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Costly delays and budget overruns in translation projects usually occur because key information is not clearly communicated at the onset. Because translation comes at the end of the project cycle, time is often an issue. Translation quotes are requested on a rush basis and confusion over final edits and internal approvals may ensue.
Below we offer some helpful tips on how clients can avoid these pitfalls while meeting deadlines and staying on budget.
1. Be direct – say what you mean in the original document so that the translation will also clearly communicate your message.
2. Eliminate sports analogies – expressions like “he went the whole nine yards” are meaningless to foreign readers who do not follow American football. A similar expression may not exist in the target language.
3. Longer is not necessarily better – Keep in mind that the number of words or characters may increase by 20%-60% when they are translated into many other languages. This “expansion”
4. Keep internal acronyms and jargon to a minimum – Who is the intended audience? If they don’t work for your company or if they are not in the same line of business, the translation could miss the mark.
5. Include country codes for telephone and fax numbers in your text. If your product instructions are going to Mexico and your call center is in the U.S., your consumers need to have the complete phone number in order to make the call.
6. Measurements in inches, feet and quarts need to be converted to the metric system. Even the British stopped using English measurements.
7. Check your dates. Formats vary from country to country so spell out the month. 8/9 is August 9th in the U.S. but it is September 8th in many countries.
8. Make sure that the original document is finalized and will not need any more editing. If you make changes to the original after you have submitted it for translation, you will be paying for extra, unnecessary work.
9. Run a spelling and grammar check before submitting your materials for translation. If your document has a typo and it says “weed” where you meant to write “seed”, the same mistake will probably be in the translation.
10. Be specific. The more information you provide at the beginning will pay off with a more targeted translation. Useful information includes where the translation will be used, and who the audience is (consumers, B2B, engineers, etc.), and if there are graphics or tables. Sending a sample of the piece is always a good idea.
11. Plan ahead. If it took you a month to write it, it may take the translator just as long. Look at your schedule of international trade shows for next year and pick up the phone.
12. Send only what needs to be translated. If the notes on Powerpoint presentation are for internal use only and don’t need to be translated, remove them from the file before sending it to your translations company.
13. Translation pricing is per word. That’s the industry standard, and that’s why tips #8 and #12 are included in this list.
14. Ask questions. Your translations service provider is there to make your job easier. If you are unsure of something or have questions about some of the material to be translated, they can help. Just ask.
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