Lost in Translation
Are you interested in capturing a foreign market with your products or services? Do you have existing product or marketing materials that you need translated?
Although the globalization of business has made the world a smaller place, language barriers do still exist. Utilizing translation services for key information is an effective way to entering a foreign market or providing your information in a variety of languages to help customers where English is not their primary language.
Here we provide tips for any business – large or small – interested in utilizing translation services to help take advantage of global market opportunities.
#1 Consider translation services for customers in your own country – The need for translation services exists even within your own country. For example, in the U.S., the non-native English speaking part of the population is rapidly growing. The US Census in 2000 indicated that Hispanic Americans are the fasted growing demographic and that Spanish is the second most common language. Chinese and other Asian language speaking populations in the U.S. are also rapidly increasing.
#2 Ensure your translator conveys the message and not just the words – A big mistake many companies make is to utilize inferior translation services that merely translate the words instead of conveying the message. The goal of your translation of important documents is to have the message phrased in such a way as to be responsive to the cultural needs of the foreign language speaking audience.
#3 Understand your budget – When utilizing a translation company, it isn’t just the number of words that influences the final cost of your translation. Remember these important points:
- Contact your translator as early as possible into the project.
- Word counts will change when moving into another language.
- Documents with graphics may need to be repositioned in the new language due to the change in the number of words.
- Specialized subject matter can add to turnaround time and cost, as the translation company will need to source a translator familiar with the subject.
# 4 Choosing your translation services provider – Choosing your translator is especially important so that you ensure your message is accurately conveyed in the translated language. In order to ensure you choose a qualified translation services organization be sure to ask about the experience, specializations and qualifications of their staff. Remember writing well and conveying meaning into another language is challenging and you need people with the proper experience and skill. Sometimes it can be helpful to see samples of documents translated into your required language. Have someone who knows that language look it over to help determine the translator’s skill.
#5 Preparing your text for translation – Once you have chosen your translation services company, remember to leave plenty of time for translation so that it can be done properly. It also helps if you create your original text with translation in mind. Some considerations for creating text for effective translation include:
- Using uncomplicated sentence structure
- Using few (or no) colloquial expressions
- Reviewing your text for possible ambiguous terms or phrases
Translating important documents really can help open up new customers or global markets to your organization. When completing your research on translation service providers, turn to the experts at Verbatim Solutions. Verbatim is a trusted provider of translation services to small and Fortune 500 companies worldwide. With an impressive client list, a commitment to exceeding translation quality standards and extremely affordable rates, they are the perfect company to collaborate with for your organization’s growing translation needs.
