The Definitive Guide to Buying Translation Services Eliminating the communication barriers Table of content #01 – Introduction #02 – Terminologies used in Translation Industry
Source and target language Globalization (Localizations + Internationalisation) Interpretation Transcreation
#03 – Types of Translation Machine Translation Computer Aided Translation Human Translators #04 – Quotes and Costing Word, Page & Line Counts #05 – Factors Affecting Impact Cost Subject Matter
Technicalities Marketing material Cost depending on rarity of language Formatting Output Urgency
#06 – Quality and speed
File format Context behind translation Reference material #07 – Choosing the Right Solution Machine Translation? Do-It-Yourself Freelance or Professional Translation Agency? Which one to opt for?
Agencies have extensive range of translators Agencies have committed project managers Agencies have outstanding proofreading processes Should you use your Local Sales Agent?
#08 – Choosing the right partner
How does one choose the right translation partner? Experience, the key to best outcomes 3 key questions to ask Price Vs. Quality Frequency of Your Needs Check for Accreditations and Testimonials …………………
#01 – Introduction Translating a document means giving it a different shape in altogether a different language, tone and style. It requires a profound understanding of the subject matter. The often asked question about whom to entrust the translation with is somewhat
tricky. This guide will explain each segment of a translation industry and give you a better understanding of how to tackle it on a personal, professional or legal level. Targeting a different community having a different dialect is tough, but if done correctly can be fruitful at the same time. E-commerce is the futuristic mode of conducting business. Supplying of products and services to the end consumers in any part of the world requires the adaptation of services to the targeted regions. For that matter, translation service provider’s services are availed. But sometimes there are business failures just because of the fact that marketing message hasn’t been conveyed across properly or due to the lack of essence of the brand in the translated version of the document. This guide is so designed to help you acquaint with the translation jargons, it’s types, prices, quality and ways of saving money while getting best of the best results. Because we believe in the first time right we want you to get the same results as well. By the end of this guide you will know how exactly translation takes place, the steps used and the process adopted along with multiple other things. Making you achieve your business goals! ……………………………… #02 – Terminologies used in Translation Industry Jargons used in translation industry are numerous, here we will give you a brief overview of the most widely used terminologies only. You will come across them every now and then. Just so you don't have that confused look while dealing we present to you the following.
Source and target language Source language is the original language document which needs to be translated to target language. Say if you want to translate your document from English to French then English here would be your source language and French as the corresponding target language. In highly professional translation agencies, the target language is usually the native language of the translator. This is so as to make sure that the translator not only has command over the language but also masters in the cultural nuances. And considering the cultural peculiarities put the document through accordingly. Globalization Globalization takes place when different cultures, trading and money fuse together due to the advancement of technology. The major rise has been witnessed in businesses targeting foreign markets for increased sale. This is where the role of a translation agency comes into play. A translation agency helps in localizing and internationalizing the products. • Localization Adapting a product to the needs of a specifically targeted country is known as localization. It involves considering all aspects pertaining to culture, language, dialect, and currency. The translation agency will help translate your product’s features and benefits to the prospective clients. Localizing the products have seen a significant hike in past few years owing to its ease of use and escalated sale results.
