Vendirex.com

Translation Services: More Than Meets the Eye

by VENDIREX on 10/28/2015 - 11:43 am |

Tag: Maintenance Management

At first glance, translation services would seem to be pretty easy, and hardly ever necessary. One language is converted to another; one document is rewritten in a new language. Done and done. Well, not so fast.


First of all, translation is not, as some would believe, a word for word, straightforward method of exchanging a body of work into a different language. And second, there are hundreds of uses for interpreting in our world today, with more evolving as technology continues to expand.


How does Translation Work?


Effective and accurate translation must interpret the meaning of either text or audio recordings, and produce an equivalent text which properly communicates the message into a foreign tongue. Additionally, there are constraints which involve context, grammar, nuances and idioms of both languages.  


There are various ‘auto-translators’ on the Internet, such as Google Translate, which are sufficient for quick interpretation of a phrase or word. However, when you want to convey a full message accurately to a foreign customer, there’s a lot more work to do. It’s a matter of respect that you take the time to address them properly. The wrong interpretation not only makes you look ignorant, but it could severely hurt your reputation and ultimately your wallet.


Why is Translation Important to Business?


These days, businesses must communicate with people from across the globe - if they want to stay competitive. Of course, local services such as restaurants and barber shops probably won’t find them useful. But anyone with a website and a product or service that appeals to consumers, regardless of their locations, will at times find translation necessary.


Turning podcasts and videos into readable ‘scripts’ is commonplace. Web conferences, radio talk shows, and training sessions are becoming more popular all the time. And, all those tapes will ultimately need to be transcribed into documents, with many then translated into multiple languages.


It is essential to display your website text clearly, without grammatical errors or omissions caused by faulty translations. After all, your site is your ‘billboard in the sky’ for all to see. It’s not the easiest thing to make certain there are no mistakes. Everything should be edited prior to publishing, and even then reviewed once more.


Is Anything Lost in Translation?


We all have had the experience of reading a sentence, or a blog post, on a website that is supposedly in our language - let’s say American English - and instantly find grammar, punctuation and context errors jumping off the page. It’s disconcerting and, at best, it prompts us to bounce from the page, quickly.


Did you know, for instance, that when you silently read content (with the intent of editing), your brain will actually tend to ‘fill in’ the proper wording; making it appear as correct? For this reason, it is best for high accuracy to read content ‘out loud’ as you edit. This way, you will ‘trip’ over errors as they appear in your path, and also make sure the punctuation flows with the inflections in your voice as you read.



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