What should I consider before hiring a translation service?
- Credentials—Translators and communications specialists should be native foreign language speakers and should have the appropriate industry accreditation (e.g. American Translators Association) and/or have a relevant degree from their native country in translation, linguistics, or a related field of communications;
- Experience—Consider how long the translator or agency has been active in the industry and whether or not they have been involved in similar projects and have experience in dealing with similar project specifications;
- Deliverables—Consider the range of services that the translator or agency is willing to provide, both during the translation process and after the materials have been delivered.
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How can I make sure the translation is correct and of good quality?
TripleInk's approach to translation encompasses a carefully-managed process of pre-assessment, briefing, translation and editing, review and refinement, and production and quality assurance:
- Translation—Initial translations are produced by native-speaking translators with industry-specific experience;
- Editing—Senior-level, native-speaking communication professionals focus on areas of linguistic accuracy (spelling, accent marks, etc.), technical and legal fidelity, clarity of expression, and cultural appropriateness;
- Technical review—For technical translation projects, we involve native-speaking technical experts as needed to review the foreign language copy and ensure terminological accuracy;
- In-country review—We encourage our clients to involve their in-country representatives (with whom TripleInk project managers can work directly) to review and approve the foreign language material. This step is critical for ensuring that technical or marketing communication materials are well received in the target markets;
- Proofreading or beta-testing—Foreign language production materials (type/layout proofs, video proofs, test sites, etc.) undergo several rounds of proofreading and quality control before materials are approved for final production and release or launch.
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Why is it important to proofread materials after they have been produced?
Because typesetters, designers, developers and other production staff are generally not native foreign language speakers, they cannot identify language-specific issues, such as corrupted characters, inappropriate hyphenation or line breaks, capitalization, and punctuation, in foreign language copy. A final round of proofreading before printing or launch is therefore crucial for ensuring the quality of the end product.
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Why are some languages more expensive to translate than others?
Certain languages require a more specialized adaptation process because of the limited number of qualified professionals available for consultation. Also, languages that do not use the Latin script (e.g. Asian and Arabic languages) require special technical consideration for production, which increases project costs.
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Is any bilingual person qualified to work as a translator?
All translators are bilingual people, but not all bilingual people are translators. Think, for example, of a marathon runner. He may start off as an amateur who enjoys a 2-4 mile run every other day, but eventually, he will have to train for months, study his sport and hone his skill before he is able to run a marathon. Similarly, it takes careful training and skill for a bilingual person to become a translator.
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Can machine translation replace a translator?
Not entirely. A computer cannot understand the intricacies of language and effectively convey a particular message the way a human translator can. Idioms and parts of speech, for example, cannot be recognized and correctly translated by a computer. Also, words can have multiple meanings—and therefore translations—that are context specific, which a computer cannot recognize. There is therefore a very high risk of terminological and grammatical inaccuracy. Subsequent human review of a machine translation is an option, albeit often more time-intensive than working from scratch. However, many other computer applications are available to assist the translator in the translation process. TripleInk, for example, uses SDL TRADOS—a terminology management and translation memory software suite—to improve accuracy and consistency and to accelerate the translation process.
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Would a layout or design that was conceived for English copy automatically accommodate its foreign language adaptations?
Not necessarily. Consider that foreign language copy usually runs between 25 to 35% longer than the English copy. It is therefore important to plan for text expansion as well as the differences in syntax and word placement in a foreign language while designing the English layout or design.
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Are there differences between European Spanish and Spanish from Latin America?
Yes. This is also the case for French that is spoken in Europe and French that is spoken in certain parts of Canada, Africa, or the Caribbean. Languages—and the variances within languages—are often specific to culture and to geography. It is therefore common, in one language, for one concept to be expressed by different terms depending on the area in which they are used, or for identical words to have different meanings or connotations when used in different areas. Think of the differences between British English and American English. For example, what we refer to as an "elevator" in the US is referred to as a "lift" in the UK. It is therefore very important to understand the target market in order to choose a team that can either customize the communications material to a specific market or create a universal version that avoids local vernacular.
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How much time should I budget for my translation project? What if I don't have that much time?
At the start of every project, we discuss deadlines and provide our clients with a timeline. While we work with our clients to meet their often aggressive deadlines, we advise them that allowing the proper amount of time during the translation or transcreation process will prove less costly and far less embarrassing than fixing the consequences which may result from a hurried process.
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Do you provide regular status reports?
Yes. Your TripleInk account or project manager can provide regular or ad hoc status updates as requested by you. Clients with regular or large projects have their own secure section on our Collaborate client portal site, which includes a live status report on their projects.
