Judging the quality of a translation can be tricky. Even if you understand the language, there are many factors to consider. For example, what does the original text say? How long did it take the translator to translate it? What tools did he use? Was the translation done by one person or multiple people? And finally, how much money did the translator charge? These questions help determine the overall quality of a translation.
But there’s another factor to keep in mind: human perception. We all have our own ideas about what words mean. Some people think that a certain phrase sounds better in English, while others prefer to hear it translated into their native tongue. This is why some companies claim to offer superior translations compared to others. You just never really know unless you try.
The good news is that you don’t have to rely solely on the opinion of others. There are several ways to evaluate a translation based on objective criteria. For example, you could ask someone else who speaks the same language to read the source text and compare it to the translation. Or, you could contact the company directly to see if they can provide additional information.
High-Quality Translation
Good translation entails accurately communicating meaning, from one language (the “source”) to another language (the “target”). A good translator must take into account cultural and regional variations, along with the specific needs of the intended audience. This requires knowing the nuances of each language, including the different ways people express themselves, and understanding how those expressions are interpreted differently across cultures and regions.
High-quality translations follow certain guidelines, such as adhering to established grammar conventions and following general formatting standards. They also include accurate information about the author, date, place, and context of the text being translated. For example, translators should use correct spelling and capitalize nouns, pronouns, and verbs appropriately. Likewise, they should avoid slang terms and colloquialisms unless they’re widely used within the target culture.
Translating literary works involves more complex considerations. In addition to translating the words, you must ensure that the overall style and tone of the work remain intact. You must also consider the particular demands of the target market and the intended purpose of the translation. For instance, a translation of a children’s book might require a lighter touch than a technical manual.
Learn the Process
How do you know if a company will produce high quality work? There are many things to consider, including the following five factors:
1. Quality Control
Quality control includes everything from the final product to the delivery method. In addition to the linguistic qualifications of the team members, it is important to make sure that the project manager understands how to manage projects effectively and that the client receives timely feedback about the progress.
2. Client Communication
The client communication refers to the way in which the LSP communicates with the client. Good communication skills are essential because they help ensure that the client knows what is happening throughout the entire project. This ensures that both parties understand the expectations and requirements of each other.
3. Project Management
Project management involves planning, scheduling, budgeting, execution, monitoring, evaluation, and improvement. The ability to communicate clearly and concisely with clients helps to keep everyone on track and focused on achieving the desired goals.
Things to Note!
Quality is not limited to the things listed above. There are many different aspects of a translation project that impact how well it turns out. One of those aspects is how much you invest in making sure the final product is what you want it to be. If you don’t take the time to ensure that you’re getting exactly what you want, you’ll likely end up with something that doesn’t meet your expectations. And if you did spend enough time to make sure you got everything you wanted, chances are you’d find yourself having to go back and edit it anyway.
There are some common mistakes that people make when working with translators. These mistakes often lead to wasted time and effort. In my experience, there are four main areas where people tend to fall short:
- Not knowing what you want
If you don’t know what you want, you won’t know whether you’ve gotten it. You could waste hours trying to figure out why a document isn’t coming together the way you expected it to. Or you might just give up and decide that maybe the translator didn’t do his job correctly. But either way, you’ve lost time and energy that you could have spent doing something else.
- Focusing too narrowly
Translation is very specific work. When you ask someone to translate a certain piece of text into another language, you’re asking them to focus intently on that particular section of text. They’re not supposed to look at anything else while translating it. This makes sense because if they start looking outside the scope of the task, they might miss something important about the original text. However, most translators aren’t trained to think like that. Instead, they rely on their intuition to determine if they’re getting close to finishing the translation. So they might continue reading the source material without realizing that they’ve already translated half of it.
