An instructional blog for those who wish to navigate the sometimes challenging world of translation.

On the topic of translators raising questions during the translation process...

3/27/2018

Online posts of translators lamenting the fact that their questions do not get passed on to the end-client by the agency they are working with are a dime a dozen these days. So, to clear up any uncertainty on the matter, let me just say this: translators’ questions should not only be expected, but should be absolutely welcome. And here is why.

Translators have inquisitive, curious minds. They delve into the depths of the texts in front of them with an eye for ambiguity, inconsistency, or potentially unclear, confounding passages. So, contrary to what might be popular belief, questions on behalf of a translator don't equate to incompetence. On the contrary, they show the amount of passion, dedication and competence with which the translator tackles the text they are tasked with translating. We’ve all been in situations (working through agencies), when in response to our questions we’ve heard the standard response “We don’t want to sound incompetent by asking the client; just translate literally.” There’s nothing worse and more limiting, for a translator who’s pouring their heart and soul in a translation, than being told to just ignore the ambiguities or potential issues they find. Not to mention that each and every one of such ambiguities and issues might represent an actual risk for the end-client, if not dealt with appropriately.

Competent, professional translators thoroughly analyze the text while they translate — it’s their second nature. It’s when they don’t, that one should worry. There have been countless instances in my decades of experience, for instance, when I've actually been able to question something that may have escaped the end-client's tech writer, and that in the end, as it turned out, needed to be rectified indeed, even in the source text. Finding and correcting or explaining an imperfection or ambiguity in the source text during translation will save enormous reprinting costs later and avoid potential problems, especially when several languages are involved. Within this type of workflow, an end-client’s cooperation and availability to answer any question and dispel any doubts the translator might have is absolutely key, and will make the process all the more efficient. Which is why both end-clients and translation agencies should be 100% on board with cooperating without constraints when it comes to any needed questions or clarifications.

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The increasingly prohibitive cost of cheap translations

4/21/2015

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The old adage “You get what you pay for” holds true in translation as well. It is unfortunate, but it is so. And this has become more apparent in recent years, as scores of would-be or self-appointed translators, who act as nothing more than cheap unskilled labor, have cropped up everywhere, allowing some unscrupulous translation agencies to pad their profits at the expense of quality.

There is so much that goes into crafting the perfect message on behalf of a client. There are issues of linguistic adaptation and cultural appropriateness in marketing messages. There are aspects of technical accuracy and consistency in technical documents. All texts, even the better formulated ones, may hide potential pitfalls when looked at from a translation standpoint. It takes a true professional to spot such weaknesses and sort them out in order to achieve the result sought by the client: rendering the message effective, safe and engaging for the target audience.

Here are a few examples of the types of damage that wrong or incorrect translations can cause.

On January 22nd, 1980, eighteen-year-old Willie Ramirez from Spain suffered irreparable physical consequences when “intoxicado” was mistakenly interpreted as “intoxicated” rather than “poisoned,” prompting treatment for a drug overdose rather than for poisoning at a Florida hospital. An intracerebral hemorrhage, coupled with treatment for a drug overdose, left Willie a quadriplegic. The malpractice suit was settled for $71 million.

HSBC’s tagline “Assume Nothing” was mistranslated in several countries as “Do Nothing.” As a consequence, in 2009 the bank launched a rebranding of its global private banking operations at a cost of $10 million.

In 2003, Mead Johnson Nutritionals of Indiana was forced to recall 4.6 million cans of Nutramigen Baby Formula due to misleading Spanish directions printed on bilingual labels. Had the product been prepared as instructed, it could have caused renal failure, heart palpitations and even death (according to the FDA). Thankfully, the problem was caught before any infants died or fell ill; the cost of recalling and re-labeling the cans was, however, exorbitant.

The bottom line is that, apart from initially seeming advantageous from a cost standpoint, substandard translations can be dangerous —and ultimately much more costly than “expensive” professional translations.

Cheap translations can:

negatively affect a brand’s image

lead to poor sales
cause customer dissatisfaction
stunt business growth
hinder international relationships
damage the public’s perception of a product or service
cause serious legal issues
cause physical injury and even death
end up being very costly in terms of fixing the damage they cause

Professional translations will:

increase international sales
positively highlight a brand’s image
increase customer satisfaction
guarantee the correct perception of the product or service

ultimately still cost a fraction of the actual return on investment

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You need a text translated. Now what?

1/28/2015

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The first step is deciding which type of service provider will best suit your needs.

At first glance, selecting a translation service provider may seem like a daunting task. Especially if your own linguistic knowledge is limited, you can experience a measure of uncertainty about how to best cope with your translation needs, what to expect in terms of costs, what to demand as far as deadlines. The information below is aimed at providing a brief overview of the types of translation service providers available to you today.

