How can you be sure of a top-quality translation that will reflect how fabulous your product or service is? It really makes sense to hire a professional translator rather than a machine to translate your website, communications, social media, case studies, and blogs. You know your UK clients and prospects will appreciate reading in English, and you know it’ll create a connection. So how do you choose your translation partner?
Training and qualifications
Translators have generally studied to Master’s level or equivalent. There are lots of translation methods and techniques that we use when working without even thinking about it (transposition, recasting, modulation, plus lots more … ), all of which help us to relate to your customer in a way that appeals to them directly. Some translators take another route: they may be completely proficient in two or more languages, and translation may be their second career. So a former architect, for example, would translate (you guessed it) architectural texts, having years’ worth of knowledge to draw from and oodles of jargon to apply when necessary. Me? I got a distinction in my Master’s! :D
Great grammar (and knowing when to let it gooooo)
This is really quite important. We need to cast a spell with our excellent spelling, we need to wield an apostrophe with confidence, we must understand the mythical colon and semicolon rules, and we must avoid the comma splice at all costs. HOWEVER - and this is the fun part … - we aren’t absolutely bound to adhere to those golden grammar rules. In fact, bending them can ever so often add a little bit of spicy sauce to an otherwise dull-as-dishwater text. We translators echo the tone of the original, or foreign piece (also called the “source text”) and if the author has sometimes begun a sentence with a preposition, or has been super-creative with their sentence structure, then we should crack on and make our English text (aka “target text”) sound the same. Which leads me to …
Successful transferral of tone
How does the “source” text sound? Translators need to read the piece then recreate the tone, register, and feeling. A descriptive, serious tone for a case study? Warm, fun, emoji-filled, and hashtag-laden for social media? An informative article? There are many tones of writing and it’s the translator’s job to transfer that style for your new customers.
Writing for our reader
It’s often said that translators make great writers. That’s because whatever we’re writing, we have to step inside the reader’s head. We have to feel what makes them jump for joy, what makes them cringe, what makes them ball up with rage, and what they sing in the shower. We need to be creative and empathetic. Reading a lot helps with writing, as we’re continually exposed to extensive vocabulary and various writing styles. I write every day - sometimes a brain dump, sometimes a poem!
Understanding of brand voice
What impression does your brand give your buyer? What sort of words do you use? Are you “encouraging”, “bold”, “uplifting”? Are you “compassionate”, “charming”, “nurturing”? A great translator will see words and phrases that are used as part of your brand voice, and use the perfect equivalent in English. Equally, if there are some words you really don’t like, we’ll avoid those like out-of-date milk.
Excellent understanding of “source” and “target” culture
This is essential for when we’re working on creative marketing texts, which I love. I know that my French speaking clients won’t necessarily appreciate the same jokes and cultural references as my UK clients. Some of us love a “tartine” dipped into a bowl of milky coffee, and some of us love a Digestive dipped in a cuppa … And that’s ok. We can make the connection elsewhere in the text.
Continuous Professional Development (CPD)
We do a lot of training to hone our skills. Interactive workshops, for example: I’ve participated in “Translating Theatrical Texts”, “Transcreation”, "Sustainability", and lots more. Last weekend I attended a Creative Writing workshop and I'm actually pretty certain I'm a poet now. There are also masses of webinars to listen to from various sources like the Institute of Translators and Interpreters. Lots of us also watch TV, read, and listen to the radio in our “source” language.
Sticking to deadlines
A great translator and copywriter understands the nightmare domino effect a late delivery can have. So we are expert time managers, often successfully juggling a few projects at once and never dropping the ball.
Being a nice person!
We’re nice people. Freelance translators and writers love helping out our clients to the max. What sort of a partnership would it be otherwise?!
This list isn’t exhaustive. Far from it. But at least now you have some idea of what goes into the making of a good translator. And you can be certain that I’m on board with all these things. Get in touch to hire me to translate or create your content.
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