A global economy, such as the one we currently enjoy today, comes with the need for a workforce that are multilingual, as well as being qualified professionals in their field.
Contracts, documents, minutes from meetings, manuals, instructions, training workshops, websites, marketing materials, and so on, all require the services of multilingual people who are able to translate documents, localise advertising promotions or facilitate interpretation at meetings.
It may seem like multilingual staff are putting translation providers out of business. However, there are numerous benefits for opting to out-source your language requirements to a professional translation provider.
Translator Expertise
Translation involves far more than simply changing words from one language to another – speaking two or more languages does not qualify you to become a translation expert!
Translation specialists convey the meaning behind the words through their lexical choices, they don’t just swap one word for another. Instead, they target their translation to suit the target market while using the initial message as a guide.
This work involves an acquired talent of expressing concepts, designed for one audience, and translating the message for another language, context and culture. To do this with a high degree of accuracy, speed, and authority takes many years of practise.
Speaking and conversing fluently in another language are the primary skills of any translator, however, this is only the icing on the cake. Their true expertise lies in their ability to manipulate languages to fit within the desired framework of their clients and audiences.
Context of Translation
Each Language is unique; grammatical rules, sentence structure and lexical meaning can all alter from one country (and language) to another. These differences can mean that the translation of documents, especially those of a technical nature, can be tricky – getting it wrong can be costly, time-consuming and embarrassing, especially in business.
There are very few words which have a one-to-one direct equivalent in two languages, so exact translations are virtually impossible (or make little sense). A professional translator will have to interpret the context setting for each translation and, using their language skill, find an appropriate corresponding word in the target language.
This means they rely on their vast language knowledge and contextual understanding, which comes from specialist linguistic training and technical expertise, to give the best translation possible.
There are often problematic words, such as the German word Anlage, which have a multitude of meanings, so understanding the context in which the word will be used is vital to giving an accurate translation.
Anlage can mean; system, equipment, plant, appendix, exhibit, pattern, design, arrangement, asset, feed, rest, cramp, talent…and much more, depending upon the context in which it is to be used.
Likewise, there are some English words which have become popular in certain sectors (IT for example) which can lead to these words being used in an incorrect context, capitalised unnecessarily, or in an improper grammatical manner.
These errors, when combined with a tendency by non-translators to transfer syntax structures from one language to another, lead to a poor translation that any native speaker will instantly pick up on.
Culturally Competent Translations
A non-native speaker doesn’t usually have the ability to comprehend all the complexities of different languages and cultures. For instance, humour, idioms and local dialects can lead to confusion among those who aren’t fully conversant in the linguistic and cultural variances that arise in each country or location.
Using a professional translation provider will ensure that your message is clearly and concisely localised for each location, whereas an in-house team may struggle to adapt material for different settings.
Cultural awareness is vital in ensuring that your email campaign, marketing materials, website or after-service care are all tailored to suit the target audience. For example, if you are a Europe based company branching out into the Middle East, you must be aware of all the varying religious, cultural and traditional differences between the two areas before releasing any marketing materials or going live with a website.
A professional translation team can help you to localise all your translated material so that it does not cause offence, misdirect customers, or lead to potential embarrassment for your company.
Once your chosen translation provider has completed your initial translations, they will create glossaries, bi-lingual dictionaries, and reference materials which allow for faster translations in the future. These translation terminology tools can help to reduce the chance of any cultural mistakes, increases accuracy and speed of translations.
Translation Time
Given that there are some in-house employees whose language skill is good in more than two languages, the chances that they can provide a translation that is not only accurate, and culturally aware, but also is completed within a limited time scale, is doubtful.
The translation would require a native speaking editor and proof-reader to ensure accuracy, and unfortunately most businesses can’t afford to employ 2 or 3 native speakers for each language they require.
Frequently, those employees who are multi-lingual are often hired for roles that don’t include translation, yet they are often asked to translate materials as a ‘one off’ or an ‘additional’ task as a favour. These translations are frequently of an inferior quality.
Poorly written text, be it online, or paper, conveys an impression of carelessness which can lead to the need to re-write materials. This can increase costs and time of translations. By using a professional translation and localisation provider from the outset guarantees you will have a translation that fits its use and your requirements.
Using translation experts to deal with your language requirements, instead of in-house employees, will offer you:
• High accuracy & consistency of translations
• Expert localisation teams who are native speakers
• Cultural awareness
• Efficient personnel and project managers
• Effective time schedules
• Value for money translations
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