Translations, as is also true of other professional services your company contracts, can be most effectively managed when you are prepared to give the supplier clear and precise directives.
In the case of translations, there are 6 key areas that must be defined, and their requirements formulated, before the translation begins. I call these the 6 keys to translation management:
1. What?
First, gather all the elements that make up the complete translation project and define how they relate to the whole. For example, when translating a technical manual make sure to include the binder cover, index tabs, registration cards, or any other items that will be used together.
The translator must understand the interaction between all the elements and translate them as a unified whole. Otherwise, you may end up with a manual whose chapter headings do not quite match the language of the binder's index tabs, a video whose graphics do not quite match the language used in dubbing the dialogue, and a brochure that matches neither.
2. Who?
Know your audience.
Do not assume that the target audience for your translation is the same as for the original. Adapt your translation to fit the income, class background, political orientation, etc. of the international market you are trying to reach.
Your translator must understand your overseas audience's lifestyle, psychological make-up, and buying habits as thoroughly as the original writer understood the US audience. Above all, keep in mind that a translation must communicate to the foreign audience in terms of their own culture. Culture can never be separated from language.
We routinely blame some of the most famous blunders in the history of international business on ignorance of cultural differences. However, keep in mind that it is through poor translations that we expose our ignorance to public ridicule. Remember: Disastrous translations are much more frequently the result of cultural, rather than of technical ignorance.
3. Why?
Why are you having it translated? What are your objectives? What do you expect the translation to accomplish? Sell? Teach? Persuade? Your objectives should form the basis for defining the style of your translation.
For example, a technical video translated for the purpose of teaching factory workers how to operate equipment, requires a style quite different from that of a video to be used to persuade CEO's of the technical superiority of the very same equipment. In the first instance, it is obvious that the style must be clear, simple, and straightforward. In the latter, however, the language must not only be at a much higher reading level, but also have a certain refinement and polish.
4. Where?
It is a common misconception that languages, such as Spanish, require translations into the various local dialects. This is not so. There is no valid reason for using dialect in business communications.
Business communications, in any major language, require the same standards of clarity, precision, and professionalism. Translators must have a thorough knowledge of the countries, regions, and dialects represented by the target audience, not in order to translate into dialect, but, on the contrary, to translate into universal standard language and to avoid particular words that may offend or lead to misunderstandings because of their different meanings in various dialects.
5. When?
Plan ahead in order to establish a realistic and cost-effective translation schedule. Keep in mind that quality, cost, and schedule are the three pillars on which a translation project is balanced.
As a rule of thumb, allow one day for every 10 pages of text and one week for every 10 minutes of video, or 6 weeks for a 300-page manual or a 60-minute video. Add to this timetable any time some of your field or staff people may want to spend revising first and second drafts of the translation. Whenever possible, do not start translating a manual or video until the entire original production is completed. Nine times out of ten, there will be last-minute changes to the original, and it can be very costly to make changes to the translation. In any case, no competent translator would dream of doing a dubbing script without the final video, since each word of the translation must match the lip movements of the original.
6. How much?
How much should a translation cost? There can be huge variations in fees charged by translators and, as is true in other areas, high fees are no guarantee of quality. Often, "translation brokers" (agencies run by people who are not themselves qualified translators), such as the nationally known language schools, charge the highest fees and produce the lowest quality. Translators who "do translations on the side" usually charge the lowest fees, but their performance may be less than adequate, and large, complex projects are normally beyond their scope of competence.
When formulating your budget, you may find it useful to get quotes from these two extremes, but make sure that you are making an accurate comparison of the services they each provide. What are they offering you for the money? Does the fee include typesetting? Will they supervise the printing? Will they give you the translation on a diskette so that you can make revisions later? Will they culturally adapt the foreign version for that fee? Does that include consultations on cultural and economic factors that may affect how your product should be presented abroad?
The main point to keep in mind is that the actual text or script translation represents a very small fraction of your total budget, compared to production and distribution costs. While you will often pay less for a translation by going to a friend or local university for small, simple jobs, in a major project, a full-service translation company, run by a qualified translator who knows the ins and outs of the business can save you money. A big part of the service provided by reputable translation companies is putting together a comprehensive package.
In addition, a good translation company will have access to production facilities in several countries, and will be able to design the most cost-effective way for you to print, produce, distribute, etc. the translated product. As in other business functions, we arrive at the true cost of a translation by computing the price paid to achieve conformance to requirements, plus the cost of non-conformance. Translation non-conformance, however, must be measured in two ways: First, in terms of the direct costs incurred because of errors, omissions, delays, etc. Second, and even more significantly, it must be measured in terms of the impact of non-conformance on the entire business process.
Why don't we show equipment prices on our website? Our prices are so low that the manufacturers don't allow us to advertise them.
The 6 keys to a quality translation
