Online translation services are growing year by year due to our reliance on international communications for work, leisure, shopping, and, well, every other aspect of modern life. However, the growth of the translation industry does mean that clients can be unsure whether or not a certain translation agency or freelancer will be able to help. If you approach a translation professional, you of course want the translated document to be very high quality, so it is important to know how to find the best online translation service for your needs. Let’s look at some of the ways you can be sure to find a great translator.
Native tongue translators
One of the best ways to ensure a good translation is to find a native tongue translator. This means someone who natively speaks the target language that you need your documents translated into. The main advantage of this is that native tongue translators will often be more accurate than other translators – and this does not just mean in terms of translating individual words. Native tongue translators can help make sure that the tone and nuance of a piece stay intact. Think about it this way – a non-native English speaker could translate a phrase as ‘down and up’, but a native English speaker would find this stilted and wrong. It is accurate, but any native English speaker would say ‘up and down’. Getting a native-sounding translation helps foster trust from your clients.
Specialists in your field
Another thing to look out for is a specialist translator who has experience in your field. This can be very beneficial. A translator who has experience within the medical field is more likely to understand complex medical terminology. This means you will get a better translation from someone who is trained in the right terminologies, the right tone of voice, and the right linguistic style. there are many specialist fields where this can be beneficial. Medical and legal fields have a lot of specialist terminologies, engineering has technical information, and marketing has to have a certain style. Finding the right person for the job is important.
General experience
Another factor to consider is the general amount of experience a professional translator has had. Someone with more years of experience will likely do a better job of translating your documents and files. At the same time, you need to make sure the person is up to date with the current complexities of the language, including colloquialisms and slang terms. It is important that someone keeps their experience current and relevant.
Solo translator, or someone with backup
There is a lot of debate over whether freelancers or agencies offer the best translation services, but one factor is simple to discuss – if you hire a solo freelancer, they are the only person working on your translation job. If you use a translation agency, you will often find that the translator is part of a team working on your translation. This means that you will often have a second translator proofread the translation, helping avoid any errors. Most agencies also have translation project managers to keep you updated with the progress of your translation.
Human vs machine translation
Another debated topic is whether it is better to get a translation done by a human, a computer program, or a combination of the two. While computer translation programs use very sophisticated algorithms, they are still not yet as accurate as human translators. Computers can only translate individual words or small snippets of text, meaning that all the pieces are taken out of context. This can lead to a translation that is stilted and difficult to read.
Roundup
So, there are various ways to try to ensure that you get a high quality translation for your translation project. Making sure you get the right translator for the job means finding someone who is natively familiar with the language you need. It also means making sure that the translator has experience with your kind of project, and knowledge of any special terminology or details that may come up in your document. Once you have the right translators working on your document, along with checks and proofreading, you can be guaranteed to get a great online paid translation service.
