First Translations, Inc. - Industry Standard Translation Services

When thinking about translating one might think it is simple work if you understand more than one language. Never mind that you may need to translate both written and spoken word; understanding dialects, cultural differences and basic wording semantics the list goes on. No, translating is a complex trade and businesses and government have come to depend on professional services now more than ever.

There are some requisites you will need before starting your translation such as the proper tools. These would include bilingual dictionaries, encyclopedias and thesaurus. Slang dictionaries can be particularly useful. Hard copies offline and online electronic versions of the same would be ideal. Any reference guides such as atlases, maps government directories of the client country are useful.

Have a good understanding of what it is you will be translating in the case of documents, books, website content, reports or journals. Advance reading of this material will better assist you with your overall understanding of the job.
Try and grasp the manner in which the original text was written and its style and function. Knowing in advance what you are translating will make your job easier. Your ability to understand what you are translating is critical and in what pretext you are defining the words you write. Choosing the proper vocabulary and articulation used for the text is essential to your finished product.

Be careful to avoid expressing the wrong meaning of the words in the text. Ask yourself what something means before you translate it if you are unsure. What makes perfect sense in one language may be an embarrassing or costly mistake in another. Speaking your phrases out loud when translating will give you yet one more chance to verify the accuracy of the translation, ensuring that you are using suitable words with appropriate grammatical configuration.

When you finish a sentence or paragraph get into the habit of proofing it straight away to correct any mistakes you may have made with spelling, grammar or word usage. When you complete the entire document or job itself proof read it again and twice if necessary. The fact you feel compelled to re read it means you are uncomfortable with something. Be sure that the overall context is conveyed properly.

Finally, if you know someone who lives in the country you are translating to it would be ideal if you could email or fax them a copy of your work for them to peruse. They’re ability to notice any language nuance or cultural inaccuracies can be quite useful.

First-Translations Inc. is a leader in translation and interpreting services for businesses around the world. First-Translations years of experience speak volumes about our service.

It happens in nearly every growth industry that depends on accuracy and the complete faith of the customer. Larger organizations and highly trained and educated individuals in those industries are always at the top of the list of facilitators toward regulation and certification. Is it an effective way to cull the competition or is it a way to standardize an industry? Valid points to take into consideration when this discussion inevitably arises in conversation amongst industry peers.

In the end it’s all about the consumer and end user of translation and interpretation services and how effectively they are being represented. Certification goes a long way in making sure that qualified individuals are being used when needed. For example when interpreting for the courts, this highly specialized skill can mean the difference between all information being disseminated by judge and jury accurately. Will some vital information be missed or left out of testimony because a court appointed interpreter isn’t up to the job?

When planning certification programs much can be learned from other industries that have gone through the process. Learning from previous failed attempts at certification or what has been proficiently garnered by the attempt should also be considered. What should be involved in the certification process i.e. training, specific segments of the industry and specialized services only being certified?

Certification should assess the level of training and education of its member’s skills and whether they have earned heir credentials. Level of experience prior to certification or regulation should be a contributing element. Many groups and services have developed excellent certification programs for their industries but not without quite a bit of development and trial and error. In that regard the translation and interpretation service industry are on track with the ongoing debates. Organization and planning would go a long way to determining the future of certification for ANY industry but leadership is imperative.

What constitutes a certified professional in this industry may not be what meets the requirements of certification for another. Just because someone graduates with a masters degree in languages doesn’t mean they have what it takes to be a good translator or interpreter. Skill is one thing but experience is King.

Perhaps a combination of skill, experience, a degree or diploma can be practiced for certification or regulation. When combined with an apprentice or work term with an organization utilizing the skills necessary to be a competent industry professional is the way to go. Many professional occupations require a period of articling or apprenticeship before an individual “gets their wings”
As usual the debate of whether or not certification is needed in the interpretation and translation industry ends with what the customer requires.
If clients have enough poor quality service to render complaints to an overseeing organization than that regulatory body must act to see that they are doing everything necessary to certify their industry professionals. Anyone practicing in that field had better get on board with the certification program or risk losing credibility or worse, their business.