Two main options have traditionally coexisted in the translation market: the translation agency (large or small), and the single freelancer. In recent years, however, a new option has materialized, thanks to changes in the dynamics of this fast-paced market, and to the perks of globalization: the monolingual translation team.

Following is a brief overview of what each of these translation service providers may be able to offer you.

The advantage of using a translation agency is that no matter how many languages you need your text translated into, they will manage your project for you, coordinating the various steps and the different linguistic resources involved. It is however important to keep in mind that with a translation agency you essentially entrust your translation needs to a middle-man, whose objective is to profit from the entire process; you relinquish most of the control over the translation process itself, not to mention over the selection of the linguistic resources who will be used to actually translate your text (there's an open debate as to the factors that actually influence this selection at this juncture, i.e. competitive rates vs. actual competence), and with whom you will never have any direct contact.

The single freelancer, if of proven experience, is a great option as well; however, the reality of taking any translation project to fruition involves the participation of several linguists for each language you require (translator, editor, proofreader, format proofer —depending on the services you wish to contract): so, by electing to work with single freelancers, you are in effect taking on a project management role, coordinating several linguistic resources per language on your end. Which, in spite of the undeniable financial advantages of contracting with single freelancers directly, may or may not be your cup of tea.

A monolingual translation team is generally a small consortium of linguists of the same native language, who share compatible experience, niche knowledge and definite specializations. They typically have worked together for years, and have come to mutually trust and rely on each other’s skills and expertise. These self-reliant teams bring literally decades of proven experience to the table, a high degree of synergy, and are able to efficiently take on the task, understand the requirements thereof, coordinate deadlines, and deliver, in a timely manner, the highest quality product —directly, at a cost that represents the best price/quality ratio in the industry. If you are looking for personal service (including invaluable direct access to your linguistic resources), efficient internal coordination of each language separately, and a tailored and quality-focused linguistic performance overall, a monolingual translation team might be what you are looking for.

Your translated texts will represent you, and speak of you and your products or services to your foreign target audiences. Selecting the right translation service provider from the start is therefore simply paramount to your international success.

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What makes a translation a good translation?

1/23/2015

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If you believe that translating just means re-typing a text word-by-word in a different language, think again.

A well translated text is technically accurate, faithful to the original, and at the same time reads as if it were authored in the target language, appropriately conveying all technical concepts and cultural nuances for the specific intended audience using the correct register.

This means that a good translation is always backed up by skilled knowledge of the subject matter, awareness of the context, years of experience in the specific niche market, the capacity to properly adapt any cultural issues, and ultimately by the selection of the sequences of words in the target language that can most aptly convey the intended meaning of the source text.

While a good translation will look practically effortless in its final form, it is anything but.

So, how is this complex result achieved?

Translation projects should be entrusted solely to proven professionals. The importance of the actual selection of the linguistic resources who will ultimately see your translation projects to fruition is something that is too often overlooked and underestimated. In order to guarantee the best outcomes, you should be confident in your selection —a selection you should always make yourself, rather than entrust it to others, thus opening the door to a choice potentially driven by factors other than true competence.

The writing style and the degree of complexity of the source text count. A readily understandable, concise and clear source text is not only easier to translate, but will ultimately yield a better translation. Long-winded sentences could create difficulties in many languages; plays on words or obvious idioms/colloquialisms specific to the source language could cause problems too. And when creating software/firmware that will be localized in the future, always account for what we call the “language expansion factor.”

If at all possible, the source text should be finalized before submitting it for translation. Any revisions made to the source text during the translation process will not only cause delays and potential cost increases, but carry the inherent risk of imperfections being introduced in the translation due to having to re-work any previously finalized language.

Information is paramount. In order to produce the best possible translation, linguists need to have as much information as possible surrounding the message you are trying to convey. They need to be aware of the scope of the text, the intended audience and its geographic location, as well as any other factors that might potentially influence the style and terminology of the final target version. Possessing this information enables the linguists to perfect a tailored translation according to specifications, rendering the cross-cultural communication all the more effective.

Reasonable deadlines are key. The entire process of translation is an extremely time- and labor-intensive effort. In order to obtain a high-quality end result, deadlines need to be reasonable. Depending on the nature of the text, a competent linguist should be able to handle between 1,500 and 2,500 words of translation a day; an expert editor will edit at about 1,000 words per hour, while a good proofreader will proof at about 1,500 words per hour. More technically complex or marketing texts might require even more time. A reasonable deadline will also avoid the text being split among several different linguists for translation purposes (a rather common practice in the industry), which could, in turn, produce a translation with potential inconsistencies on the technical, terminological and stylistic fronts.

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On the topic of translators raising questions during the translation process...

The increasingly prohibitive cost of cheap translations

You need a text translated. Now what?

What makes a translation a good translation?

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