Why contract a Translation
Service Provider?
We have all seen the barely
comprehensible, amusing, inappropriate or even
offensive instruction manuals, websites, restaurant
menus and signs that result from not selecting
the right option when it comes to translation.
Here is a summary of the alternatives
available and a few points to help you choose
the most suitable translation option for your
organisation.
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Option 1: Contract a Translation
Service Provider.
A huge amount often rests on
a translation, which is why it is advisable
to contract a professional Translation Service
Provider.
In the corporate world, translation
quality is vitally important because:
High-quality translation = Effective
communication = Increased earnings
Translation quality's impact
on the desired outcome is clear and direct,
which is why we recommend you view decisions
affecting translation quality in terms of the
return on investment it generates.
After all, although you probably
know plenty of people with a little bit of knowledge
about accountancy, law, engineering and a host
of other professions, would you contract anyone
without the necessary credentials to perform
those services for your organisation?
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Option 2: Do the translation
internally or get someone you know to do it
in their spare time.
The first thing to remember
is that professional translators only work
into their native language. Given that qualified
and experienced professionals who translate
for a living do not break this basic rule,
it is not likely that someone without their
training and expertise will be able to produce
an acceptable translation into a language
that is not their native tongue.
Getting the translation done
by a non-professional working into their native
language may produce a result that initially
appears acceptable, but are their translation
and writing skills good enough to produce
the standard of quality that your organisation
requires? Do they have enough time to do a
good job? Can you rely on them to return the
translation within the deadline?
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Option 3: Use automatic
or machine translation.
There are plenty of websites
out there offering to translate texts for free
in a matter of seconds. However, it is worth
remembering that these systems provide word-for-word
translation and, being machines, have no understanding
of meaning or context. They may be acceptable
if all you want is the gist of a text, but it
is unrealistic to expect any more of them.
Can you rely on automatic or
machine translation to produce the translation
quality your organisation requires when the
system has no understanding of the words in
the text, let alone the context in which your
organisation and industry operate?
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