• Internationalization This step is usually done one time, which can later be adapted to different languages and cultures in localization step. It is the designing of core code that can be amended to local needs whichever you need. Localization coupled with internationalization leads to globalization. Interpretation Contrary to the translation of written words, interpretation is the rendering of oral spoken communication from one language to another. Transcreation Transcreation is usually used for translation of marketing material. Marketing strategy often uses puns and wordplay for defining the brand image. Transcreation aids in translating the document not literally but in close accordance with the marketing copy keeping in mind the context and cultural preferences, tone and style. This very category of translation is best handled by highly skilled and professional translators. Only can they take on this challenging task and put into consideration the cultural nuances and deliver a better translate document than a mere word-to-word- translation. …………………………………. #03 – Types of Translation Machine Translation Machine translation or MT is the automated process of translating word for word. MT is getting better and popular with time. But there would always be limitations to it in that it is devoid of the key feature of translating the document considering the cultural nuances
it gives a literal translation to be exact lacking the essence of the main text. Machine translation faces struggles in recognizing the whole phrases and matching them with the closest corresponding phrases in the target language. MT can, however, be used for getting the exact substitute of the word/s related to more formal fields like that of legal but for more natural language application and continuity it lacks true essence. Marketing strategy especially needs to use phrases and taglines that are catchy in their own way. The casual colloquialisms which bring feel and attracts the consumers are rarely put that way by the machine translators. Computer Aided Translation The king of translation in which a “human translator uses computer hardware to support and facilitate the translation process.� Equipped with the database of words, CAT offers the right translation, making the process of translation easy for the translator. It is more like a spell checker of MS word, which highlights and offers the correct word or phrase for any wrong or misspelled word. They store the previous data of translated source text and their corresponding target text. It is tremendously popular among translators and every high ranking professional translation service provider is equipped with CAT tools. Coping with the trend our translators are also equipped with this advanced memory program. It is widely effective in long-term projects lying under the same category, where there are lots of repeated words and segments. Its benefits can be huge but still cannot surpass human efficiency and is
actually dependant on human input. An incorrectly used word or phrase can otherwise prove to be extra problematic. Human Translators The accuracy and quality that human translators offer are impossible to beat. Human translation is considered the most laborintensive translation service in translation industry so they can cost more but the value would be guaranteed in that case. The machine translations or computer-aided tools are just for assisting the human translators in many folding their efficiency. They can’t stand on their own. Don’t settle for any less, when you can opt for the best! …………………………………………
#04 – Quotes and Costing Every translation project will cost you some bucks. But what should be kept in mind before handing over your project to the agency? What pricing methods are there on the market? And the factors that affect the cost of translation services? To acquaint you with the frequently used practices here is a complete guide for the same; Different translation agencies offer different pricing methods some use rate per word while others as the rate per page or per line. Now that wouldn’t give you a clear picture of which one to choose and who would actually be providing quality services. Word, Page & Line Counts It is always recommended to compare word count. Always opt for the ones offering their services and Costing on the basis of word count. Lines and pages are driven by the margins, size and style of font and line spacing. If you have opted for word count such things song matter in that case.
The output of target language can differ from that of the source language. The translated text of the target language can be shorter or longer than the source file because of its structure and characters. It is therefore advisable to consider the output format and word count mentioned in the quote. For instance text in Spanish can take up considerably more space than that of English. Though nothing can be said for sure it is better to have a rough idea and estimation prior to handing over your project. …………………………….
#05 – Factors Affecting Cost As much as length matters in determining the cost of a translation document, there are certainly other things that count too in estimating the cost. Subject Matter Technicalities The more technical a document is the costlier it will be. Because it would require extra time, attention, expertise, and understanding of the subject matter. So if you are looking for the handling of your technical document then you should look into the agency's expertise in the field of your choosing and look at their precious records and reviews by other clients to get a better idea. Marketing material Marketing material needs equal attention and creativity. If it’s not creatively attempted then the end result might lack in the actual essence of the source text. We know exactly what our clients want that is why we handle each project with equal care and absolute precision. We assign the task to
the most relevant translator having the highest level of expertise in his field. If you want a technical document to be translated we choose technical post-graduates from our experienced staff. Freelancers can rarely be entrusted with such responsibilities. Cost depending on rarity of language There are certain language combinations that are infrequent. These rare languages are difficult to tackle and have rare translators hence are usually costly. Formatting Estimating the word count and fixing rate is easier and hence cheaper in word files which are editable. On the other hand, scanned and PDF files may have ambiguities in the word count which affects the cost in return. We for added accuracy run the document through the OCR tools (optical character recognition) to get a word count and accurate quote the very first time. Output As has been explained earlier, the addition of more technicalities calls for an increased price. If your output requires the publication, website content management or complete designing of brochures along with translation – then the agency may cost you few extra bucks for those additional services. Urgency The more urgent a task is the costlier it will be. A short time notice would require accommodating all the services in a few hours or a few days. It is therefore advised to plan the translation service requirement in advance so as to minimize the cost. We on the other hand have and will always entertain our clients with the most
affordable and flexible rates meeting your budget needs. We don’t have any hidden fee and mention the quote in a straightforward manner. The above-mentioned factors can heavily influence the prices of translation. If the document is urgently required while it also has to be technically dealt, by giving it a proper website shape, then that will increase the cost much more. Proofreading Proofreading plays a vital role as it eliminates all unnecessary words and corrects the poorly structured phrases. It has always helped in polishing the document and enhancing the end results. Proofreading too requires specialist expertise to spot the details and point out the minor or major discrepancies which an ordinary person is unable to do so. The cultural nuances if not corrected in the translated document can have an impact on your sales and growth altogether. Our proofreaders are our translators who take on the task and gives a smoother finer output. ………………….
