Free Japanese Translation Guide

– Finding the right type of Japanese Translation and Service for your translation project –
By Saeculii Professional Japanese Translation Service

Clarifying the requirements of your Japanese translation project is essential to answering the question "What is the right type of translation for my project?" For example, is your translation project for internal consumption or external consumption?

Is cost more important or quality more important?

Another requirement that may be of importance to your translation project is time. What is the time frame for your project? Considered your ongoing (long-term) professional translation service needs, too.

Translation can be categorized into the following two types:

  1. Machine translation (MT)
  2. Human translation

NOTE: Computer-assisted translation (CAT) is a tool to aid skilled translators, although it is sometimes considered a separate type category.

See Translations Terminology (opens in new browser window)

In machine translation, the (human) translator supports the machine. In other words, a computer program translates the source text, with the resultant target text then being edited by a translator, if it is edited at all. Machine translation is useful for translation in fields with highly limited ranges of vocabulary and very simple sentence structure. Weather reports are a prime example. Machine translation (MT) is also employed for "gisting" or, to get the general meaning (gist) of a document.

Is machine translation (MT) right for your Japanese translation project? » Free Translation Guide-Right Type of Japanese Translation

Still not sure what is the right type of Japanese translation for your project? Consider this recent headline from the Yahoo! Odd News section (2005-07-05) – "The Wurst museum in the world?" You guessed it – it is not a bad museum but one dedicated to...German sausages! This sentence will choke any machine translation (MT) program!

Ready to reduce your frustration buying Japanese translation? Selecting the right professional translation service can be just as frustrating as selecting the right type of Japanese translation for your project (you have that under control, right?). Do you go with a professional translation service provided by a translation company, a translation agency or a free-lance translator?

Start by reviewing the requirements of your Japanese translation project. The following criteria, while not an exhaustive list, can be used to determine what the right professional translation service for your project is, and guarantee that you get the most value for your investment in translation.

What is the right professional translation service? » Free Translations Guide - Professional Translation Service (Checklist)

Finally, what would a guide be without a few "tips and techniques?" By now you have the answers to:

  • What is the right type of Japanese translation for my project?
  • What is the right professional translation service for my project?

You are almost ready to commit. Guarantee the success of your Japanese translations project by taking a few more minutes to truly prepare (peace of mind; priceless!).

Japanese Translation Buying Guide Tips and Techniques » Get this valuable guide absolutely FREE with a translation quote