Professional Translations and Reviews
Professional Translation Services – Professional Translations and Reviews
Professional document translation consists of a 3-step process that includes different levels of review: Editing/Proofreading and Final Review/Certification. In the following, we are taking a look at why it is crucial to allow for time to perform revisions, corrections, and improvements as needed in every single document translation project.
Let’s begin with the obvious: While professional translators have excellent writings skills and will always do their best to avoid typos, grammatical and punctuation errors, another set of eyes focusing on these type of issues will ensure that not even the slightest detail is overlooked—just as every professional report, business letter, or article in any other industry is read and reviewed several times before it goes to print or to the client.
Since document translations are based on other (source) documents, an important part of this initial review also consists in checking for completeness and making sure that the layout of the target material matches the source materials and/or the client’s requirements.
Then there is the stylistic and terminological aspect. The professional reviewer needs to double-check vocabulary and terminology, especially in document translations of highly technical nature. While the writing style is to a certain extent a subjective affair—we all have different ways to express ideas—it must be ensured that the style employed is right for the target audience of the respective document translation project. Flow and readability are other crucial factors and part of the job description of the professional document translator serving as editor.
Sometimes document translations come back with notes from in-house reviewers of the client. When going over the notes, it is vital to distinguish where the suggested change is a stylistic preference—it may be part of the company lingo, which the professional translator is not necessarily aware of, unless a specific glossary has been provided. The document translator going over the review notes also needs to clarify where the client-revised text departs from the source and make the client aware of the fact. While a company’s foreign branch may have the freedom to recreate the material, the translator does not—once the revisions go beyond stylistic changes, professional translators are bound by their duty to truthfully render the original and are not authorized to add anything or leave anything out.
Document translators, editors, and proofreaders serving professional document translation services companies such as Legal Translation Solutions and its parent company, ASTA-USA Translation Services, are well-versed and experienced in performing the different levels of review and communicating to the client—by way of translator’s notes—any issues and questions that may come up with regard to style and terminology.
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Languages and Cultural Background
Professional Translation Services – Languages and Cultural Background
By: L. Amado – 2/07/2010
The raw materials, so-to-speak, of the professional translator serving professional document translation services companies are languages. Languages are social creations and thus inseparable from their cultural context. In order to produce high quality, accurate document translations, professional translators need to have an in-depth understanding of source and target cultures.
The study of languages is fascinating and teaches us a great deal about the people who speak them. Languages are many things but, at the end of the day, their primary role is to provide us with a tool for communication. One of their main functions consists in facilitating the mutual understanding of people living in same region.
In some societies, this “utilitarian” role of language is particularly pronounced due to historic circumstances. This is the case of languages such as English in the United States or Spanish and Portuguese in Latin American countries. The fact that English has become the de facto official language of the United States can be considered a historical and geographical accident. The same is true of Latin American countries in relation to Spanish or Portuguese. Interestingly, the United States never actually declared English (or any other language, for that matter!) as its official language.
English did not evolve as a native language in what is now the United States as it did in England. It was “imported” by English settlers, as were many other European languages along with different communities of settlers such as the French, Spanish and Dutch. Of course it has since then developed in its own ways, which is why British and American English differ in vocabulary and even—to a certain extent—in grammar. The difference in European and Latin American Spanish and Portuguese is even greater, and translation projects in these languages need thus to be handled in accordance with their specific (European or Latin American) source or target markets.
It is interesting to note that the flood of Italian immigrants to Argentina that took place in the beginning and toward the end of the 19th century may have turned the country into an Italian-speaking nation. To this day, most Argentineans speak Spanish with a very distinct Italian rhythm.
In other countries, besides its obvious use as a tool for communication, the native language has traditionally a more complex role. In countries such as France and certain regions of Spain, for example, languages have always served as a defining element of the national culture. For the French and the Catalonian and Galician in Spain, the language shapes the culture just as much as the culture expresses itself in the language, and they take measures to protect this national treasure—the latest language protection law in France only dates back a little more than a decade. Professional translators working in these languages need to be particularly sensitive to subtleties of tone and expression. Finding the right vocabulary and phrasing are crucial.
Whichever their language pair(s) may be, professional translators serving professional document translation services companies such as Legal Translation Solutions, and its parent company, ASTA-USA Translation Services understand that it is impossible to assure high quality, accurate professional translations without taking into account and understanding the cultural background of both the source and target language(s).
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Maximizing the Benefits of Professional Translations
Professional Translation Services: Maximizing the Benefits of Professional Translations
By L. Amado: 2/12/2010
Wherever quality translations are needed—and when it comes to business, nothing less will do—online translation engines or similar automated processes are not an option. Professional document translation service companies will provide translations performed by highly skilled, certified translators, who may use computer-aided translation tools (CAT tools) where appropriate, for instance in the translation of technical manuals with large amounts of repetitive text. All output is edited and reviewed multiple times before delivery to the client. The following presents a few ideas on how to maximize the benefits of working with a professional document translation services company.
First of all, review the materials thoroughly before sending them in for translation. It is important to ensure that the documents to be translated are complete. Also check for errors or typos if the source document was created by your organization. Drafts should be marked as such and if they contain redlining to be reproduced in the target language(s), be sure to mention this to the project manager handling the assignment.
You should also inform the project manager of any sections that you do not wish to have translated, maybe because they were translated previously or because they are not relevant. In some cases, rather than not including them with the materials, it may be helpful to send them along with the remainder of the document(s) since these sections may be vital for the general understanding of the text by the translator.
