Why choose to work with a professional?
In today’s technology-driven world, many people believe that to translate a text you just need to type it into your computer and press enter. But in fact, all programs require a certain degree of human intervention. Why? There are currently two kinds of translation programs: machine translation and computer-assisted translation, which are very different from one another.
So, what’s the difference, you may ask? Well, automated translation – translation by a machine or remote software – is produced without any human intervention. Most of the time, the results are very imprecise and there can be significant loss of meaning. The quality of such translations leaves a lot to be desired and will probably require the intervention of a professional translator to rewrite copy or correct the final version. A flawed translation of this kind could mean that you miss out on important business opportunities. It could even cause misunderstandings with one or more of your business partners, with major consequences for your company.
Computer-assisted translation, however, requires translators and machines to work in close collaboration. Specialist software locates excerpts of previously-translated text from a range of translation memory and database resources. This speeds up the translation process by reducing the overall workload. It’s important to note that these databases and glossaries are developed by the translators themselves, and that this precious information resource is the result of many years of meticulous work.
A professional translator or interpreter is not just someone who has studied a language at school or spent a few years in their target language country. First and foremost, a professional translator or interpreter is a qualified professional who has spent several years studying the rules and subtleties of various translation and interpreting processes. He or she has then gone on to refine their knowledge through practical experience and become a specialist in their field. You are unlikely to encounter a professional translator or interpreter who is not a specialist. Like you, translators work in specific fields such as mechanical engineering, medicine, IT, fashion and law. You cannot translate technical documentation to a high standard if you don’t understand how each component works. Working with a specialized translator can ensure the financial success of your project.
It would be such a shame if a project into which you have put a lot of time and effort were to fail due to a misunderstanding between the parties involved. If you decide to enlist the services of a non-specialist translator, you might be lucky and manage to achieve your business goals. But are you prepared to take the risk?
Translation pricing
The cost of a translation depends on a number of factors, including subject matter, specialization, task turnaround time, document complexity, etc. There are a vast number of low-cost translation services available on the Internet, some of which are new arrivals that claim to be translators or interpreters without ever having worked in the profession. Many people, including customers, think that anyone can masquerade as a translator, and that the only skill required is to speak a foreign language. Unfortunately, in most cases, these self-proclaimed translators have a far from perfect knowledge of the source language. Worse still, their target language expertise is sometimes relatively limited. They often use machine translation, which can be useful and acceptable in certain situations, but due to their lack of sufficient theoretical knowledge, the end result is a literal translation that may even be difficult to understand. In addition, this type of translation is often riddled with spelling and punctuation mistakes. And these are not the only problems. It is also highly likely that the original text will be translated approximately or inaccurately. When you entrust your projects to us, you can rest assured that our translations will be of the highest quality, at the right price.
No hidden costs
Many translation agencies provide a provisional quote for translation projects, based on the original text. However, once the job is completed, the final cost may significantly increase because it is recalculated according to the actual volume of translated text. This means that the final invoice may be up to 20% higher than the original quote. For example, English is much more concise than Russian. It is sometimes difficult to tell if a translator has inflated the volume of translated text by adding meaningless words or introductory sentences that supposedly improve the translation. Of course, when agencies use this type of price “correction” system, more often than not the final cost will increase.
When you contact us for a quote, we will send you a fixed price for your project, and you can rest assured that this price will remain unchanged. Translation costs are calculated based on the text to be translated and will remain the same throughout the project. All incremental costs due to complexity, specialization or short turnaround times are already included.