Compromise Between Quality and Cost of Translation Services Translation is a burgeoning industry in today’s global economy. Books, scientific reports, technical manuals, websites — all must be translated to reach readers and customers around the world. But clients are on their own in purchasing translation services. There is no internationally recognized credentialing system: anyone can call himself a translator. Nor is there consistency in pricing. And clients who don’t speak the target language have little way to judge the quality of the translation they’ve bought. Translators deal with written documents, whether printed or electronic. Interpreters deal with oral speech. The two professions use different skill sets and are largely performed by different people. The following suggestions apply to written translations.  Preparing a Translation Job The right preparation can save money. The American Translators Association (ATA) suggests three steps in their booklet “Translation — Getting It Right: A Guide to Buying Translations.” - Determine the quality needed. Is the document something informal, like an internal memo, that merely needs to be readable? If a rough translation will do, you may be able to negotiate a lower rate. But if the document is going to be published, then you need a polished translation.
- Cut words. Most translators charge by the word, so if you can shorten the document beforehand, you’ll save money.
- Finalize the text. If you send a document for translation while it’s still being revised, you risk paying for the translation of text that may later be rewritten or scrapped.
In seeking quotes on a job, specify the language pair (for example, English into German), the number of words, the end product, the level of translation desired, and the deadline. Ensuring Translation Quality Translation isn’t a matter of making simple word-to-word matches. If it were, one translator would be as good as another. But conveying meaning with language is a complex process, and translators vary widely in the quality of their work. Three principles: - Good translators work into their native language. For example, a translator whose mother tongue is English might translate from French, Spanish, and Italian, but only into English, her native language. Translators’ claims to go both ways, for example, Spanish into English and English into Spanish, should be regarded with skepticism.
- Good translators are good writers. People who are bilingual may converse fluently in two languages, but if they are not skillful writers in the target language, they will not produce smooth translations.
- Good translators specialize. The translation sector includes various subsectors, such as medical, legal, commercial, and literary translation. Professional translators usually specialize in one or several, becoming familiar with their concepts and terminology. Don’t ask a medical translator to translate a brief on patent law, and beware of a translator who claims to do everything well.
Choosing a Translation Services Company or Freelance Translator
If you hire a translation agency, the work may be done by their in-house staff, but it will more likely be farmed out to a freelancer. Since the agency takes a cut, you may end up paying a premium for the same freelancer you could have hired directly for less. But a translation company also handles translator selection, project management, and quality control. The other choice is to hire an individual. Globalization of the translation marketplace, made possible by the Internet, means that any job offer will attract responses from translators around the world — some competent, some not. A few pointers: - References and sample documents are the best guide. Ask colleagues in your field for the names of translators they’ve used. Ask the translator to provide sample documents or links to websites that he or she has translated, in the field that your job is in.
- Membership in the American Translators Association or its equivalent in another country suggests a serious professional. The ATA maintains a searchable directory of its members on its website.
- Formal credentials are a positive sign, but no guarantee. Some countries have central credentialing agencies for translators. The United States does not, though translators may be certified by private programs. The ATA has an examination-based certification program; so do some universities.
- High cost doesn’t guarantee high quality, but very low cost is a red flag. You might save money by hiring a translator based in a low-wage country, but this only makes sense if the translator is working into his or her native language.
Free Online Translation: You Get What You Pay For Translation software packages and free online translators are tempting. But machine translation is always crude, and often laughable. It may be sufficient if a rough, information-only translation is all that’s needed. But machine-generated text is never suitable for publication unless it is post-edited by a skilled human translator.
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