Free guide to translation

If you are new to translation, it can be a bit of a daunting process. There is just no way for you to know if your information will be translated correctly! Or is there? You hear of so many translation blunders, yet the biggest mistake an organisation can make in translation is not to translate at all. Translations lead to more business as they tell your clients you have a serious commitment to creating products and services they can relate to. This will put you ahead of your competitiors who haven't bothered to do the same.

You have, of course, searched the internet, asked friends and made phone calls to various companies to find out just how to get through the language maze. You read pages of information claiming that their translation service is the most accurate, the quickest, or the cheapest. But how can you tell that your translation will not only be accurate but you will be getting value for money?

Having spent a number of years working with the language industry I like to believe I know what to look for in a good translation. Let me share some tips with you about how to tell a good translation, from a bad translation, and how to tell a good translation company from a so-so one.

Even if the only language you speak is English, alarm bells should ring if numbers or names are incorrect, formatting is out of wack or sentences are missing from your translations. If your translation is into English, it shouldn't read like something written by a non-native speaker. If it reads like a translation, it's not a good translation. You should always insist on the translation being checked by a second translator: another pair of eyes does make a difference to the accuracy, style and flow of your translation.

Signs of a good translation company include:

A good translation company will keep its promises
A good translation company has great customer service, is responsive and easy to work with
A good translation company allocates a dedicated staff member to communicate with you
A good translation company takes their job and customers seriously
A good translation company has the skills, resources and staff to work quickly and efficiently
A good translation company will provide you with a quote, working within your budget and deadlines
A good translation company is keen to provide you with solutions to your language problems
A good translation company has the right equipment, tools and technical capabilities
A good translation company will ask you lots of questions and take note of your answers

Now of course we are all price conscious. No one wants to pay a ridiculous amount of money if they don't have to! So have a look around, but remember the cost of a mistranslated document will no doubt be much higher than the cost of using a decent translation company to begin with. So consider first the points discussed above and, once you have narrowed your search down to companies that have quality assurance procedures in place, then start looking at price. I always find it helpful to call the companies you are thinking of using and see what they sound like over the phone. This will help you narrow your search further and the principles of good customer service should apply here, too.

Once you've decided on the company you're going to use, let's look at the text you need translated. The quality of the translation depends heavily on the original text. Read through and proof read the text you need translated to ensure that it brings your message across accurately. By doing this first it will save you time and money in the future. Also make sure you can be contacted with any queries regarding the translation. If your translation company has no way to contact you then it will no doubt take longer than necessary to complete.

Wondering how to proof read your text? The first tip is to print it off, find somewhere quiet to do it, take breaks to avoid loosing concentration. Often, if you spend too much time with a document you will find it difficult to see the errors. It is a good idea to hand the text to someone else so they can proof read it as well. Give it a day or two and go back to it. No doubt you will need to change a few things.

It sounds like a lot of work but in the long run it will make the translation process cheaper, easier and quicker for both you and the translation company. Becoming interested and engaged in the process, whilst seemingly time consuming, will teach you about languages, cultures and the newest technology available in the translation industry. Knowing more about translation will put you in control help you get more value out of the translation.