporation Act (AktG), they include the notice of meeting with the agenda, the annual financial statements, the management report, the Supervisory Board’s report and the proposal for the appropriation of profits, where relevant the documents on the remuneration system or the remuneration report, and the forms for voting. The Exchange Rules of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange do not require an English version.

German: HV-Unterlagen. The meeting itself is explained under Annual General Meeting; the 2027 dates are in Reporting season 2027.

Annual financial report

The annual financial report is the report a domestic issuer of securities in Germany has to publish for every financial year. Under Section 114(2) WpHG, it includes, among other things, the audited annual financial statements, the management report and the responsibility statement by the legal representatives; parent companies add the consolidated financial statements and the group management report. It is due no later than four months after the end of the financial year, in the ESEF format.

German: Jahresfinanzbericht. In the Prime Standard, the English version is due by the same deadline (Section 51 BörsO FWB); the 2027 dates are in Reporting season 2027.

Annual financial statements

Under German law, the annual financial statements consist of the balance sheet and the income statement; for corporations, the notes are part of them. This is set out in Section 242(3) and Section 264(1) HGB. Capital market-oriented companies that do not prepare consolidated statements add a statement of cash flows and a statement of changes in equity. The management report sits alongside the financial statements; it is not part of them.

German: Jahresabschluss. How they differ from the annual report and the management report is shown in the table at the start of this section and in our German-English annual report translation guide.

Annual General Meeting (AGM)

The Annual General Meeting is the meeting at which the shareholders of a German stock corporation (Aktiengesellschaft) exercise their rights in the company’s affairs. This is set out in Section 118 of the German Stock Corporation Act (AktG). The ordinary meeting takes place once a year and resolves, among other things, on the appropriation of profits and on discharging the Management Board and the Supervisory Board.

German: Hauptversammlung. An extraordinary meeting is an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM). More term pairs are listed in the table below.

Annual report

An annual report is the publication in which a company reports on its past financial year. For listed companies, it combines mandatory parts such as the consolidated financial statements and the management report with voluntary ones such as the letter to shareholders or a magazine section. What domestic issuers of securities in Germany have to publish is called the annual financial report (Section 114 WpHG).

German: Geschäftsbericht. How we put German annual reports into English is described under Annual report translation.

Balance sheet

The balance sheet is the statement that sets a company’s assets against its liabilities as of the end of the financial year. Its German basis is Section 242(1) HGB, and the official English translation of the HGB calls it the balance sheet. Under IFRS, it is the statement of financial position, though IAS 1 expressly allows companies to use other titles.

German: Bilanz. Which title a company uses is a decision made once and then kept in the termbase. More in our annual report translation guide.

ESEF

ESEF (European Single Electronic Format) is the single electronic reporting format in which issuers in the EU prepare their annual financial reports. Its legal basis is Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/815; in Germany, Section 114 WpHG and Section 328(1) HGB refer to it. The report is prepared as an XHTML file, and IFRS consolidated financial statements are also marked up with machine-readable Inline XBRL tags (ESMA).

German: ESEF, einheitliches elektronisches Berichtsformat. When the text for the ESEF file has to be final belongs in the schedule; see Reporting season 2027.

Half-year financial report

The half-year financial report is the interim report on the first six months of the financial year that domestic issuers of shares and debt securities in Germany have to publish. It contains condensed financial statements, an interim management report and the responsibility statement, and is due no later than three months after the end of the half-year (Section 115 WpHG). Interim report is the general term for reports covering part of a financial year.

German: Halbjahresfinanzbericht. In the Prime Standard, it has to be published in German and English (Section 52 BörsO FWB); the 2027 dates are in Reporting season 2027.

Income statement

The income statement sets a company’s expenses for the financial year against its income. Its German basis is Section 242(2) HGB. English has three common names for it: profit and loss account in the official translation of the HGB, statement of profit or loss under IFRS, and the widely used income statement.

German: Gewinn- und Verlustrechnung (GuV). Which one your report uses should hold for years; more in our annual report translation guide.

Management report

The management report is the report in which a German corporation presents its business performance and position alongside the annual financial statements and assesses its expected development with its main opportunities and risks. The legal basis is Section 289 of the German Commercial Code (HGB), and Section 315 HGB for groups. The report has to give a true and fair picture of the company’s situation. Under the CSRD, the sustainability statement of companies subject to reporting forms a separate section of it.

