Professional translation gets your message across.
Whether your work is commercial or academic, it is worth using an experienced native speaker for your translation.
Translation
Most of the members of this site offer translation services. Their links are listed below. The righthand column provides some background information about commissioning a translation.
Translators & specialist subjects
- Tony Cunningham, CMS
- Technical, engineering, waste & water, materials engineering, metallurgy, corrosion, paint & coatings
- Dave Thomas, Native Speaker Translations
- Life sciences, chemistry, medicine, pharmacy, agriculture, physics, biotechnology, nanotechnology, astronomy & space research, scientific policy, research funding proposals
- Kumar Jamdagni, Language Matters
- ICT, education, science, sociology, economics
- Peggy van Schaik, PC Translations
- Finance, commerce, law, development aid
- Lisa Dacosta, LiDa Language Services
- Public relations, marketing, IT, telecom, management, policy, academic publications, art, culture, fashion
- Anne Paris, Cloud 9
- Medical & paramedical, general healthcare, marketing, public relations & corporate communication, entertainment & tourism
- Cathy Scott, Brief Encounters
- Advertising & journalism
- Carla Bakkum, Back2Back Language Services
- Finance, corporate communication
- Billy Nolan
- Architecture & construction, urban design & planning, landscape design, interior design, product design
- Mike Gould, Michael Gould Associates BV
- Academic writing, presentation skills, negotiation skills, cross-cultural communication
Commissioning a translation
It saves time and improves quality if you brief your translator well:
- What exactly is required, just a rough translation for internal use (for information), or will the text be used to sell your company's products in international markets?
- What will it be used for - a brochure, your website, a press release?
It is important that the translator knows exactly what is required, because this may have a significant effect on the style needed.
Patience is a virtue!
Translators read your texts very carefully - they have to. If they come across sections that are not clear to them it is probable that your target audience will not understand them either. So please be patient and helpful if your translator asks you questions. A helpful answer may also clarify your original text as well as the translation.
Native speakers
Professional translators translate only into their native language, so if you need a translation from Dutch into English you need an English native speaker. There are a few bilingual exceptions, but not many.
Technical translation
If you need a specialist or technical text translated, your translator must be familiar with the subject. The alternative is to build up a relationship with a translator so that he/she becomes fully familiar with your field, strategy, products and market. In most cases this specialist will be qualified and experienced in your field or a similar area from the start.
Cost
A translator working in a specialist subject is both fluent in two languages and academically qualified in your field. This will often mean academic qualifications obtained in two countries and extensive experience obtained living and working in both countries and two different cultures.
Good translation involves a lot of concentration and takes time. When assessing the cost of a translation it is worth considering how much time (and money) you spent on the original. If you need to present yourself, your company or your product to the international market you need to do it properly.
Interpreting
Interpreting is not the same as translation. The two skills are completely different. Translation is written, whereas interpreting is spoken. Translation is from text to text and the translator has the time to access resources (Internet research, dictionaries, information provided by the client etc) to help him/her produce an accurate document. Interpreting is verbal and occurs in real time in the presence of the intended audience. Please click here for more information about interpreting.