Comparison of Translation Services Rates

When searching for online translation companies you will be presented with a huge number of companies and websites which offer translation at a variety of different translation services rates. The question is what rate should you pay for your translation?

What are good translation services rates?

Translation services rates vary considerably as does the service that they offer. You need to first of all be clear as to exactly the level of service that you are looking for before you start to compare rates. A company that quotes you $100 for a translation against a company that is asking $10 for the same translation is probably not offering the same level of service.

What translation services are on offer?

Before you compare translation services rates you need to be fully aware of what they are going to provide you with in terms of translation. A translation provided by a simple computer program is unlikely to be very accurate while companies that use highly qualified experts who are fluent in both languages as well as being subject matter experts are going to provide a much more accurate translation. Also companies that provide the added use of a proofreading service by an additional translator are going to provide a higher level of accuracy still. Typically online companies offer the following levels of translation;

• Software based translation
• Translation by freelancer who speaks both languages
• Translation by qualified translator who is fluent in both languages
• Translation by qualified translator who is also a subject expert
• Translation as above with proofreading by an expert translator

Comparing your translation service rates

Before comparing the rates on offer firstly consider the service that you will need. If you have legal or medical documents that require translation you will certainly want to get the very best service; you will be looking for those companies that are going to use experts that fully understand the subject as well as the source and target languages and who then proofread the resulting translations. This will almost certainly be far more expensive than using a company that provides cheap translation using freelancers but then the costs associated with a poor translation could be huge. You must be careful that you are comparing oranges with oranges when you compare the rates between the different companies; different levels of service will offer different levels of accuracy and of course risk so be very careful when looking at translation services rates to ensure that you are comparing equivalent companies offering the services that you really need.

Can You Trust Cheap Translation Services

What are cheap translation services?

If you search online for cheap translation services you will be confronted with many websites and companies offering you translations in your chosen languages. The price differences between these services can be significant as can the quality of the work being done. Some cheap translation services use simple (or even advanced) software to perform the translation while others will use cheap unqualified translators from poor countries to provide the work. The end result is often a translation that is far from perfect.

Why does cheap translation need to be perfect?

A translation needs to be accurate and convey the original meaning of the source document; anything less will not just affect your reputation it could actually be dangerous. Would you trust the translation of your medical notes to Google Translate before having an emergency operation in a foreign country or would you like to know that the translation was done by an expert that fully understood the source document? We have all seen instruction booklets that make no sense when we have purchased foreign goods, sometimes these instructions are laughable, other times they are dangerous or highly misleading. Whether you need a simple memo translating, a complex manual or even a legal document you must ensure that the translation is fully accurate; but can this be done using cheap translation services?

Selecting cheap translation

A cheap translation service can be a gamble for many jobs. You have to check that the cheap translation services are going to provide you with accuracy by employing well educated and experienced translators rather than cheap freelancers who just happen to speak both languages to some degree of proficiency. Just because someone can speak both languages does not mean that they are capable of understanding the source document to translate it, especially if it is a legal or medical document. Before you select a translation service you must first make sure that you are comparing apples with apples; firstly eliminate those services that only offer computer based translations and those that use cheap unqualified translators. Your cheap translation should be based upon the company providing the service that you need; this should be translation done by an expert in both the languages and the subject and with additional proofreading to ensure its accuracy. You can then select the cheap translation services from those that offer what you need. Remember you are looking for cheap translation services with regards to the price not the level of quality that they are offering.

How to Choose the Best Book Translation Services

Where can you find book translation services?

There are many companies online offering book translation services allowing you to take advantage of selling your work in other languages. Having your book available in multiple languages will allow you to take advantage of a much wider market than would otherwise be possible. However you have to be able to find a company that can offer reliable and accurate book translations to ensure that your book reads as it does in your source language.

How are book translations done?

Ebook translation is not a simple task. The translator has to be able to fully understand both individual languages as well as the subject matter of the book. Translation is not just a matter of taking each word in turn and converting it to its equivalent in the target language. This is what a lot of software does and is why these programs often turn out garbage when asked to translate anything other than the simplest of phrases. Translation requires the translator to fully understand each sentence and then rewrite them in the target language while maintaining the original meaning. This may mean that the words are very different as long as the original intent is maintained. So the translator has to be able to fully understand what they are reading in the source language and be able to say the same thing in the target language without errors.

Selecting the best book translation services

Your translator for eBook translation must be able to have a full grasp of both languages as well as an in-depth understanding of the subject matter. Finding a company that has such an individual can be difficult, many companies do not employ people to work full time on their services but look for cheap freelancers when they are asked to provide translations. You must be sure that the company you select has a qualified and experienced translator that is capable of providing the service that you require thus ensuring the accuracy of the book translations. In addition to the translation you should also look for book translation services that offer additional proof reading stages to their service. A third party should review the translation against the original book to ensure that the original meaning has been maintained during the translation. This last step is very important if you want to ensure the accuracy of the translation and to maintain your reputation with your translated book.

