Linguists & Translators | Local Services

For many businesses today, trading takes place globally. There is more need than ever to connect with multiple cultures and to speak in many languages, in order to be able to take advantage of world markets. As an obvious corollary, demand for translators and translations have increased rapidly. One of the first decisions that you will have to take is whether you carry out your translations in-house, or choose an outside agency.

Analyse your Requirement
The first aspect you need to focus on, is whether your translation needs are a one-off requirement, or whether you need regular translations in bulk. Bulk typically infers more than 25,000 words per month. Another aspect to think about, is the number of languages you need your original material translated into. That is to say, do you need translations to be undertaken in one or two languages, or in many languages.

If you need bulk translations in one or two languages, it may be better to employ a professional translator full time in your organisation. If your needs are broader, it may be prudent to hire translation agencies. They can arrange translations in many languages and, if your schedule is tight, can provide more manpower in the form of not only translators but proofreaders too - and will contract to perform the tasks within the stipulated time frame.

Another option you can explore is freelance translators. They will be cheaper to employ than agencies and will not impose additional fixed costs on your organisation in contrast with permanent employees.

As is the case with all other areas of operation, performing translation in-house will, in the longer term, be cheaper in comparison with using outside agencies. You will need to balance expenses with quality and speed, before you take a final decision. After all, communication with potential customers is the life blood of modern day business and should not be compromised or delayed if possible.

What should you look for in a translator
It is always better to hire a translator with some professional training in translation. It needs to be remembered that good command over a language does not necessarily make a good translator. Translation is a specific technique and it needs special training to be an expert in it.

The other thing you must remember is that the translator should always translate INTO his / her mother tongue. This will rule out any awkward forms of expression which will almost certainly occur if the translator translates into a second language.

The other point which also merits some thought, is the general background of the translator. If the translator has a fair idea about the subject matter they're translating, they will not only be able to work faster, but will also avoid more obvious faux pas in the process of translation. There are many terms used in Electronics, Physics (especially Astrophysics) and Chemistry, for example, which have a completely different meaning to a layperson.

Even if you leave aside the morfe rarefied realms of pure science and consider the ordinary marketing materials that so often crowd your in-box, you will come across so many words and expressions which have a figurative meaning. These words or expressions need not be translated as such. They need to be transliterated, so that the original flavour of the work remains intact. There have been countless instances when literal translation of words and terms has resulted in ridiculous output. Your translator must have the capability to identify these and to treat them accordingly.

An example may be helpful. An automobile giant in an Asian country named one of its products 'Nova', probably referring to those hyper bright heavenly bodies. It sold well in most of the targeted countries, but in Spanish 'Nova' means 'going nowhere'. Just imagine the ridicule the product would have faced in Spanish speaking countries if it entered the market with that name.

Another relevant example, not directly related to translation, concerns cultural nuances which vary widely from region to region. A European car manufacturer saw a surge in its bottom-line through sales of a small hatchback. Yellow was the colour chosen by the majority of European consumers. Buoyed by this success, the company wanted to try its luck in China and stocked it's showrooms with yellow coloured hatchbacks. To its dismay, it found that in spite of a high pitched promotional campaign and attractive discounts, sales failed to take off. Thorough research into the situation, revealed that yellow is a colour associated with bad times and hardship in China. If the company had known this beforehand, it would have saved a great deal of money (and potential brand damage). In the absence of specific cultural advice, perhaps a translator more conversant with the cultural nuances of the targeted country could have warned the company of such an outcome.

Computer Aided translation (CAT)
The basic aim of this software is to recycle translations carried out in the past. It checks original material for sentences which tally with its database of previous translations, and replaces the sentences with previously translated material. In this way the translation job may potentially be completed more efficiently. However, a good translation job always requires meticulous proofreading and there is nothing akin to fully automated translation -- particularly in handling contextual meaning. It always requires human involvement and vetting for translated copy to finally pass muster.

Thus, when you are foraying into new languages and markets, take special care in the production of translated promotional materials. Well chosen, correctly translated material, can strike just the right chord, while a mistake may cost you dearly.

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