WORKING WITH A PROFESSIONAL TRANSLATOR

20/02/2018

You have chosen a translator for your project, what’s next?

 

  • First of all, inform the translator of exactly what you need. The translator needs to know the audience for your text and where do you want to use it (internal document, web, marketing). Tell him also if you have some preferences, for instance, using “tú” or “usted” when translating into Spanish.

  • I would strongly recommend you to respect terminology coherence in your documents. To do that, the translator needs to have access to any previous materials you have. You can also ask the translator to give you a glossary with the used terminology for your future projects.

  • If it’s possible, plan your translations in good time. You can choose the translator before your document is ready to translate, and tell him when the project will be ready for him and when do you need it done. If you do this, your translator will plan time for your project and everything will run smoothly.

  • Answer your translator’s questions: a good translator will probably have doubts about your text and ask them, a bad translator will just rush and choose the first word he thinks is right.

  • My clients sometimes send me translations done elsewhere (machine translation, bilingual friends) that are causing them problems at a later stage. If you are not sure about a translation, contact a professional translator to proofread or edit the text before using it.