FAQS – TRANSLATIONS
What’s the difference between translating and interpreting?
How do you charge for translations?
Why does the length of the translation depend on the target language?
What’s the point of project management?
What are translation tools?
How good are machine translations?
What’s the point of localisation?
What’s the difference between translating and interpreting?
Translating is all about writing. In this process, text written in one language is converted into text written in another.
Interpreting, on the other hand, involves speaking. Utterances in one language are conveyed into utterances in another. ^ top
How do you charge for translations?
In general we charge for translations on the basis of translated (not source) lines of text, with each line consisting of 55 characters including empty spaces. Some countries use a different approach: the price is based on words or standard pages.
In each case, the actual price is arrived at by taking the amount of text, desired language combination, delivery deadline and other factors (such as particular layout requests) into consideration. Our prices also reflect the nature, volume and frequency of individual orders and are always set in agreement with the customer prior to order processing.
Our project managers listen carefully to your requirements and wishes, and incorporate these in customised offers. We offer special conditions for large-scale projects. ^ top
Why does the length of the translation depend on the target language?
Languages differ in their grammar, sentence structure and choice of words.
This point is particularly relevant to your layout design, since allowance must be made for the translated text to meet the constraints of available space. ^ top
What’s the point of project management?
Quality. Nowadays, a robust project management system is vital if we are to continue achieving our high levels of quality across a vast range of language combinations. Since each project presents its own special requirements to the linguist, not least in terms of experience and expertise in the subject matter, our project managers need to have an in-depth knowledge of the capabilities and talents of our translators in order to allocate the assignment to the ideal resource.
By addressing these issues at the project inception stage, we ensure that only the most suitable translators work on your translation. ^ top
What are translation tools?
These programs help translators do their work using standard word processing programs. They contain functions such as checks for matches with previous translations and the creation of customised glossaries, etc.
They should not be confused with machine translations. ^ top
How good are machine translations?
Certain developers claim the perfect machine translation has long been on the market. At first sight this would appear to do away with the need for the translation profession. But even though computers are enormously powerful nowadays, the fact is they still have a long way to go if they are to deal accurately with the complexity of human language.
Of course some programs can generate good translations of highly simple sentences with very basic structures. The problem is that while computers sometimes get it right, more often than not they don’t. Without an extensive knowledge of the language and culture of the target text it is impossible to judge the accuracy of the translation.
To illustrate this, the next time you have the chance to do an online translation (on the Internet, for example), get the program to translate a couple of lines of a coherent text into a foreign language. Now get the program to translate it back. Do this a couple of times, and you’ll soon see that even the simplest of phrases are converted into gobbledegook, much of which is highly amusing. Take a look at our humour section on this site to see what we mean!.
Translating is a creative process, just like the creation of an original text. Translators are required to bring a great deal of education, experience and empathy to their work. Although machine translation programs are very handy for breaking down a foreign language text into simple word units in a matter of seconds, they cannot replace the work of a professional translator. ^ top
What’s the point of localisation?
Localisation is the process by which the target text is adapted to the cultural characteristics of the target group.
Ideas, concepts, idioms and colloquialisms cannot always be easily transferred into a different culture. Some expressions may be unsuitable; others may convey an entirely different meaning. In certain cases, there may not even be an established equivalent in the target culture, so it has to be created.
Localisation acts as a filter for removing possible cultural misunderstandings. It enhances the immediacy and impact of your message on your target audience. ^ top
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