A little knowledge is dangerous. This proverb readily applies to the translation industry, which tends to be more than many mistakes. Many of us have taken courses in another language and constantly translated sentences and phrases. As a result, the idea of doing this professionally seems excessive. Does not a translator do the same as us, only with complete documents instead of manual exercises?
It couldn’t be further from the truth. Translators are dedicated professionals and their work is not easy to reproduce. To obtain a qualitative result, the translation process must be used with a mind free of the following misunderstandings:
1. Translators translate words:
“Automatic” dictionaries and translations, such as those performed by free online translation agency London programs, work word for word. On the other hand, a translator tries to understand the meaning of the original text and to express that meaning in the new language.
This explains why translation programs cannot produce professional-quality translations. A concept that can be expressed with a word in one language is best expressed with a complete sentence or form language in another language. Eg. Should a translator decide how to deal with words such as German damage scams (joy gained from other people’s problems) or phrases such as French stairway mood (ingenuity of stairs, or think of an intelligent return after a moment).
Another reason why simplified word-for-word translations are not professionally acceptable is that words have different meanings when placed in different contexts. A translator must understand the context of each word to identify the correct equivalent in the target language. For example, what should a translator do for the English word “lead”? Depending on the context, it may be an acquisition or a dense metal.
2. Translators can translate
While some talented people can do that, most translators can only provide high-quality results by translating a document into their native language. Translators are expected to produce documents that are read as written by a native speaker. Of course, very few people reach this level of familiarity with another language.
According to the American Translators Association, translation into a foreign or acquired language is the height of unprofessional behavior. Before transferring your translation work to a person, check their qualifications. In addition to being a native speaker of the target language, a good translator must also be certified in his / her language pair and familiar with the learning material.
3. Translation and interpretation are the same:
Although they share similar goals, they are two separate transactions. A good translator is not necessarily a good interpreter or vice versa. The translation is written while the interpretation is oral. Translators take a written document and convert it into a new language. Interpreters listen to the speech and quickly translate it into the target language. While translation requires reading and writing skills, interpreters use listening and speaking skills. Translators must have a deeper understanding of the language to be translated, teach grammar and experience with the subject. Interpreters need stronger powers to remember and pronounce short-term memory.
4. Translation is not necessary in my industry:
Does your industry exist in another country? People all over the world have the same wants and needs. Someone benefits from meeting these needs and there is no reason why someone cannot be you. Globalization is a fact. Technology has blurred boundaries, enabling any business to expand into new markets. Discover your new customers and suppliers abroad?
Even if your business decides to stay in the country, translation is a growing need. More than 50 million Americans speak a language other than English at home, including more than 30 million Spanish speakers. In addition, research has shown that most people prefer to act in their native language. With globalization, your industry may be forced to compete with foreign companies to meet the needs.
What should you look out for with a language translator?
Today, strong competition is consuming the international market and is affecting the level of communication for all large and small companies. Companies now spend large sums to translate languages freely. Today, many companies hope to expand their presence in the world and want to transfer their commercial messages to the local and international market. They want their message delivered to the target audience just as clearly so that they hire the language translation service to qualified translators who can translate your important documents with impeccable precision.
The important point to understand is that outsourcing the translation work by an inexperienced or novice professional can be very risky. Therefore, it is very important to hire an experienced language translator. So, if you are one of those who want to hire a professional translator or even a company, here are some important considerations to keep in mind:
Certified Language Translator – Professional language translation can play an important role in the success and growth of your business; therefore, it is important that you only hire a sworn translator from an approved translation agency for this job. The main advantage of hiring a sworn translator is that he or she knows the standards of translation accuracy. Accuracy is absolutely guaranteed with a sworn translator or translation agency.
Samples: Always ask for samples of the work previously done by the translator. This small step can help you measure the quality of a language translator or translation agency. In addition, you can give them a small translation assignment and see how well the document has been translated. Depending on the quality and accuracy of the translated document, you can make a final decision.
Proofreading: Make sure you have a different opinion from a native speaker who knows the language and the industry well. Performing this small operation can give you a complete guarantee of the quality and precision of the translator who can provide you.
Experience: Working with an experienced language translator can always be an advantage. There is nothing wrong with working with a new translation service provider or translator in this industry, but choosing one with experience can always be safer. An experienced translator will be able to offer better quality because he is aware of the complexity of the profession.
With all these factors in mind, it can certainly help you transfer the translation work to a reliable translator or translation agency that can provide a good translation result.