SAECULii :: Free Online Translations Guide-Buying Online Translations Tips and Techniques

Does it absolutely need to be translated?
Work with your team and identify redundancies and material that does not apply to foreign clients. Translate only relevant material, or create a condensed version of the original and have that translated by the professional translation service.

A Picture really is worth a thousand words.
Japanese technical manuals, while short on superfluous text, are loaded with animations that are super easy to follow. Maps, pictograms and diagrams are more effective with international target markets. Judicious use of them can save you a lot in translation service costs. This does not mean that text is un-necessary. Rather, use text when you have to, or when it is the most effective means of conveying a message. You may want to consider this method for your local manuals, too.

Don’t do it!
Resist the temptation to do the translation yourself. You may be bilingual, but writing and speaking are not the same thing. Do not be tempted to produce work that will be immediately recognizable as foreign-if not perceived as amusing, which will not do anything for your service or product, it will be considered insulting. Employ the services of a professional translation service organization.

Finalize your content before starting to engage a translation service.
Rushing a translation project with a draft-in-progress will almost certainly be more time consuming, and definitely will cost more. Further, the more versions you have floating around, the more errors will appear in the final version.

Keep the translators up to speed.
Yes, tell the translators what the text is for so that they can produce a foreign language translation that has maximum impact for that particular market. The more information that the translators have about the purpose of the text, the better they can translate languages.

Avoid the language department at the local university.
Teaching foreign languages and studying foreign languages is not the same as translating languages. It is not even close! I see this all the time-unfortunately most realize this all too late. Consider this: would you agree to a student programmer from the local university programming your website?

Encourage questions from your translators.
Professional translators literally analyze text from every conceivable angle; sentences are de-constructed and re-constructed countless times. If something in the original text does not sound right they will seek clarification-an opportunity to improve the original. Encourage it!

Prepare a glossary for the professional translation service organization.
A glossary is a list of terms with the meaning of each term and/or the equivalent preferred term in the target language. This is very important as the mini culture of organizations tend to assign unique meanings to words and phrases, that although have subtle differences to the generic term, are important. Also, simple words with a straight forward meaning often have several equivalent terms in the target language with the correct equivalent term usage being very much contextual.

Plan your online translations project in advance.
Sounds obvious enough, right? But in a culture where everything is "get this done like yesterday already," very little serious planning actually gets done. Sure, you will find a translation service to take on your project but I guarantee this: you will pay more (some professional translation service organizations charge double for rush jobs!), and you will always be concerned about quality. Plan it!

This page is the Saeculii Free Online Translations Guide to buying online translations.

Saeculii Free Online Translations Guide

Tips and techniques from the Free Online Translations Guide to quality online translations from any translation service.