Translating history, culture and parts: a specialized approach to “Connaissance”

Most people aren’t familiar with the term connaissance. You might have guessed it’s a French term, but you probably didn’t know it means knowledge.

On the other hand, most people are familiar with Mopar_®. From the 1940s to now, Mopar is 80+ years young with a worldwide reach, distributing parts and accessories to more than 150 global markets.

That’s where the JRT agency^® comes in. Last year alone, Mopar U.S. and Canada sold over $43 million in parts through our parts ordering system on the Mopar Dealer Site. That’s more than 740,000 Mopar items flowing through the parts ordering system and 2,400+ FCA U.S. and Canada dealers.

Two women looking at a card — (From left) Mopar_® Canada Account Coordinator/Junior Copywriter Beth Vaughn and Mopar U.S. Senior Account Executive Lindsay Leonard drive richer cultural impact as part of the JRT agency team. Here, they review final promotional materials for Mopar Québécois dealers

JRT goes beyond providing traditional client and creative work to discovering a brand’s unique cultural individuality. So, just as Mopar Parts are world-renowned for their O.E. quality and impeccable fit, we approach language with the same high-quality standard. Our client’s marketing is crafted to be a perfect fit for each geography – unique to its language and cultural connaissance.

On the Mopar Canada Dealer Site, we understand that our Canadian clients have unique language needs, so we go beyond translating pounds to kilos and inches to millimeters to ensure that Canadian English is the colourful favourite. For our Mopar Québécois dealers, we likewise go beyond French-language translations – we tailor materials to the unique culture of that very special region’s social, political and historical backgrounds.

A woman speaking into a microphone — Language is more than words and meaning; intonation, voice inflection and regional cultural cues very much matter. Here, Vaughn records a French Canadian voiceover for video

We make this a reality thanks to the well-oiled machine made up of our highly collaborative account and creative teams that specialize in this assignment. How? Don’t label our team as strictly bilingual, they actually immerse themselves in a variety of cultures, regularly working through language programs of local universities to stay current on various regions, provinces and countries of the world. A recent example? During a recent meeting at Central Michigan University, our team member met with the Mid-West delegate for Québec to discuss opportunities within the automotive sector and beyond.

Two women and one man standing in front of a bookshelf — Vaughn visits Central Michigan University to discuss future opportunities for Québec with members of the Mid-West delegate for Québec: (from left) PhD Professor of French Amy J. Ransom and Public & Governmental Affairs Officer, Québec Delegation in Chicago Martin Dionne

This passion – this multicultural knowledge and motivation – allows us to view client opportunities through a different lens and think critically about how language influences how we all see the world.

Is your brand maximizing its connaissance? Let us show you how. Reach us here.