Web - Translations

How to get the from your translation provider

Buying translation is an area many people would rather avoid – it seems fraught with difficulty & complication, and full of numerous pitfalls.
However, with the right translation partner, and by doing a little preparation & applying some common sense, you can make the whole process more streamlined and efficient. 

Choosing a translation provider

Translation companies should have examples of work they have done either on their website, or elsewhere in the public domain. You may want to ask for client references, or ask someone you trust to recommend someone they have used themselves.
 
Think about the type of text you are having translated: if it’s a legal text, choose a supplier with experience in this area; for website localisation you’ll need a provider with sufficient technical expertise, etc.

Web-Translations will undertake a short free test piece for you to assess the quality of their work – as long as the actual project is of a reasonable size. 

Getting a quote

Have the document or website you need to translate ready, as one of the first questions we will ask is how much text there is. If you have the necessary files ready to hand, we can give you the most accurate quote in terms of both cost and timescale.
Tell the full story – why you need the translation, what it will be used for, etc. Different levels of service suit different uses, e.g. if a company needs a translation of a contract just for information, this can be done more cheaply than if the translated contract will actually be used.
Getting Value for money Edit your original text with translation in mind. Do foreign clients need to know that you are based in the heart of the Midlands countryside, or get directions to your office from the M1? 

Don’t use five words when one will do – clear, concise text makes a translator’s job so much easier, and by cutting down the amount of words, you’ll reduce the cost.
Shop around – the cheapest quote rarely guarantees the best quality, but if you approach several suppliers and choose a moderately priced one, you should get a good service. Consider other factors – a low price may make your Finance Director happy, but is it worth it if the person who has to deal with the translator has a lot of extra stress? Ideally you want an experienced, professional, helpful supplier who will take the burden off you and deliver the finished translation with minimal fuss. 

The right tools

As with any job, translation goes a lot more smoothly if you provide the translator with the correct tools.
Final version of the text – avoid making changes once the translation has started, as not only does this hold up the process, it is also likely to cost you extra.
Reference material – this could be previously translated material, brochures, a glossary or anything else that will assist the translator to get the style, tone and any specialised terms right. 

Testing the water

If your budget is smaller and you are just starting out in a new market, it makes sense to “dip your toe in” - localise just a few key pages of your website, or create a condensed version of your marketing literature. This will give prospective clients overseas enough information to whet their appetite and want to find out more without a massive investment in time or resources on your part. Once you start to get enquiries from these new markets, you can decide how best to expand there, and increase your marketing spend accordingly.

Reviewing & Feedback

Reviewers should always be native speakers who are involved at an operational level with the product or service in question, and they should compare the translation against the source text the translator was given to work from. 

Don’t take negative feedback on a translation as a sign that the job wasn’t done properly – often this turns out to be more a matter of opinion than any genuine problem with the translation.

Popular myths

We don’t need translators – we use Google translate
Machine or online translation tools are exactly that: a useful tool to get a general understanding of what a text is about, but they are no substitute for human expertise and experience.

A machine will not accurately translate anything more than the simplest phrases, and we've all seen the results when what comes out is totally wrong. For example, there’s nothing French about french fries, but a translation machine doesn’t know that.If you want to publish or use the text you are translating for any serious purpose, then steer well clear - don't make your company or brand a laughing stock by cutting corners.


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