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As a translation buyer you can do your bit to ensure high quality translation. And your ‘bit’ comes before you set out to get the best translator to work on your translation project. You might ask that if you are going to ensure that the best translator works on your translation project, then why is any other preparation needed at all? The answer is, well it is needed. Let’s say that a translator can work on ensuring the best translation of the source document. But what happens if the source document itself is not good enough? It would not be fair to expect a high quality language translation from a substandard source document. Keeping that in mind, let’s move on to our first point –
Simplicity is the name of the game
The source document should be simple in every way. The text should use simple words and an active voice. Avoid using colloquial or regional terms and phrases including slangs, as they are very difficult to translate, especially if the target language/culture is significantly different.
Ensure that the source document is neat and clear, and adequately spaced - double spacing is recommended. This would especially be useful in the case of language translations where the target language tends to have longer words and sentences than the source language. Also remember to finalize the document before sending it out for translation, make sure that track changes/comments if any have been accepted.
Eliminate errors
On a technical level, ensure that the source document is free from any kind of errors including typos and grammatical mistakes. The formatting should be easy to handle, in fact it’s preferable to send word documents that can be edited easily compared to PDF files that can’t be edited.
Selection of typeface and font size
It might surprise some, but your selection of typeface and font size can influence document translation. For example, there are languages like Greek or Arabic among others that require particular characters and accents. Certain fonts like Times New Roman are not recommended for the web because they may not be legible on the screen.
When it comes to font sizes generally it is difficult to read fonts which are below 12pt. Now if you translate from a font which is less than 10pt and your target language has longer words and phrases than the source document then the translated version may be too small to even read.
Glossary and other reference materials
This is specially recommended for technical documents that use specific terminology or jargon. Building a glossary of such terms would help the translators maintain accuracy and speed of translation. The same goes for acronyms, explain acronyms whenever using them for the first time.
Furthermore, if you can send in any reference materials that would make it easier for your translator to understand your source document, it would be very helpful in ensuring a high quality translation. For example, if your translation is related to the services or products provided by your company, you can send in reference materials to the translator which would provide a better overview of the products and services, as well as your company’s profile. These would help the translator turn out a translation that is consistent with the image and spirit of your company.
Provide detailed instructions
Think over your requirements in detail, and convey them to your translation service provider at the outset. You can include specific instructions about formatting, additional information or changes suited for the target language readers, in the case of web site translation, you might need to specify how you would like the various parts of your website including flash images, links etc. to be translated.
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