How Audio Translation Services Can Serve You

What is Audio Translation?

Translation is taking something written or spoken in the source language and converting it into the equivalent in the target language. Audio translation is taking the recorded voice and translating it into the target language as a written document or even another audio file. Just as someone may record their voice for a letter to be transcribed or want a meeting transcribing there is sometimes the need to translate an audio file into another language.

Problems with Audio Translation

Audio translation services have to be able not to just translate each individual word to its equivalent in the target language but to translate the full meaning of the original. This is where most software programs fail; they can translate each word or even very simple phrases but will often not be able to convey the real meaning of a sentence into a new language. The best translation has to be done by a professional translator that is very fluent in both the source and the target languages. Audio translation services have to use a translator that can fully understand the meaning of the original spoken word and then translate the meaning into the target language with a high level of accuracy. This does not just take an expert in just the languages being used; the translator should also be an expert in the subject areas. This is especially true for medical, legal and most business translation work to ensure that the translator is able to fully understand the subject.

Perfect Audio Translation Services

Creating an audio file can often be quicker than writing a document, plus many companies will record meetings and presentations for later transcription. But these then need to be transcribed or even translated. Most companies do not hire their own translators but rely on audio translation services to do the work for them. Finding good quality translation companies however can be hard work. You have to find a company that offers translations from your source language to the target language and you have to assure yourself that they are going to be able to do the work accurately. This means using a company with highly qualified and expert translators who are fluent in each language. They also have to be able to understand the accent of the speaker as well as the actual language being employed and the subject. Good audio translation services will also proofread your documents after the translation using a second expert to ensure that the translation maintains the message contained within the original source file.

Is Translation Proofreading Important?

Why is translation proofreading important?

If you have ever used online translation services then you will be aware of how inaccurate these services can be; you only need to look at the instruction manuals that come with some cheap products from overseas to see how bad some of these translations can be. If you have read these instructions you will be aware of how difficult it can be to use these products easily and safely if you have to use the documentations provided. Now imagine if your medical notes were translated as well as these manuals if you were in need of surgery overseas! Translation proofreading is vital to confirm that the message within the original document has been preserved and that it is very clear and not ambiguous.

How is translation proofreading done?

Proofreading translation work is vital to avoid issues; it is very easy to make mistakes when translating documents. The translator has to fully understand both languages fluently if they are going to make an accurate translation; they also have to understand the subject area also. Translation is not just about taking each word individually and changing it for the equivalent word in the target language. The translator has to fully understand the meaning of each sentence and paragraph and rewrite it in the target language to maintain the meaning. Proofreading translation work will involve rereading both the original and the translated document to ensure that the translation is not only written well in the target language, but that it conveys the exact same message that was present in the original document. This is extremely vital in cases such as medical and legal documents as well as safety critical items.

Getting accurate translations

Many agencies offer translation that is very cheap and often inaccurate. You must ensure that any agency that you use for translation does not just provide translation that is done by someone that is proficient it both languages but that the work is then proofread by a third party that is also skilled in both languages. Without proofreading translation work it is possible to end up with documents that are inaccurate that will not provide the reader with the correct information. Translation proofreading by a third party that is an expert in the area of the translation as well as the source and target languages may sound more expensive but you have to consider the costs that a misunderstanding caused by a poor translation could cause you. Translation proofreading is vital if you want to preserve your reputation and prevent losses due to your message being “lost in translation.”

How to Choose the Best Among Best Translation Agencies

Why do you need to use the best translation agency?

Many people and businesses make decisions based on only one factor; cost. This can be disastrous when you are looking to translate an important document from one language to another. I am sure that you have seen people post translations done through software such as Google Translate to highlight how funny the results can be. However you need your translations to be accurate and to ensure that they give the reader the message that you intended not frustrate and confuse them.

This means using only the best translation agencies not relying on cheap and inaccurate software to do the job for you.

How do you find the best translation agencies?

If you do an online search for online translation agencies you will be overwhelmed with different sites and companies offering to do the translation that you need. Many of these will be acceptable, but some will be terrible. Too many people set up simple websites to try to harvest those looking for translation services, should they get work from someone they then hire a cheap freelancer who may be unqualified or will even run your document through an online computer translation program. Either way your translation is unlikely to be of the quality that you are demanding.

The best translation agency is going to use translators that are fluent in both the original language and the target language; if they do use computerized systems they will still use a skilled translator to proofread your document. Always ensure that the agency that you are looking to use has a translator that is fluent in both languages; not every agency can cover every language.

How do the best translation agencies work?

The best translation agency will use a translator that is fully fluent in both languages. This way they will understand both the slang and the different ways that language is used in both languages ensuring that your translation will be accurate. In addition to using a translator that is fluent in both languages the company will also use an expert in the subject area of the translation; legal and medical terms are very different than everyday language for instance.

Many of these companies will also use a second set of eyes to proofread the documents to ensure that the translation that is provided is highly accurate to avoid any possible misunderstandings. So use the best translation agencies if you want to ensure that your translations are accurate.