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Can you certify translations?
Yes. Upon completion of a project, TripleInk can issue a certification of translation signed by a designated agency representative.
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Which languages does TripleInk translate into?
We work in all major commercial languages of the world. However, the majority of our work is in the following languages:
- Arabic
- Chinese (Simplified & Traditional)
- Czech
- Danish
- Dutch
- Finnish
- French (European & Canadian)
- German
- Greek
- Hindi
- Hmong
- Hungarian
- Italian
- Japanese
- Korean
- Norwegian
- Polish
- Portuguese (European & Brazilian)
- Russian
- Slovak
- Spanish (European & Latin American)
- Swedish
- Turkish
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What types of document formats can you translate?
We can work with all major commercial document formats, including but not limited to the following formats and applications:
- Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint
- QuarkXPress
- Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Fireworks, Dreamweaver, Flash
- HTML, XML, ASP, PHP, CFM
- Online survey applications such as SurveyMonkey.com
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How do you ensure the confidentiality of documents?
At TripleInk, we treat all documents with the highest degree of confidentiality. Internally, we adhere to strict security protocols for access to office spaces and computer networks (in compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley regulations), and externally all of our contractors are bound by a work agreement stipulating confidentiality. Upon request, we are happy to sign a Confidentiality Agreement or Non-Disclosure Agreement with our clients.
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By what methods can you receive and deliver documents?
We prefer to receive electronic documents by e-mail, FTP or CD/DVD. We can receive hard copy documents by fax, mail, courier, or overnight service. We can deliver translations by any of these same methods, and can additionally provide access to our secure Collaborate client portal site for exchanging documents and status reports.
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How do I submit my website for translation?
The most efficient and accurate process would be to send us all current and relevant server-side files in their native format, such as in html, xml, asp, php, sql, swf, or JS files. You can also provide us with all translatable content in plain text format, such as in a Word or Excel file, but this increases the production effort and can be prone to omissions and other errors. Files can be transferred via e-mail, CD/DVD or FTP. If you are maintaining your website in a Content Management System (CMS), we can work within your environment if you grant us the appropriate access rights, or use XML or plain-text export files with the translatable content.
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What if I am a non-technical person?
We can work with someone from your production or development team to facilitate the production or localization process.
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How do you handle graphics or Flash content during localization?
Graphic elements and Flash applications with embedded text can be fully localized by us if you provide the original production files with live text layers. Alternatively, we can provide you with the translated text in bilingual Word tables for integration by your production staff with subsequent proofing or testing by us. If you plan to have a Flash application translated into several languages, we recommend structuring the content as dynamic text in XML format, which can be more easily translated and reduces production costs for the individual languages significantly.
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Can you help us with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in target countries?
We always localize the appropriate meta tags in your web pages. This data is critical for search engines and will enhance the visibility of your website in the countries you are targeting. If you would like to further promote your foreign-language website, submit it to foreign search engines, or create links with in-country lists and directories, we can work with, or refer you to, SEO agency partners.
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When I change my original document or website, do I need to translate it again in its entirety?
Not necessarily. Minor changes can be made directly in the most recent in-language production files, as long as they can be easily identified. However, if changes have not been tracked or if the scope of updates is substantial, it may be more efficient and accurate to translate the entire content again. Even so, our translation management system allows us to cost-effectively leverage translated legacy content, keeping the impact on your revisions budget as low as possible.
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How do you charge for your services?
As an agency, we generally bill by the hour. Large technical translation projects are estimated on a cost-per-word basis. Different sets of languages are more or less costly to translate and produce, and so are the different services we provide. We will be happy to provide you with a quote based on more detailed information about your project.
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What do you need from me in order to provide a quote?
In order to provide you with the most accurate quote, electronic files with live text of the translatable content would be best. However, we can also make assumptions based on PDFs, hard copies, website URLs and any other information you can provide. Furthermore, it is helpful to know more about your production needs and workflow specifics, such as whether you desire in-country review of the translated materials and in what form, so we can tailor our quote to your needs.
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Why is your quote different from that of your competitors?
Not all translation providers include the same services or the same level of quality in a project quote. For instance, our translation process always includes translation and editing by at least two different, highly skilled language professionals, while other agencies may not include the editing step or use lesser qualified, low-cost translators. See "What should I consider before hiring a translation service?" or "How can I make sure the translation is correct and of good quality?" Our broad range of services allows us to deliver a high-quality, turnkey product to you, all the while keeping a superior level of customer service. To conclude, when comparing quotes, please be sure to compare apples with apples.
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