Bear in mind that not all professional document translation service companies are the same. Different professional document translation companies offer different services and different levels of service. Check what industries they specialize in and what language pairs they offer. As with any other business, the best option is to get the best value for the price. When dealing with professional services of any kind, cheaper is seldom better. It is never a good idea to compromise quality and accuracy to try to save a few dollars. The money saved in substandard translations will most likely go into editing or retranslating the material to make it usable.
While quality and accuracy should always be your top priority when choosing a professional document translation service provider, questions such as turnaround times, delivery method, efficiency and convenience also need to be included in the equation. Look for professional document translation services companies with a proven track record and always ask for references.
It is very important to make sure the document translation services provider hires and retains only professional translators accredited by leading organizations (such as the American Translators Association, the United Nations, and the Institute of Linguists, to only name a few) and that it can handle all types and sizes of professional translation projects, consistently delivering high quality and accurate professional translations. Remember that you get what you pay for. Professional, certified translators may charge more for their work but will produce top of the line document translations in their language pair(s) and areas of expertise.
Legal Translation Solutions and its parent company, ASTA-USA Translation Services Inc., have an excellent reputation for their reliable document translation services, experienced translator teams, fast turnarounds, and above all, for consistent quality at an unbeatable value.
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How to Find the Right Document Translation Services Company
By: L. Amado – 02/14/2010
Professional document translation service providers have to meet the growing needs and requirements of their clients by providing an increasing number of value-added quality services. But what are some of the aspects to take into account to find the one that is right for you?
In a world where more and more aspects of life and work have become computerized, it is critical that a professional document translation firm bases its services on human translation. What is commonly referred to as “machine translation” produces generally incomprehensive results, and while computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools are useful for large volumes of repetitive texts—as can be the case when translating technical manuals—accurate, high quality document translations can only be created by qualified professionals, i.e. certified human translators experienced in their specific fields. Advanced technology certainly has its place in professional document translation services, but the translation process itself relies on the competence, skill, and knowledge of the professional translator.
Another important factor to consider is that the professional translation services provider of your choice should work with a global network of accredited document translators and can take advantage of their geographic placement. This means that your document translation projects are processed 24/7, independent of your location and/or time zone. In this regard, modern technology is vital to relay materials and make document translation results available on secure web server any time of the day.
One of the most important indicators for a quality document translation services company is a solid reputation for reliability. Longstanding professional translation firms are registered with the American Translators Association and exclusively work with certified document translators accredited either by the latter and/or organizations such as The Institute of Linguists, La Société Française des Traducteurs, Institute of Translation and Interpreting, US National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators, and the United Nations.
The professional document translation service of your choice must also be able to efficiently handle all your specialized translation requirements, using a team of certified translators with the experience and knowledge needed for each individual assignment. It is crucial that the translator team handling your project specializes in the respective field and that all translations are subject to strictest quality control.
Last but not least, the project or account managers—your number 1 contact at the professional document translation company—must be experts in all things translation, able to answer your questions, address your concerns, and assign the right document translation team for every individual project. They also must be able to accommodate special requests, ranging from particular layouts to specific certification and turnaround requirements.
With their specialized teams of professional, certified document translators, their proprietary translation workflow process and proven track record in the industry, Legal Translation Solutions, and its parent company, ASTA-USA Translation Services, are an excellent choice when you are in the market for professional document translation services.
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Professional Document Translation Services
Editing and Proofreading as Part of the Translation Process
By: L. Amado – 02/08/2010
Reviews are an important component of the professional document translation process. As a general concept, reviews can take different forms. The most common ones are usually referred to as proofreading and editing. Different people use these terms to mean different things, depending on the context, while others use them interchangeably. When it comes to professional document translation, however, each terms refers to a very specific concept that plays a vital role in the delivery of accurate, high quality document translations.
Proofreading document translations involves reading copy or proof in order to find errors and omissions. It is always performed in comparison to the original. The professionally translated document is checked for grammar, syntax, figures, spelling and related errors and then compared to the original, making sure that the formatting matches and nothing has been overlooked. While modern text processing software is very helpful, especially when it comes to punctuation and spell checks, it is crucial that a professional translator in the respective language pair performs the review.
Editing document translations means dealing more directly with the text, ensuring readability and flow, verifying that colloquialisms and similar idiomatic expressions have been rendered accurately, and generally checking the correct use of vocabulary and terminology, whether general or project-specific (in some cases, glossaries or reference materials are provided by the client). It involves researching problematic terms and entering corrections or suggesting changes. While editing is particularly crucial for document translations meant for publication, clarity and precision in terms of expression and tone are vital to guarantee proper understanding of any document translation.
Editing and proofreading can be performed as one process, meaning that the professional translator reviewing a document translation checks a document for errors while simultaneously improving the translated text itself where needed. However, when dealing with larger scale and more complex projects, it is helpful to separate the two and first have a professional translator edit the document in order for the text to read as it should, then have another set of eyes going over the edited document and checking the translation against the original to ensure there are no typos or omissions.
Under normal circumstances, reading and correcting a professionally translated document is less time consuming than translating “from scratch”. But it is important to keep in mind that estimating how much time will be needed for a proofreading/editing job can sometimes be tricky. If a project is brought to a professional document translation company that was translated by another entity, it can occasionally happen that the translation to be reviewed leaves much to be desired in terms of accuracy and quality. In this case, it may actually require more time to correct the translation than it would have taken to professionally translate it.
Since different people mean different things by proofreading and editing, it is important to make sure all parties involved are on the same page about the requirements before undertaking a professional document translation job.
For professional translation services companies like Legal Translation Solutions and its parent company, ASTA-USA Translation Services, performing the three steps of translation, editing, and proofing for every single document translation assignment sets a rigorous quality assurance standard that is topped off with a final review and certification.