First Translations Inc has over 16 years experience providing fast and accurate professional translation services, First Translations Inc. has dedicated itself to servicing all your translation needs. Visit their website now: www.first-translations.com

With the rise of the Internet and no thanks to Al Gore, international trade and marketing began to take on a new direction. New markets began to show potential where little if any promise was shown previously. The Internet meant that information could be delivered and acted on almost immediately. Real time transactions and business to business commerce was taking flight.

However in the early 90’s only those countries with the capacity to finance infrastructure really had an advantage and even they were sorely lacking due to available technology. Demand was quickly being stunted by reality. Broadband was in its infancy even in the mid 90’s and although it held great potential for global markets it was either far to expensive or physically out of reach for most businesses.

Fast forward to 2000 -01 and the dotcom bust nearly plunged another dagger into the potential global economy as many corporations took second looks at their directions online and even questioned the staying power of the Internet. It really has been only the last several years where Internet globalization really seems to have solidified its foundation as a conduit for world trade and commerce. Yet many businesses are still
guarded when it comes to investing in online foreign marketing; meaning there are still ample opportunities available world wide.

There are many factors contributing to globalization on the Internet. One of them is the growth of open source code. This allows for freedom of development enjoyed by many smaller companies enabling them to develop online platforms beyond what they normally could afford. The cost of software in many cases now outstrips hardware and development fees are a part of this. Open source applications make it easier for small and midsize companies to compete in world markets online.

The introduction of Unicode into the Internet phenomenon has played a huge role in standardization of many platforms online regardless of the manufacturer, in any language. The Unicode Standard has been adopted by many industry leaders. Some roadblocks still exist in crowning Unicode as a brilliant triumph but it comes awfully close to online martyrdom.

A huge market exists today for professionally qualified translating services for the Internet. To totally transform an English only corporate website of any complexity capable of business to business commerce can be quite expensive. This fact turns many small to midsize organizations to second rate translation options that mean poorly translated websites not meeting expected values. Many companies will take a piece meal approach and localize their websites in phases.

It’s no surprise that Internet technology companies seem to lead the pack when it comes to online globalization and why wouldn’t they. They understand the process and also the rewards. This is why many companies need to hire professional facilitators when it comes to planning and executing globalization online. Seeking out a reliable translating service that can lead you from beginning to end and do it for a reasonable cost should be paramount in the beginning phase of planning this process.
The Internet gives a huge advantage to small business to compete with the big boys in global markets but this will only be achieved by making the initial investment it takes to have a unique and competitive web presence that makes perfect sense to the new market and recognizes the need of the end user in that new market.
First Translations Inc has over 16 years experience providing fast and accurate professional translation services, First Translations Inc. has dedicated itself to servicing all your translation needs.

You’re hearing about it everywhere. Web 2.0. It’s on every blog, every design studio claims to do it, every company wants it. You can find how-tos and tutorials showing you step-by-step how to become a “Web 2.0 designer.” What most people don’t realize is that there are many facets to what makes up the Web, not just the look and feel of the sites and user interfaces. Real Web 2.0 sites, which are well-built, offer a new way of gathering and communication information. The most successful are actually information-based. Inevitably, distributing information can usually mean a wide audience, and that audience might not all be from the same region, country, or even part of the world. Continue Reading »

Last week, in the first part of this article, we examined a few easy ways that a client can examine a company’s external, visible processes to be able to determine what sort of translation services they might receive from that company. In this article we will have a brief look at how we at First-Translations feel that the translator selection process should work, how “translation” differs from “localization” and how this starts the document life-cycle. Continue Reading »

It’s amazing how many people out there need translations, but don’t know where to look, or even when they find a company, they aren’t really sure what they are getting. What constitutes a “quality” translation? It is simply using professional translators? What is the difference between a certified translation and a standard translation? In this series, we will examine various aspects of the translations process, what some companies overlook or neglect, and why it matters.

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