Basic Facts at a Glance

What is translation?

Translation is defined as the act of expressing something in writing  in another language while retaining the original meaning.

Many people assume that translation is easy and consists only of changing each word into the equivalent word of a different language. Translation is much more difficult than that. Many words have no foreign equivalent. Some phrases if translated word for word would make no sense or could be offensive.

Cultures must be considered as well as specialised vocabularies. Translators are professionals in their fields of expertise.

What is localisation?

Localisation is the act of adapting a service or product to a specific region or culture, thereby making it culturally correct and allowing it to be understood by a specific group of people. The same experience should be had reading an original document as reading its translation.

This is one of the most important aspects of translation. Words can be translated, but that does not mean that they will be understood. Everything translated needs to be put into terms that a person of the target culture can understand.

Why are issues related to translation becoming more important?

The need for translation will continue to grow as borders disappear and the world becomes smaller. The need to communicate with other cultures in other languages will become mandatory for every business that wants to succeed.

How do you charge for translation jobs?       

We send you a free quote based on a price per 100 words.

Why is translation expensive?

Translation is expensive because it is very time consuming. The time needed to translate a document can sometimes be greater than the time taken to originally create the document.

Translators must find the word that most appropriately reflects the original meaning. This takes fluency in at least two languages and an expertise in a particular field. In addition, a translator must have a cultural understanding of the source and target languages and be able to combine this knowledge with grammar, writing, and often with research skills. The price of transaction reflects the expertise and time needed to provide high quality translations.

What impacts on the translation costs?         

Mostly the number of words and time available, the technical nature of the document, how the document is sent to us (hard copy or soft format), whether we have developed a partnership with you and the tools to simplify your new jobs (glossary), and what typesetting is required on the output document. Refer to our online quotation form, which asks you for the relevant details on the next job you want done.

How long does it take?

As a rule-of-thumb, a good professional translator will produce 1,500-2,000 words per day, depending on the technical nature of the document. Polyglot has created an elaborate system to allow a number of our accredited translators to work on parts of one single document, to meet your deadline without sacrificing quality and consistency.

Why does translation take so long to complete?

There are many factors that affect how long it takes to complete a translation. Generally, a document needs to be read, translated and proofread, not to mention retyped and often reformatted. Sometimes, research is also required.

It takes time for a translator to get a feeling for the document and vocabulary used. Every word, phrase, and sentence must be read and considered individually and as a group. If a special vocabulary is used or if the document is highly technical, more time will be needed to verify words used.

How do I get my translation back?   

Email, CDs by couriers, or hardcopy; it all depends on your requirement.

What is the difference between a  good translation and a bad translation?

Translation is a very subjective field. There are many ways to say the same thing. It is similar to reading a book: it can be enjoyed by some, while others dislike it.

Providing a glossary of words you would like used allows you to keep control over your document.

Of course, bad translations exist. A well-managed translation will consider input from both the client and translator.

How does translation software compare to human translators?

Many companies have been working towards making translation software reliable and effective. Products are getting better but they still cannot replace human translators. Language is very complex: a bad translation could lead to many communication problems.

A good example of how translation software can turn a simple sentence into disaster and embarrassment for you:

In French, the word lawyer and avocado both translate to 'avocat'. Translation software translated the French phrase "A good lawyer" to "A good avocado"! 

There are a number of websites offering that kind of service, sometimes for free: we encourage you to try them out on some of your existing texts and have them checked by a native speaker of the language chosen. Don't be surprised if the computer generated text elicits a few laughs.

Can human translators and translation software be combined?

If a good quality translation were required, we do not recommend to use translation software by itself. However, translation software can be used safely as long as a skilled translator or proofreader verifies the accuracy of the translation.

Can I ask my Production Manager, who is fluent in 2 languages, but not a qualified translator, to translate my brochure? 

Maybe. However, anyone who speaks a second language is not automatically capable of translating effectively. Translation requires a rather specialised skill set: translators must have extremely good knowledge of both source and target languages. They must be skilled writers in the target language, be highly accurate, and have excellent attention to detail. They must also have broad general knowledge across a range of fields and excellent reference materials (bilingual and specialist dictionaries, thesaurus, etc).

Why is it important to consider a translator's native language?

Translators usually translate into their native languages only. No matter how experienced or educated a translator is in a foreign language, to them it is still a foreign language. People are generally more comfortable writing and reading in their native languages. When working in your mother tongue, you instinctively have a level of understanding that is not easily learned. From a linguistic and cultural perspective, it is best to work with native speakers.

Can a translator translate any material? 

Translators, like everyone else, have areas of particular expertise, and other areas where their knowledge is limited. Technical, engineering, legal, accounting, and medical texts in particular all need to be dealt with by translators who are experienced in those fields. To produce an accurate and natural sounding translation the translator must have a good command of the specialist terminology and writing style of that  particular field.

Can I dispense with checking and editing to minimize my costs?

Good translators view their first attempt as only a draft translation, to be thoroughly checked and then polished to create an accurate and natural sounding final document. Due to the complex mental processing involved it is not at all uncommon for words and even phrases to be missed in this first translation, or for the source text to be misinterpreted. Thorough checking procedures are therefore vital. Inexperienced translators will sometimes hand over their first attempt as a final translation. The result is usually less than adequate.

I need my documents yesterday !!! Why can't you do it?

Imposing a time frame that is too tight does not work in anyone's favour. People often greatly underestimate the time required to translate a document. As a guideline, allow 1,500 to 2,000 words per translator per day  for an average text. The tighter the timeframe, the less checking can be done, which increases the chances of error.

What is the difference between the services provided by a translation agency and a freelance translator?

Professional agencies, like Polyglot, can select the translator most suited to your particular document. We have thorough and proven checking and editing systems. This all adds up to greater assurance of quality.

In fact, not using a professional service means you are effectively gambling on quality, with potentially embarrassing, not to mention expensive, consequences.

Translation agencies, such as Polyglot, offer management services that a freelance translator does not. However, freelance translators are often used by translation agencies. A freelance translator usually works alone and will translate and then proofread his own document. Polyglot will have different people translate and proofread, thereby providing a double proofreading system.

We also offer management services for Multi-language assignments and can offer desktop publishing for your translated texts.

In choosing a freelance translator or a translation agency, you must consider the complexity of the services you require and your working preferences.

Translation is a much more difficult art than most people tend to think. To translate a single phrase or sentence a translator must grasp the essence of what is being said and, selecting the most appropriate target language vocabulary and juggling the two different grammatical systems, convert this into a target language. Translators do not usually provide multi-language management because translators are only fluent in specific languages. Polyglot organises the best people for the job, in the same way we recruit against assignments.