To start with, the difficulty for you is that there is no easy way of knowing whether one translation service is better than another. They all promise accurate translations yet they are not all created equal. Some proclaim unending quality while others promise low prices. The latter is the first obvious danger signal. The simple truth is that good translators are not cheap, nor should they be. The translation service also needs to add on its cut, ranging from 10%-50% on top of the translator's price depending on whether they review the translations.
So, if the prices are too low, it is most likely the translator's cut that has suffered. This will undoubtedly mean that you'll only get inexperienced or poor translators. If all you want is to understand what a document is about, then you'd probably be better off saving your money and using one of the free online machine translation systems. If, on the other hand, the material is for your clients then it might be worth getting the job done properly. The bottom line is that in choosing a translation service, price should not be your ultimate deciding factor but rather one piece of the overall translation pie.
It is easy to calculate how much you spend on translations. What's not so easy is determining how much poor translations will cost you!
So set price aside and consider these skill sets when evaluating a translation service. That way, you can be certain you're comparing good apples with good apples as opposed to bad apples with rotten apples. Ask yourself:
Q) How does the translation service select its translators? A) Do the team members undergo a rigorous selection process? Are they required to prove native proficiency in THE language into which they translate? If not, you should seriously consider looking elsewhere. The money you save in affordable yet meaningless translations will more than be eaten up by the opportunities you lose because of them.
Q) Are you sure the translators only work into their native language? A) That Spanish-born and -raised English to Spanish translator may be the perfect choice if the target market is Spain. But what if you want to target the UK? No matter how good her English may be, that Spanish professional no longer looks like the right person for the job, does she?
Q) Does the translation service specialise in the type of material you want to translate? A) If you broke your leg, you'd want the best orthopaedic surgeon to set it - you wouldn't rely on a dermatologist to get the job done right, would you? Your translation needs shouldn't settle for anything less than the best and most suitable expert either. If you're a financial services provider, for example, look for a translation service that specialises in financial material.
Q) Does the translation service specialise in some languages, or does it offer every language under the sun? A) You know the saying: "Jack of all trades, master of none." If a translation service claims to be an expert in all languages, scrutinise that claim.
Once again, it is easy to calculate how much you spend on translations. What's not so easy is determining how much poor translations will cost you. Why take your chances with a cheap translation service that produces lacklustre results when you could have a leading translation service with guaranteed results? When you think about it, the choice seems obvious.
Of course, with cars, clothing, stereo equipment and other tangible items, you can drive it, try it on, test it out, show your friends or even take pictures of it with your new trendy cell phone and possibly send an MMS to your significant other to see if he/she likes it. Unfortunately, this is not the case with translations and/or translators.
So where to start, then? If the document has any value or importance whatsoever you should strongly consider locating and using a professional language translation service. Sure, there are websites that claim to do it for free. However the reality is you will receive a horrendous translation - believe it or not, it is just too difficult of a science for a computer or website to do. A highly skilled and experienced human translator is necessary.
You might think that having your bilingual friend help you out would be a better option. However, this could potentially lead to problems also.
"Translation is a learned skill, just like anything else. Just knowing two languages doesn't mean you know how to bridge the linguistic divide between those two languages. That is what you need formal training for," says Sandra Alboum, President of Alboum & Associates Language Services and an experienced translator herself.
"Languages have different syntaxes, grammars, cadences...and it takes a trained person to be able to know where these differences are, and how to apply them," continues Alboum. "Translators are multilingual writers. They are trained to be sensitive to nuance and to faithfully render one text into another."
Taking it one step further a good professional translator should bring additional skills and knowledge to the table. "They are often also specialized in a particular field - law, medicine, etc. - and have a better grasp on the terminology of the field than someone off the street," says Alboum. "They're also trained in reference work - we know where to look when we can't find things."
While as often is the case in today's hustle and bustle corporate world, where things are always urgent and frequently done last minute, if at all possible adequate time should be allowed for the translation process. When dealing with technical or complex materials, it might take almost as long to translate the text as it was to originally write it.
Tone, style and intended target audience can also come into play relating to professional language translation services. "People ask a translation be done in a different tone than the original," says Alboum. "We often have clients send us very technical documents and ask that we translate it for the common man. While we always try to cater our services to best meet a client's needs, our job is to translate what we are given, as it is presented to us. If it needs to be understood by the common man in a foreign language, it needs to be written as such in the original language."
A few other misnomers include the assumption that a great translator can translate anything. "Translators have specialties, just like everyone else. A legal translator is probably not going to be interested in or able to translate a text on rocket fuel," explains Alboum.
Finally, one should be aware that purchasing professional translation services may not be as cheap as one may hope. "Translation is a highly-skilled professional service, just like hiring a consultant, lawyer, or accountant. The final product is often directly linked to the price you pay."
Follow some of these rules and guidelines when shopping for your first translation and you'll be headed in the right direction.
Both Tj Leary & Jerry Work are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Tj Leary has sinced written about articles on various topics from Language, Education and Language. Stranslations offers professional language in English, French, Spanish, German and other major European languages.The original version of this arti. Tj Leary's top article generates over 27100 views. to your Favourites.
Jerry Work has sinced written about articles on various topics from Blogging, Home and Internet Marketing. Alboum & Associates is a provider of based in Arlington, Virginia. Visit. Jerry Work's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.