Tomedes Blog

Every professional translator who is reasonably qualified can ensure high quality output in every language translation project assuming that he/she is well-versed in the involved language pair(s). Those who have not undertaken language translation projects themselves, or have entered the language translation field recently may not understand this because their logic would tell them that if one is learned in the required languages, then all they need to do is work attentively to ensure accurate and high quality translations. But seasoned professional translators know that it is just theoretically true. And ensuring high quality and accuracy often involves making painstaking revisions.

But there certainly are more efficient ways to ensure consistently accurate and high quality translations, of course I am assuming that you are well-versed with your source and target languages, and continue to work on taking your mastery to higher levels –

Aids to mastering languages for translation- I know, I know, even though I mentioned above that I assume you are already an expert in your language pair and work regularly on improving it, I can’t help from passing tips in this area. You should develop your knowledge and familiarity with culture of the people where the languages you work with are spoken. You can actually visit those places or watch films, videos, television series in those languages.

Create an efficient system for managing your projects- This would include maintaining a well organized database of your projects with various details like source/target languages, related translations, client details etc.

Use CAT tools- I must mention beforehand that efficiently using CAT tools, and overdependence on the same are divided by a thin line. You are not likely to realize when you will tumble on to the other side, so just be a little cautious. CAT tools are best used for ensuring consistency by reusing already translated content which might be in the form of phrases, sentences, words and paragraphs. This reduces the need of translating similar content repetitively and maintains the quality of translations.

Check source text for errors - Before you begin translating a project, go through the whole source text to check for any errors, ambiguities and inconsistencies. You can then consult your translator friends or the author of the original to sort them out. This would go a long way in ensuring the quality and accuracy of your language translations.

Though it is a very popular book already, it deserves every opportunity for another recommendation. I am talking about the book Eat, Shoots and Leaves, written by Lynne Truss. It is a brilliant book, very insightful and highly readable. I have lost count of the number of times I have read it, but I never tire of giving it another go. Though it is essentially a book about the correct use of punctuation in the English language it is highly entertaining. Not only do I use it to boost my punctuation skills but also to lift my spirits from the occasional blues.

In Eats, Shoots and Leaves, the author has done a commendable job of taking up an apparently dry topic and producing a gripping and informative book about the significance of punctuation and correct usage. It is necessary reading not only for all English language translators but for also those who are associated with the language translation industry in other capacities, like translation buyers for instance. Reading the book would put them in a better position to judge the quality of translations especially from the perspective of punctuations.