Mar-1-2010

An acquaintance recently told me about a situation in which a consultant needed a document translated for some prospective business in Africa. To complete the translation the consultant used a free online language translation tool and sent it off to his customer. Unfortunately, the translation was inaccurate and his message was misunderstood resulting in the client losing confidence in the consultant’s ability to handle the project.

In order to avoid a similar fate, you can follow this brief guide which will help you understand the services you might need and how to choose a qualified and experienced translation agency – often referred to as a Language Services Provider (LSP) - to translate your brochure, advertisement, business presentation, direct mail or to localize your company website.

Your natural inclination will be to utilize these cost-free resources at your fingertips:

• The receptionist who studied French in high school;
• A foreign college student attending a university in your city;
• An online source that utilizes only machine translation; or
• Bilingual employees without specific training in linguistics or translation.

However, none of the above are qualified to provide you with a professional translation and the results can not only be disastrous, but also have negative effects on your company image.

The means to successfully manage the translation of any corporate materials into a foreign language is to engage a qualified and experienced LSP. Such an agency offers quality control procedures that include professional translation, editing and proofreading to produce publication-quality documents and web content. They use only native speakers of the target language (the foreign language the document needs to be converted into), and have customized translation teams with educational backgrounds and experience in the translation subject matter.

It is helpful if the agency sources translators from a professional organization, such as the American Translator's Association. Such associations outline industry standards that often require linguists to pass qualifying exams for certification, to fulfill continuing education requirements and to follow the guidelines for producing superior translations. A reputable LSP will select linguists not just on the quality of their translations, but on their working knowledge of a specific subject matter.

Yourinternational project may require an assortment of multilingual services typically provided by a qualified LSP. The list below can assist you in determining the services required to effectively complete your language translation project.

• Translation is the process of rendering text from one language to another.

• Website Localization is the process of adapting the content of an existing website for a foreign or domestic ethnic group and generally includes the translation of text, as well as the substitution of graphics and navigation elements so that they are suitable for the target audience.

• Voice-overs are used in film or videos. The commentary is provided by an off-screen voice actor who reads a previously translated script.

• Subtitling is the printed translation of the dialogue of a foreign-language film, video or live broadcast and is shown at the bottom or top of the screen. For example, if the spoken language in the film is Italian, the subtitles may be in English.

• Interpretation involves the facilitation of oral communication between speakers of different languages. The presenter may speak in Korean and the linguist will verbalize in English. Simultaneous, also know as UN-Style interpretation, is used at international conferences, focus groups and for live feeds. The linguist interprets as the presenter speaks.

• Consecutive interpretation is often used for small business meetings, tours, courts and over the phone in real time. Here the interpreter takes notes as the individual speaks and then summarizes what the speaker has said.

• Transcription is the written record of an audio file. In foreign language transcription, the linguist listens to the spoken words in one language then translates them directly in a full written copy. Often in transcription, a client may only require converting the audio to text files for their records.

A competent LSP will also utilize technology and provide the perfect balance of native speaking linguists and Computer-Aided Translation (CAT) tools. Do not confuse these tools with the online translation tools mentioned at the beginning of this article. CAT tools are computer applications used by professional translators to help them work accurately and efficiently in creating glossaries, managing terminology or creating translation memories in order to produce consistent, culturally-appropriate translations. The use of such tools may also reduce costs and turnaround times for the client.

In reference to the costs involved for language translations, most LSPs charge on a per-word basis or an hourly basis depending on the languages involved and the services required.

In my next article I will discuss the steps you can take to prepare your materials for translation to achieve trouble free document translations.

Angela Marie Franco is a member of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce Global Business Committee and is the Director of Business Development at G3 Translate www.g3translate.com.

angela@g3translate.com

tel: (+1) 212.889.5077 x319