Translation Project from Start to Finish
The goal of our translation company for each translation services project is to provide our clients with top-level service. From single-page document translation to complex multilingual projects, we aim to give each project the care it deserves.
We work on translation service projects with diverse needs and industries. With the advancing globalization of commerce and communication, access to high-quality and professional legal translations, medical translations, academic translations, and more is essential.
It is important to use a translation company that is experienced, has the technology in place, works with expert project managers, and employs only professional translators fluent in the source and target languages, dialects, and industries involved.
In this post, we are going to detail the best ways to get the most out of your translation project. These tips will save time, money, and work for both you and your translation company.
Translation Services for Your Needs
A translation project starts at the planning stage, which includes analysis and quoting. These activities, as well as the compilation of information, the scope, and providing the pertinent files, will give the base for the execution and control of the development.
Every translation project varies and will need a customized approach based on needs, goals, languages, file types, and complexity. For example, the translation of documents is simpler than website translation. Likewise, the typesetting of an Arabic translation is more complex than the typesetting of a Spanish translation, given that the original document was in English or another left-to-right reading language.
This post is a general guide to know what to have before starting a translation project and what to do to help the translation company help you.
Provide the Full Scale of the Project
Giving the translation company the scope of the translation project is a great first step. Provide everything that needs translation services, or, if that’s not possible, as much of the project content as possible up front. This helps the translation agency get an accurate overview of the project, provide a better quote, and, if necessary, help the translation company pinpoint what additional information or files they need from the client. Knowing the full scope of the project provides context and helps the translation company present the best solution and prepare to manage time and workflow.
Indicate Deadlines
Know and communicate your deadlines. The planning and critical paths for the execution of the translation project might change according to deadlines. Deadlines will help the translation company decide what to work on first and determine the best workflow. There may be different deadlines for different parts of the project or different parties that will receive the finished translation. Some processes can be done in parallel, but others must be done in their entirety before the next step begins. Ideally, the translation is done by a single translator or only a handful of translators. We need to know if we need to assemble a team for your project and whether or not some sort of glossary must be created to ensure a consistent voice throughout the document.
Contact the translation company as early as possible with the preliminary information. The time available for the execution of the translation services project is an important element in the triangle of quality, time, and budget.
Communicate Your Budget
Know your budget. Have an idea of what you can spend as early as possible. This is another reason to have all your materials for translation ready for evaluation. Maybe you can afford more than you think, or you might need to pay extra for faster turnaround. Different solutions can be found for different budgets, so
Establish the Audience of the translation
Know and communicate the audience of your translation project. Who is going to read the translated content, and how is it going to be used? Is the translation going to be correct? Or being presented for an audit? Are these business records to obtain funding? Are the translated documents for internal purposes or external? This is important for technical documents and marketing translation, especially. The more information the better, as it will give the base for further questions and clarification of doubts for the translation work.
Indicate the Languages Needed
Know and give details of the dialects to be used in your project. British English or United States English? Spanish for Spain, Spanish for Mexico, or Spanish for Latin America? Localization by dialect is vital to establish cost and select the appropriate translation team. Marketing translation requires a careful eye to match what the culture sees as attractive and valuable in a product, and that varies across the globe.
Be Specific about the Demographics for the Translation
Know the demographics that are going to use the translated documents. What age group? Level of reading? Do you need a formal or informal tone? Are they industry experts? Will the material be client-facing? Are you speaking to students? That will help establish the tone needed for the translation of the content. No one wants to alienate the client by speaking over their head, and no one wants casual forms of words used in business situations.
Provide the Final Version of the Original Documents and Files
It is important to provide the final version of the files, without comment or highlights, as unclean files can create confusion. Having the content for translation ready will prevent re-work and delays in quoting and executing the project.
Provide source files and indicate the deliverables needed. For example, provide both PDF’s and the InDesign package for those files. Working on the source file will help produce a language version of the documents with less work and less cost. For more information, read the post The Use of Source Files in Translation Services.
Provide Supporting Material for the Translation Project
Provide previous translations, translation memories as well as style guides and bilingual glossaries whenever possible.
A company’s glossary may include items such as:
- Acronyms and the meanings of the acronyms.
- Non-translatable names and terms.
- Translated terms to avoid.
- Preferred translation and examples of usage.
A company’s style guide includes items like:
- The tone and voice of the material. For instance, legal translation and medical translation are done in a very formal tone and may use the passive voice instead of the active voice.
- Whether the client needs the translation to be completely literal or if the translator may adapt terminology to reflect the style sought by the client.
- The type of punctuation and grammar style. For instance, United States English versus British English will involve some spelling differences, like “color” as opposed to “colour”.
- Fonts and typefaces.
- Measurements Unit preference, such as imperial versus metric or both.
- Format for date and time.
- Currencies to use.
Other supporting material that can be used in the translation process is:
- Company and/or industry data-sharing policies.
- Company and industry regulations.
- The way the company observes international regulations and interacts with international entities.
Follow Best Practice for Content for Translation
Develop Content Appropriate for Translation
- Write with translation in mind. Use simple language in the source documents, adequate for the reading level of your audience. Try not to use words and phrases that are vague, or have several different meanings, or paragraphs and ideas that are complex.
- Avoid colloquialisms, idioms, and unique cultural elements.
- Use examples that are global or indicate examples to use in other languages.
- Plan and prepare for text expansion or contraction depending on the languages. Spanish Translation expands the text by 20%, and Chinese Translation contracts by 10%.
- Think about localization to a particular local or country, depending on your users, goals, and budget. Example French for France or for Canada.
- Have a unique point of contact for the translation company’s questions so there is a clear responsible person from your company.
- If you have an in-country reviewer who will provide comments and feedback for the translated content, make him/her part of the project team from the beginning.
Remember, a clear message makes it easier to translate.
Remove Confidential Information
Remove any content that doesn’t apply or that can’t be legally shared. Examine any NDAs, inclusion of names, entities, internal information, financial records, insurance records, medical information, affiliates, etc.
Clear Communication with the Translation Company
- Provide any updates or changes as soon as possible; every change affects the deadline.
- Answer questions quickly and provide any additional information needed
- Stay in close contact with the translation company’s assigned project manager. We keep in touch with our clients through the process to keep everyone informed and on task. Listen to what the translation company says about possible problems or changes needed. This could be as major as compliance with international regulations or as simple as missing images for the final file building.
Expect Size Changes in the Finished Translation
Expect changes in length from one language to another. Language can expand or contract in size by as much as a third. Text might change direction, which will greatly influence tables and graphs. We can work with any language pairing and know ahead of time if it is a language that expands or contracts.
Work with Professional Translation Agency
At JR Language, we take the time to understand your project, goals, and needs to offer options and customize the translation solutions for your project. A translation project can be the translation of documents into several languages, a video translation, or a website translation. All have different requirements and needs.
We ask many questions because we are focused on giving our clients the best translation services. If a translation company doesn’t ask many questions, that’s a red flag. A professional translation agency should be thorough. A deep assessment and complete evaluation phase is an important base for any translation services project. Contact us with any questions and get a quote for your translation project today. We look forward to hearing from you.
