Unlike 10 years or so ago when most businesses were operating within their own country, in the globalized world we live in today, most companies are already working, more or less, at an international level. Even local companies are more and more dependent on international trade, getting their supplies from overseas in an attempt to reduce costs and increase profits. Other companies turned their focus to a global level to increase their reach, having to deal not only with foreign suppliers, but also with foreign customers. Whether we like it or not, we have to face the new way of doing business at a higher level, where profits are higher, yet the expenses increase as well. One of such expenses you have to deal with as a businessperson is the one associated with document translation.
Let’s face it: there is no other way to deal with foreign partners and clients other than using professional document translation services. Even if you know the language of the country you are dealing with, you will still have to rely on professional translators for official documents like business dealings and contracts. It is one of those expenses that come up and you have to deal with it as there won’t be other options. The only option you can get is to lower your document translation costs as much as you can and here are some tips to do that.
Know More About Translation Services, Benefits and the Prices
Translation is the transition of written text from one language into another. It is the act of translating the text and adapting it for the target market while making sure the meaning is perfectly conveyed into another language. The content to be translated is named the source text, and the language it is to be translated into is named the target language.
The Typical Process Entails:
1. Prior to Translation – Collect files and determine what will need to be translated. Compile reference materials such as term-bases, style guides, translation memories and so on. Acquire quotes and decide who will complete the labor.
2. Translation – Now it’s time to get working. A highly-educated bilingual expert translator will translate the text into the target language, adapting it to the local culture and customs yet maintaining the original tone and meaning. A second linguist will then edit and proofread the translation while making sure the client’s requirements have been met. A QA team will then run quality analysis on the text to search for errors that the untrained eye can easily miss, such as missing punctuation, misspells, conversions or double spaces. The translator, the proofreader or the company can carry out these analyses.
3. Following Translation – Take the translation and place it into the context it had originated from. A formatted paper, such as PPT, PDF or DOC files, will require replacing the original content with the translated content and usually making some additional changes to the layout, line-spacing, and fonts to accommodate the translation into existing layout so it will look great. If the content came from a website or software, it will be more complicated and increased work may be necessary to combine it perfectly.
Benefits of Document Translation
- Wider Following: Why stay limited when your services and products can satisfy the demands of a broader audience in an overseas market? Translation assists your business reach to businesses and customers you never knew existed.
- Internet Trade: Running a business online is not uncommon; even if your website is targeted towards a particular set of people in a land, you’d often find people from many corners of the world visiting your site. Translating the content on your website into different languages will help visitors from all over the globe appreciate your offering better and will assist in enhancing your sales profits.
- Technical Translation: Many organizations have very technical materials that need to be translated into less common languages; this is generally seen in technical handbooks, product advertisements, technical manuals, etc. Translation aids in converting technical documentation into different languages, thus helping users in various locations understand the material better, in their language.
- Tourism: Perhaps the most significant impact of translation is how it influenced tourism. Translation has enabled people from one country to truly appreciate and understand the culture and beauty of another country.
Typical Cost of Translation
It’s an open market, so freelancers can charge what they want, based on their evaluation of the job, what their living expenses are, whether they’re just beginning and are looking to gain work practice or they’re experienced professionals working with long-standing clients.
Keeping in mind that the rates offered by individual translators are the basis on which agencies determine their pricing to end clients, agencies provide extra services which freelancers can’t match, like extra proofreading by a second translator. Another advantage in using a translation company is the fact that price reduction may be possible by using computer-assisted translation where computer software helps human translators re-use past translations in current projects, thus reducing the total costs by sometimes a large margin.
Businesses nowadays rely on professional document translation services for their international or global quests. Assess the service based on quality, not how inexpensive it will cost. Choosing the right translation partner will ensure not just accurate translation but also perfect adaptation to the target market at an affordable cost.
