If you have little or no previous experience of procuring translations services and need some advice, here are a few tips to help you provide your chosen translator (either agency or freelance) with the information that s/he needs to produce excellent work.
- What’s the format of your original document? An editable copy of your original is generally preferred. Some translators may charge extra for working from formats that cannot be edited directly (e.g. image-based PDFs that will either have to be printed out or run through OCR software).
- In what format would you like your completed translation? PDF? MS Office formats? Hard copy? Please specify which formats are acceptable for the completed work. If a hard copy is required, please say so as most translators return work by email these days.
- Is there any other work involved besides the translation? Some translation jobs (e.g. legal documents) may require certification/authentication. A translator may charge you extra for this.
- What language pair is involved?Translation involves language pairs called the source and target languages: the language of your original document is the source; the language of the translation is the target.
- Please be realistic about deadlines. Translators are not simply multilingual copy typists; one awkward word or abbreviation can hold up even an experienced translator for half an hour or more! Consequently, most translators produce 2,000-2,500 words per day. Don’t leave commissioning a translator till the last minute; giving the translator sufficient time for the work in hand is essential for a satisfactory job.
- Can you supply a glossary or reference materials? Many clients have terms they would like translated in a specific way: some may even have in-house terminology or abbreviations that your translator needs to know about. Please supply the glossary or reference materials as quickly as possible – ideally before the translator returns the completed translation!
- Please provide a good quality, legible original for your translator to work on. That means no files written entirely in 6 point Arial, as well as no scans of documents that look as if they’ve been on the floor for the last 6 months or have passed through every fax machine in Christendom before being submitted for translation. 🙂
- Do you have a contact person who can answer questions from the translator? This is vital if you’re working with a freelance; it helps save your time and aids the translator in producing high quality work.