#06 – Quality and speed Achieving a high quality, fast turnaround and affordable price for a translation is possible as they are closely interlinked. But there are a few things that do affect the three factors individually or collectively. File format An editable file i.e. in the form of the Word is very convenient for translators to use, helping them in finding the word count easily hence reverting with a faster quote with fair charges. It also consequently helps in translating the document easily and quickly.
So it’s always advisable to use proper formatting while sending the document to the translator for quick and affordable services. Context behind translation Giving a context for the translation could be of great value both to the translators and clients. Like giving a slight description about audiences that who must they be and who is being targeted. One should also give the details about the purpose of translation i.e. if it’s for escalating sales or if the document needs to be submitted for immigration purposes. Also the final format of the document (e.g. website, magazine, pamphlet, brochure, technical manual). Reference material While additional relevant information could also be of great benefit pertaining to that of previous translations, company style guide, glossaries etc. ………………..
#07 – Choosing the Right Solution Machine Translation As already discussed, machine translations are free and best suited for finding a substitute of a word or two. But! They have limitations of not understanding the context correctly and their accuracy is always at stake. It is not a guaranteed way by any means. Such tools are just for aiding people and can’t stand on their own for carrying out guaranteed accurate results. They eventually, if used, can tarnish your image in the business world leading to reduced sales and decelerating pace of growth. If you still aren’t convinced, try it yourself by translating from there first and then assigning the same to a professional translator. You will see a huge difference. Nothing in today’s life is for free if it
doesn’t cost you a thing here it would cost you – the huge deficit in your business. And you can’t afford any risks in today’s competitive age. Do-It-Yourself Some people rely on their own skills or of their immediate colleagues or friends, who are so-called fluent in the source language and the corresponding target language. The considerable free options kind of always attracts but they always come with consequences. Being fluent or bilingual can’t ever be equivalent to the techniques that a professional translator uses. Professional translators are equipped with the in-depth knowledge of translation techniques, a very wide vocabulary, research skills and experience which you or your colleague may lack. So never attempt do-ityourself unless you are dead sure that you can yield the same results as that of a professional translator. Freelance or Professional Translation Agency? Which one to opt for? People are usually faced with the quizzical query of whether to choose freelancer or translation agency to entrust their translation with. The proliferation of the internet has significantly changed the dynamics of the working environment. With everyone’s reach to the web world, the possibilities of landing a job for any and everyone is equally alike and easier than before. With it also comes, the advantage of working on one's own. But on the contrary, affiliating with a company the credibility doubles up. What should a client do in that case? Should he opt for a freelancer or an agency? The answer is quite obvious that is a translation agency, not being biased but it takes the responsibility head-on while also offering a number of other features. Following will brief you about the advantages a translation agency could bless you with, unlike the freelancers. This
is said with such surety because many clients come to us after having a poor experience with the freelancers and DIY techniques. Agencies have extensive range of translators Agencies have translators ranging from one and all fields. They know better who would be suitable for your translation knowing their expertise better. They work closely with translators ensuring best results. Having a number of translators also give the upper hand of having a multitude of the workforce. This gives the agency the ability to beat deadlines as they can use a number of their translators instead of just one trusted translator who might be busy with some other task. Agencies have committed project managers Larger translation agencies have dedicated p88roject managers who make sure to communicate and simplify the process for you. They act as mediators between clients and agency. They also make sure to minimize the problems if and so any arises. They get back to clients with one simple email comprising of the copy of document and invoice avoiding unnecessary emails and confusing points id contact. Agencies have outstanding proofreading processes Proofreading helps in polishing the end result. It aids in eliminating all mistakes big and small. Having numerous translators, translation agencies can hand down the translated material to anyone of them who can recheck the whole document for any kind of misspells or wrongly used phrases and correct tricky technical mistakes if there are any.
Should you use your Local Sales Agent? In most of the cases, companies employ sales agent in a certain geographic location instead of having to bear the extra expenses of allying satellite offices of employing staff. Such partnerships are better strategically for growing sales but they should not be considered for translation purposes. It’s because of the fact that they lack experience in the translation field. They hence lack in the communications methods thereby devoiding the brand message of the actual essence. They might as well be the representatives of other brands and using them may hegemonies your message. ……………………….
