The Anatomy of a Professional Translation

Translation Project Management
One of the steps to a successful translation derives from the project management.  Some Internet translation agencies offer extensive listings of free-lance translators spread all over the world.  Other companies provide clients with a translation project manager that acts as a point-of-contact for you and your project.  The manager selects and oversees translators for your project, directing every stage of the translation.   This ensures that your project is handled in a timely and professional manner.  Choosing a company with an aggressive project management is the first step towards effectively communicating your desired meaning.   

Document Localization
Localization is the process of adapting a product, in the context of translation usually software, to a specific locale, i.e. to the language, cultural norms, standards, laws and requirements of the target market. The Localization Industry Standards Association, or LISA, defines the process explaining that "Localization involves taking a product and making it linguistically and culturally appropriate to the target locale (country/region and language) where it will be used and sold." Successful localization in translation requires an understanding of the source material, the target market, and a deep knowledge of the culture and language.    Because document localization is much more than literal translation, finding a translation company that preserves these needs is essential to your success in transmitting just the right message to the right culture group.  Quality document localization provides you with a localized product that maintains the original tone and feel of your desired message, while conveying it in a culturally appropriate manner. Document localization covers a variety of documents including: help files or online help, product documentation, user guides, white papers, promotional materials, and technical business documentation.

Methods of Translation
There are several levels and technological methods when it comes to the physical translating of a document.  The most basic translation level is a machine translation.  A machine translation is produced by a computer program usually without human input.  The quality of machine-translated text, in terms of terminology, meaning and grammar, varies depending on the nature and complexity of the source text, but is never good enough for publication without extensive editing. Machine translation is occasionally used by some translators and translation companies to assist them in their work, but rarely to translate entire documents.   

The next level is computer-assisted translation (CAT).  A CAT translation is performed with the aid of computer programs, such as translation memory tools, designed to reduce the translator's workload and increase consistency of style and terminology.   A database stores previously translated sentences and compares that data against the current text being translated, searching for matches.  If, during translation, a sentence appears that is similar to or identical with a previously translated sentence, the program suggests the found target sentence as a possible translation. The translator then decides whether to accept, edit or reject the proposed sentence.

Finally, the most accurate translations are manual technical translations, performed by humans translating into their mother-tongue.  With accredited translators any document can be more effectively localized by rendering the text into the target language preserving the subject matter, idiomatic style and cultural nuances.  Companies involving all of these methods through careful evaluation of the project manager will successfully uphold the meaning of your document meeting even the rigorous requirements of an official translation. 

Trent Williams is a Client Account Specialist at 10x Marketing.  For professional document localization and translation project management, contact The Big Word Translation Company today.