10 Tips to Choosing a Translator

Anyone can hang a shingle on their door and call themselves a translator. Translating your materials is a huge matter of trust…after all, can you proofread the text in a different language? Most of our customers cannot. They are trusting us to take their English words and help them be understood when they go global. With over 1,000 dialects and 180 parent languages around the world, who wouldn’t be a bit confused.

You already know not to use a machine to translate your materials but how do you choose the “right” translator for you and your organization.

Many people claim to be professional translators when they are not. How do you differentiate? It is difficult unless you test them. Many people are bi-lingual or tri-lingual but just because they can speak another language does not always make them a good translator.

Qualities to look for are:

1. They are native speakers for your target language.

2. They live in the country/region you are seeking to enter. Language changes and those that are living and breathing the language will be your best guides.

3. They have extensive experience with the type of work you want to be translated (i.e. engineering documentation, medical records, legal patents, contracts etc.)

4. They are professional and courteous. Now I know that you think this seems obvious but many translators we have tested don’t get back to us right away or their English skills are sketchy at best.

5. They can deal in your time zone. Trust me, you don’t want to be up at midnight working with a translator on an issue.

6. They communicate their holiday schedules. Believe or not, other countries do not have the same holidays as us and these need to be expressed, so that no delays are unexpected.

7. They must be tested. This is a bit tricky if you don’t have someone who can read your target language but it will help you feel confident in your translators work down the road.

8. They must be able to work in the file formats of your original documents. Can they work in Frame Maker, InDesign or re-create your document from scratch if you only have a PDF?

9. They should use some form of a translation memory software. This will help your documents stay consistent and may save you some money if you have large amounts of text that are similar.

10. They must have a quality check process that includes, proofreading the translation as well as editing the document once it is placed into the original file format.

Translation

a place where you should be picky and that the cheapest price may not be the best choice for taking your professional image and brand globally.