#08 – Choosing the right partner How does one choose the right translation partner? By now you would have understood how important it is for your brand to be projected in the right manner by dedicated and most proficient service providers. They can be none other than the translation agencies who take full responsibility upon themselves to give you best experience of your life. Since you’ve realized the fact you wouldn’t want the local sales agents or freelancers to undertake your project and in return give you a sloppy, inaccurately attempted translation. Most of the clients that come to us have some sour prior experience with local sales agents, freelancers, and local in-country staff. Where we as translation agency strive to meet ends by beating deadlines and providing best of the best quality services, those sales agents, unfortunately, failed to do so. Where our staff comprises of thousands of skilled individuals having years of experience, then
how can an inexperienced freelancer match our standards and efficiency. The global market has flourished by leaps and bounds over the years so in order to come at par with it businesses look for highly competent translators. Those of them who are expert enough in the terms you use and the terminologies of relevant industry of the language you are targeting also knowing about the medium you are using for projecting your message (e.g. website, brochure, print, electronic etc.) What is it that you should look for while shortlisting a translation partner? Experience, the key to best outcomes There is no substitute for experience. Experience can beat all the odds. In case of translation, experience should be considered from 3 main perspectives. Time served – the translation company’s time duration in which they have served the industry tells about their reliability. If they have been in the industry for more than a decade then it sure would be providing something worth it that is helping in moving it. Also, check statistics about how many clients have they served so far and how many of them returned again for availing their services. This can reassure the fact that it is their quality services that force a client to come back and have their excellent services again. Industry Experience – a business that’s been established and running great must be doing something right to have achieved such a level of growth. But it’s not just what they are selling rather it also includes a number of other features like their marketing strategy, what they have been translating and how accurately well are they projecting their image. This will help you in reassuring that they
have right kind of translators who are helping them achieve great results. Also, make sure that the translation agency has specific language experience. This will assure you to relax as far as clarity of document is concerned. Service Experience – documents that need to be translated fall under various categories. The category of a document can be legal, marketing, sales development with the website as a medium, brochure, good magazines or technical user manuals. The translation of every type differed from that of the other. While some can be casual toned others can be highly formal or even emotive depending on the type of document it is. So always look through such features thoroughly and then rest assured for better results. If you see the track record of a company having translated a user manual in Spanish for a manufacturing company then know that you can rely on such agency with your task. 3 key questions to ask: • How long has the agency translated for? • Who has the agency translated for? • What been translated for them? Asking these questions before giving your translation to some agency will give you countless end results and you would be confident enough about who is handling your translation for you. Price Vs. Quality Price is one factor among many in choosing a translation agency. The whole credit can’t be given to just this one factor. If you entrust your translation to any translation service provider solely on the basis of price then you are being unjust to your business leading to results which you wouldn’t have ever imagined.
The lack of quality and accuracy will cost you further by again giving it for a refined final look. We have dealt with such scenarios a number of times when clients come to us with an improperly put translated document or an incomplete one. Some people send their documents to different translation agencies for getting quotes and go for the lowest per word cost. But if this was the only way to choose then every big industry too would have done the same. But they don’t because they know the real worth of their product so consider all aspects while choosing a translation agency. The real value comes from professional translations that help in communicating the brand in the most accurate way possible understanding the cultural preferences. So the only way to choose an agency is based on the prices coupled with quality and accuracy. If you think that quicker response/ quote from the translation agency means efficient results then you are wrong in thinking so. they might just be using an automated pricing technique rather than taking into account the actual requirement of the translation document. We, on the other hand, take 30 minutes in reverting back to our clients only after carefully going through the details and requirements minimizing any chances of discrepancies that might arise in later stages. Frequency of Your Needs If your project demands continual updating and it’s ever ongoing, make sure that the company you choose has the larger workforce and staffing capabilities to meet your needs as per requirements. Larger translation agencies are able to accommodate larger projects within the shortest time possible. This will give you the satisfaction of not having to worry about quality, delivery time and professionalism.
Check for Accreditations and Testimonials In a matter of choosing great translation agency, it comes with tremendous benefits. They offer testimonials in any sector. They also explain their processes and can offer CAT tools to give even better value for money by recurring terminologies and phrases. Always look for ATC and EUATC accreditation when looking for a reliable translation agency. We are proud members of these two accreditation companies. There’s no magic formula of getting the right kind of translation services, you just have to be vigilant and adopt the above mentioned tips and tricks for best results.