5 tips for a successful translation project
5 tips for a successful translation project
Businesses are in need of translation services now more than ever, and choosing the best translation company is often a challenge. Making sure the translated material flows naturally and fluently to the target reader is more vital than simply using equivalent words to convey the original meaning in the target language – translation is not always literal.
Consider working with a company that offers high-quality translation services. A language services provider has the knowledge and tools necessary to produce precise and ready-to-use translated texts.
If you are thinking of kick-starting a project, keep reading this article – we have provided a few tips that will ensure your experience runs more smoothly.
- Hire a professional
Bilingual employees are not necessarily qualified to translate and rarely have the tools to manage large-scale projects. Additionally, language fluency is just one qualification for professional translation.
Since it can be very expensive and time-consuming to develop the requisite skills and methodology to carry out linguistic services independently or in-house, clients turn to language service providers (LSPs) to perform tasks that they cannot or prefer not to carry out themselves.
Choosing a vendor with proven expertise is therefore of the utmost importance, as such an organisation will know how to deal with project pipelines – from the budget to the language pair, the expected volume, the preferred deadline, and the timely delivery of a high-quality final text.
- Provide final content
Your source text serves as a base for the translation into all the languages you need. As such, it is very important that you try to provide your vendor with final documents.
If you do so, they will present you with an accurate quote based on the project’s weighted words, and will be able to kick-start it without delay, appropriately informing the translation team of your needs.
Additionally, translation companies typically work with CAT tools, which are software applications that support the translation of text from one language to another. Essentially, they are used to submit, edit, manage and store texts, and include translation memories and term bases that ensure language accuracy.
If your documents are final, these tools will be kept up to date with the latest and most correct version.
- Make sure the files are editable
CAT tools come with many advantages – the more content you translate, the more translation matches the software will be able to reuse. This automation significantly speeds up the translation process and ensures consistency with past translations, allowing companies to offer the best quality at more affordable prices.
However, these tools perform best with editable documents, such as Word files. A PDF is a read-only document and will have an effect on the translation process. A PDF file must be converted to Word using an OCR or optical character recognition system, and this takes time, depending on the quality of the document.
As a result, the cost of the translation will increase since more time and effort will be required, not only to prepare the text beforehand but also to ensure its correct final format. So if you can, be sure to provide those editables!
- Manage the timeframe
We at Traductanet are used to dealing with high-volume projects with tight deadlines. Our vast network of project managers and native translators ensures texts are expertly processed within your preferred timeframe, and we even offer partial deliveries.
However, you cannot rush perfection. Allow for an adequate timeframe – urgency will probably entail added fees and the project being parcelled among different translators.
In order to ensure the best quality, accurate rendering and enough time for all the proofreading needed, allocate the necessary amount of time to the translation team.
- Curate your resources
Depending on the objectives, each customer has a different set of requests. Due to this, we research each project and its specifications in order to provide a tailor-made solution.
Reference material includes any information that a linguist can consult when translating in order to generate a high-quality rendering that complies with industry standards and guidelines, is true to the original and is correct in context.
Language-related reference material may include glossaries with terminology used by the client, previous translations, instructions and style guides.
Pass this material on to project managers so they can be aware of any preferences you or the end customer might have (i.e. pertaining not only to language and terminology, but also to grammar, forms of treatment, tone, etc.).
Be sure to review the work handed to you, and inform the project managers of any new preferences so they can update it at their end as well.
With established expertise and a proven reputation in the translation industry, Traductanet assists its clients in overcoming the difficulties of globalisation.
Should you select our services, rest assured that your translation will be handled by competent translators who are versed in industry terms and proficient in translating all types of texts – please do not hesitate to ask for a quote!