German: Lagebericht. In English, it has to use the same terms as the financial statements and the investor presentation, which is what a termbase is for. More under Annual report translation.

Notes

The notes are the part of a corporation’s annual financial statements that explains the balance sheet and the income statement and forms a single whole with them. The German basis is Section 264(1) HGB together with Sections 284 et seq. HGB, which require, among other things, the accounting and valuation methods applied. IFRS also calls them notes.

German: Anhang. In the notes, every statement has to be verifiably correct, so they call for translation, not adaptation. More under Annual report translation.

Quarterly statement

A quarterly statement is the short report on the first and third quarters that the Exchange Rules of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange require of companies in the Prime Standard. It explains the main events and transactions of the quarter and their effect on the financial position, and has to be available in German and English within two months of the end of the quarter (Section 53 BörsO FWB). A full quarterly financial report can replace it. The German Securities Trading Act (WpHG) itself contains no quarterly reporting obligation.

German: Quartalsmitteilung. The terms agreed for the annual report apply here too; the 2027 dates are in Reporting season 2027.

In the end, each company’s own terminology is what counts. That is why it belongs in a termbase.

Sustainability reporting

CSRD

The CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) is the EU directive that requires large companies to report on sustainability in their management report. Its number is (EU) 2022/2464. The Omnibus Directive (EU) 2026/470 narrowed its scope to companies with more than 1,000 employees and net turnover of more than 450 million euros; member states have to transpose it by 19 March 2027. In Germany, this is done by a separate implementing act.

German: CSRD, Richtlinie (EU) 2022/2464. At BMP, sustainability is part of IR/PR. What the reporting requirement means for the English version is covered under Sustainability report translation.

ESRS

The ESRS (European Sustainability Reporting Standards) are the mandatory standards companies use to report under the CSRD: they set out which environmental, social and governance disclosures belong in the sustainability statement. The Commission adopted the first set as Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2772, based on drafts by EFRAG. It adopted a revised, much shorter version in July 2026, which enters into force once Parliament and Council have completed their scrutiny and it is published in the Official Journal. For the German-language version, DRSC and AFRAC submitted a reviewed list of technical terms in June 2026.

German: ESRS. Translating ESRS disclosures calls for the same terms as the rest of the report; more under Sustainability report translation.

Sustainability statement

The sustainability statement is the dedicated section of the management report in which a company subject to reporting discloses sustainability matters under the CSRD and ESRS. Unlike a voluntary sustainability report, it is externally assured and published together with the management report.

German: Nachhaltigkeitserklärung. To make sure the same facts have the same names in the sustainability statement and the rest of the report, we work with client-specific termbases. More under Sustainability report translation.

Quality and process

Advertising copy editing

Advertising copy editing is the check of advertising and marketing copy for spelling, grammar, style, consistency and impact before it is published. It catches the obvious blunders that trade media keep quoting, mistakes that, in the words of our Answers, “any proofreader worth his salt can (or should be able to) spot.”

German: Werbelektorat. At BMP, copy editors work in a team with adaptation experts, financial translators, journalists and copywriters (Why BMP).

Multi-stage editing

Multi-stage editing is a quality assurance process in which a text goes through several rounds of editing and checks before it is released. The checks cover content, style, terminology and cultural impact.

German: Mehrstufiges Redaktionssystem. Our How we work page shows where it fits in the process.

Native-speaker principle

The native-speaker principle is the rule that texts are translated or written by people whose mother tongue is the target language. It is widespread in the translation industry, because idiom, tone of voice and allusions come most reliably in one’s own mother tongue.

German: Muttersprachenprinzip. BMP hand-picks “adaptation teams made up of mother-tongue experts and copywriters to suit your specific product, medium and cultural group”; more under How we work.

Termbase

A termbase is a maintained collection of a company’s approved technical terms and their equivalents in other languages. It records which term applies and which variants are not to be used, often with a definition and an example. That way, the same fact has the same name in the management report, the investor presentation and the press release, year after year.

German: Terminologiedatenbank. BMP works with client-specific terminology databases and the same writing teams; more under Annual report translation and How we work.

Last updated: October 2026