livingword
10-06-2004, 08:15 AM
The Living Word
Language Services Ltd
Please call us for your free trial translation on:
0044 (0)1954 205406 or email livingword@livingword.co.uk
Translation Tips for Clients
How do I choose an Translation Agency?
Choose your agency wisely and your project will become trouble-free, efficient, and cost-effective
By choosing the right translation company, your translation will get the attention it deserves.
* A good translation company will manage your project from translation through to editing, desktop publishing and proofreading.
* Not everyone who speaks a foreign language is a translator.
* The translator must be a native speaker of the language that he or she is translating into but must also understand the nuances of the original English text.
* You need to entrust your project to a translation team that has the experience and qualifications to correctly convey your message in the target language.
* Good translators will have a genuine understanding of the culture of the audience country.
* Total project management leaves you free to carry on your important job without having to worry about managing your translation project.
* When choosing your translation agency, make sure you discuss your project in detail. Be certain you feel comfortable with the people who will be managing your project
Translation Rates
* Translation agencies offer professional at widely varying rates and in accordance with the length and the complexity of the job in question and the final product format
* Rates for translations from major western languages (French, German, Spanish etc) into English are as a rule lower than those for translations from English into those languages or from and into more exotic languages.
Planning
* In translation, the better you plan your project, the more painless the process will be.
* The next time you're planning to have documentation translated, consider how long it took you to complete the source version of that document.
* While the translation process may not take this long, it is an indicator.
* A translator can produce 2,000 – 2,500 translated words in one working day.
* After the translation is complete, it is advisable to have editing and in-country review done by your own people.
* Any text intended for publication requires careful proofreading of the typeset copy.
* Lead time is very important: make sure you leave time for the translations!
* Did you know that you can help control your translation costs through the information you give your translation company? The more information you can provide for your agency, the better the results will be.
* It is important to remember that translators are not miracle workers. Poorly organized or nonsensical materials will remain so in the translation
* Whenever possible, the client should provide glossaries of preferred terms, as well as existing translations of similar materials in the target language.
General tips
* Always check spelling and grammar in your source document: Incorrect spelling or grammar leads to translation errors.
* When you have your original document ready for translation be sure your software is compatible with your translation supplier's.
* The decision to use a professional translation agency will make the difference for anyone doing business abroad.
* Good quality translation always requires research and time.
Lost in Translation!
! The name coca-cola in china was first rendered as ke-kou-ke-la. Unfortunately they discovered, after thousands of signs had been printed, that the phrase means Bite the wax tadpole or Female horse stuffed with wax.
! Outside a Paris dress shop a sign could be seen stating: Dresses for street walking.
! In a laundry in Rome: Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time.
! When general motors introduced the Chevy nova in south America, it was apparently unaware that no va means It won't go – eventually the company figured out why it wasn't selling any cars
! When the parker pen was marketed in Mexico, its ads were supposed to say It won't leak in your pocket and embarrass you. However, the company's mistakenly thought the Spanish word embarazar meant embarrass. instead the ads said: It won’t leak in your pocket and make you pregnant.
! Instead of the desired I saw the pope in Spanish, the shirts proclaimed: I saw the potato.
! In an Acapulco hotel a sign read: The manager has personally passed all the water served here.
! In a Copenhagen airline ticket office: We take your bags and send them in all directions.
! In a hotel in Athens: Visitors are expected to complain at the office between the hours of 9 and 11 a.m. daily.
! In the window of a Swedish furrier: Fur coats made for ladies from their own skin.
! The translation of the Pepsi slogan come alive with the Pepsi generation came out in Taiwanese as Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead.
! In a Rhodes tailor's shop: order your summers suit because in big rush we will execute customers in strict rotation.
Please call us for your free trial translation on:
0044 (0)1954 205406 or email livingword@livingword.co.uk
Language Services Ltd
Please call us for your free trial translation on:
0044 (0)1954 205406 or email livingword@livingword.co.uk
Translation Tips for Clients
How do I choose an Translation Agency?
Choose your agency wisely and your project will become trouble-free, efficient, and cost-effective
By choosing the right translation company, your translation will get the attention it deserves.
* A good translation company will manage your project from translation through to editing, desktop publishing and proofreading.
* Not everyone who speaks a foreign language is a translator.
* The translator must be a native speaker of the language that he or she is translating into but must also understand the nuances of the original English text.
* You need to entrust your project to a translation team that has the experience and qualifications to correctly convey your message in the target language.
* Good translators will have a genuine understanding of the culture of the audience country.
* Total project management leaves you free to carry on your important job without having to worry about managing your translation project.
* When choosing your translation agency, make sure you discuss your project in detail. Be certain you feel comfortable with the people who will be managing your project
Translation Rates
* Translation agencies offer professional at widely varying rates and in accordance with the length and the complexity of the job in question and the final product format
* Rates for translations from major western languages (French, German, Spanish etc) into English are as a rule lower than those for translations from English into those languages or from and into more exotic languages.
Planning
* In translation, the better you plan your project, the more painless the process will be.
* The next time you're planning to have documentation translated, consider how long it took you to complete the source version of that document.
* While the translation process may not take this long, it is an indicator.
* A translator can produce 2,000 – 2,500 translated words in one working day.
* After the translation is complete, it is advisable to have editing and in-country review done by your own people.
* Any text intended for publication requires careful proofreading of the typeset copy.
* Lead time is very important: make sure you leave time for the translations!
* Did you know that you can help control your translation costs through the information you give your translation company? The more information you can provide for your agency, the better the results will be.
* It is important to remember that translators are not miracle workers. Poorly organized or nonsensical materials will remain so in the translation
* Whenever possible, the client should provide glossaries of preferred terms, as well as existing translations of similar materials in the target language.
General tips
* Always check spelling and grammar in your source document: Incorrect spelling or grammar leads to translation errors.
* When you have your original document ready for translation be sure your software is compatible with your translation supplier's.
* The decision to use a professional translation agency will make the difference for anyone doing business abroad.
* Good quality translation always requires research and time.
Lost in Translation!
! The name coca-cola in china was first rendered as ke-kou-ke-la. Unfortunately they discovered, after thousands of signs had been printed, that the phrase means Bite the wax tadpole or Female horse stuffed with wax.
! Outside a Paris dress shop a sign could be seen stating: Dresses for street walking.
! In a laundry in Rome: Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time.
! When general motors introduced the Chevy nova in south America, it was apparently unaware that no va means It won't go – eventually the company figured out why it wasn't selling any cars
! When the parker pen was marketed in Mexico, its ads were supposed to say It won't leak in your pocket and embarrass you. However, the company's mistakenly thought the Spanish word embarazar meant embarrass. instead the ads said: It won’t leak in your pocket and make you pregnant.
! Instead of the desired I saw the pope in Spanish, the shirts proclaimed: I saw the potato.
! In an Acapulco hotel a sign read: The manager has personally passed all the water served here.
! In a Copenhagen airline ticket office: We take your bags and send them in all directions.
! In a hotel in Athens: Visitors are expected to complain at the office between the hours of 9 and 11 a.m. daily.
! In the window of a Swedish furrier: Fur coats made for ladies from their own skin.
! The translation of the Pepsi slogan come alive with the Pepsi generation came out in Taiwanese as Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead.
! In a Rhodes tailor's shop: order your summers suit because in big rush we will execute customers in strict rotation.
Please call us for your free trial translation on:
0044 (0)1954 205406 or email livingword@livingword.co.uk