T: (800) 829-4126 or +(612) 339-4660
F: (800) 850-1773 or +(612) 339-3442
E: translate@intransol.com
F: (800) 850-1773 or +(612) 339-3442
E: translate@intransol.com
MEMBER
AMERICAN TRANSLATORS ASSOCIATION
SOCIETY FOR TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION
How do I select a translation company?
How do we know your translators are qualified?
Can't we use our distributors for translation?
How does your company ensure quality?
What's the difference between translation, localization and interpretation?
How do I select a translation company?
When you select a translation company, you select a key partner in your international sales and marketing agenda whose work will represent your company, your products and your services around the world, or right around the corner.
Here's a check list of a few things you will want to consider when selecting a translation service provider:
- Reputation. How long has the company been in business?
- References. Ask for them and check them out.
- Experience. Find out if the vendors you're considering have experience in your industry.
- Quality. Ask for a step-by-step Quality Assurance outline of how your translations will be proofed, reviewed and edited before release.
- Support. Who are the key people that will oversee your projects from start through successful completion?
- Capabilities. Find out if the vendors you're considering can provide you with the full range of services you may need.
- Responsiveness. Will the vendor you select be able to meet your schedules and deadline? Ask their references this exact question.
- Price. How competitive are the vendors you're considering? Be sure to compare apples to apples. Because one firm is really low, does this mean that the quality won't be that good and they're cutting corners or using unqualified translators? If another firm is high, does this mean they are too saturated with work and cannot handle yours so they're purposely pricing it high? When it comes to price, somewhere in the middle is your safest bet. But don't make a decision based solely on price, as tempting as it may be. Choosing the lowest price may seem to make sense in the short term, but a few dollars saved today could end up costing you hundreds, or even thousands, tomorrow with embarrassing results and a negative company image that could take years to rebuild. It's important not to be pound wise and penny foolish.
- Instinct. Go with your gut. After checking references and getting information about the companies you're considering, go with the company you feel most comfortable with — the one you feel will be easiest to work with. After all, you want to build a lasting partnership and you want this relationship to be easy and enjoyable as well as professional and efficient.
We hope that you will consider ITS to be your partner.
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How do we know your translators are qualified?
ITS employs only the most professional and most qualified linguists in the entire translation industry. We go to great lengths to seek out and employ only the very best translators.
- Our language associates are always native speakers of the target language, with subject matter expertise gained through education,
on-the-job training, translation experience or all of the above. - Our translators must be excellent writers. Mastering the fine art of translation is much more complex than just being able to speak a second language. Just as an accomplished writer in one language takes years to master his craft, an accomplished translator takes years to master hers.
- Our linguists must have years of experience living in both cultures of their language pair (i.e., Japan and United States) in order to have a firm grasp on all of the cultural codes and nuances that are important in language (i.e. the translator lived 25 years in Japan and has resided the last 10 years in the United States with frequent trips back to Japan).
- Our linguists translators should also be accredited or certified by professional translation organizations.
Can't we use our distributors for translation?
An overseas distributor or subsidiary can rarely offer the timely and thorough service of a professional translation agency. Their strength is in selling your product, not necessarily in writing or in translation. By using a reputable translation agency, you maintain control over the process and you can rest assured that it will be done right by professional linguists who are experts in translation. It can be a good idea to use your in-country sales office for review and "buy-in", but you will be wise to leave the actual translation work to professional translators.
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How does your company ensure quality?
At ITS, each and every translation goes through a multi-layered process based on ISO standards to ensure nothing less than perfect results. This process includes:
An overseas distributor or subsidiary can rarely offer the timely and thorough service of a professional translation agency. Their strength is in selling your product, not necessarily in writing or in translation. By using a reputable translation agency, you maintain control over the process and you can rest assured that it will be done right by professional linguists who are experts in translation. It can be a good idea to use your in-country sales office for review and "buy-in", but you will be wise to leave the actual translation work to professional translators.
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How does your company ensure quality?
At ITS, each and every translation goes through a multi-layered process based on ISO standards to ensure nothing less than perfect results. This process includes:
- Translation team screening and selection
- Communication of project parameters and specifications
- Creation of style guides, lexicons and glossaries
- Familiarization of client goals, objectives, products and services by all team members
- Designation of team leaders
- Critical communication criteria
- Leveraging previous translations and translation memories
- Reference consultation
- File preparation
- First round translation by subject-specialized team of linguists
- First round QA reviews by proofreading/editing team
- Incorporation of first round edits
- Second round of QA reviews
- Client review phase of translation
- Layout & production
- Pre-press QA reviews of layout phase
- Validation and final approval across all teams
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What's the difference between translation, localization and interpretation?
- Translation (XL): Translation is simply the rewriting of text into a different language, while maintaining the meaning of the original. In the industry, the term translation usually applies to more traditional forms of written communication.
- Localization (L1ON): The term localization may refer to anything that is translated for use in a local market, including documentation, packaging, advertising or any material in any medium. In the translation and localization industry, however, the term is most commonly used to describe the translation or localization of software products, online help and Web sites.
- Interpretation: The term interpretation applies to the spoken word. In simultaneous interpretation, the interpreter wears a headset through which she or he hears the speaker through a central PA system. While the interpreter listens to the speaker, she or he speaks into a microphone (transceiver) to the intended recipient who hears the interpreted message simultaneously with the use of a wireless headset (receiver). Simultaneous interpreters must be very highly skilled and trained and they must be perfectly bilingual and able to interpret automatically and on the fly. Situations requiring simultaneous interpretation usually include large meetings or conferences and interpreters generally sit in booths, separated from the audience. Because the work is so exhausting, simultaneous interpretation is usually conducted with two interpreters per language working in tandem, switching every 20-40 minutes. In consecutive interpretation, the interpreter listens to and notes what the speaker is saying. Once the speaker finishes speaking a short segment, the interpreter repeats the speech in another language in the pause allowed by the speaker. Consecutive interpretation is usually done without the use of equipment. Situations requiring this type of work usually include small meetings. medical exams, depositions, court hearings, etc.
