Clear Communication with Your Freelance Translator

Posted On January 14, 2009By TranspanishIn Spanish Translation, Translation Buyers/ No Comments

A qualified English to Spanish translator can save your business time as well as bring in new clients with their document translations. But keeping your communication streamlined and clear will expedite any translation job you contract them to work on.

Below are some tips on getting the most out of your working relationship with a freelancer English to Spanish translator:

Remember, you are the expert on the material to be translated and they are the experts in giving you the end product. You have to put your trust in your translator because you can’t check the accuracy of the final document. Therefore, hiring a freelancer knowledgeable in the subject matter should be your first priority.
Provide your translator with the final document to be translated, not a draft. If you alter the document midstream, then you may be opening yourself to extra charges depending on what is in your contract with the freelancer. Not to mention, the translator may have already rendered most of the English document into Spanish, which wastes time.
Keep the lines of communication open! Just as you appreciate a freelancer who checks in about her progress, make sure that communication goes both ways. Ensuring a timely response to any emails or calls with questions will allow the translator to continuing working. What may seem an unimportant question to you could hold up a translator as she waits for an answer.
Explain your needs and expectations at the beginning. The nature of freelance translation requires that translators be flexible, but there’s a point where unclear communication can cause a project to crash. This could ultimately wreck a relationship with a trusted English to Spanish translator. Head off a communication breakdown by explaining what you expect before starting a project, and make sure that your translator has all her questions answered so that she can start work.

Of course, even translation projects that seem simple at the outset can turn complicated. But by keeping courtesy, clarity, and communication a focus of your partnership with a freelancer, you will reap the rewards of powerful, accurate Spanish translations.

Finding Translation Work Close to Home

Posted On January 7, 2009By TranspanishIn Spanish Translation, Tips for Translators/ 2 Comments

English to Spanish translators who live in urban areas or even rural areas with many Spanish speakers can find translation work close to home. It’s just a matter of knowing where to look and knowing how to sell your Spanish translation services. Mining your local resources to find new clients who need documents translated from English to Spanish can help you land a variety of translation assignments.

Below is a list of ideas and resources for you to get started:

1. Local Chamber of Commerce or Small Business Association:

Reach out to potential clients by attending meetings, networking functions, or putting an advertisement for your services in their newsletter.

2. Local Translation Agencies:

Most cities have a number of translation agencies that work with freelance translators, and in many U.S. cities, there is a high demand for English to Spanish as a language pair. Some nonprofits also have a for-profit branch in which they employ freelancers to do translation work.

3. Nonprofits:

While a nonprofit may not have a big budget and many projects for you to work on, this is an extremely close-knit community. A nonprofit focusing on education may only need you for a one-time English to Spanish translation of a letter to parents, but you can be sure that this agency has close connections to agencies providing other services with similar translation needs.

4. State and city government departments:

State and city agencies have to comply with laws regarding dissemination of information regardless of native language, and approaching these places may yield some English to Spanish translation work.

5. Networking with Acquaintances, Friends, and Family:

Even at social events, you know full well that the subject often turns to work, and the business card exchange isn’t far behind. This tactic may not bear immediate fruit, but you never know when the business card you gave to someone at a cocktail party last year will find its way into the hands of a small business owner who wants to market his services to Spanish speakers.

These five resources are only a start, but as an English to Spanish translator, you understand the importance of marketing your services in creative ways. Keep in mind that some of the translation work you find might be outside of your specialty area. If you have a medical terminology background but not a legal one, you can’t provide the highest quality translation for a law office. But that lawyer you turned down may appreciate your honesty and refer you to a doctor he knows needs English to Spanish translations.

Translations for Nonprofits in a Bad Economy

Posted On December 31, 2008By TranspanishIn Translation Buyers/ No Comments

If you work for a nonprofit, you’ve seen the funding from both private and public sources diminish as the demand for the services you provide increased in recent years. Your constituents may be mostly Spanish speakers or you could serve people with a wide range of linguistic backgrounds. Any good nonprofit will have bilingual or multilingual people on staff to serve their non-English speaking clients. But when your development staff or grant writer solicits new funding, do they build in a line item for translation costs?

If this doesn’t happen, your organization should evaluate why not. Do either of the following reasons for not having translation as a built-in cost sound familiar?

We have bilingual people on staff who can also translate documents.

In many cases, your bilingual employees may be able to produce a fairly good translation from English into Spanish. But as funding dollars decrease, your already committed employees may be stretched too thin taking on other tasks to keep the agency running. Asking them to translate something because they speak two languages may be pushing their skill set and stressing an already busy employee. And while they may be fluent in Spanish, if they don’t have a background in translation, they will not give you the high quality documents that the people you serve deserve.

We’re trimming the fat from our budget to deal with the bad economy.

Of course keeping the lights on and programs running is a priority to any nonprofit. But if those you serve speak any language other than English, outreach and education in the language they understand best should be critical to your agency’s vision. If you need documents in Spanish to be able to reach out to clients, then providing the highest quality translations should be central to your approach. If Spanish speakers can’t understand the services you provide or information you share, then you are ultimately undermining your agency’s mission. By keeping translation services as a line item, you will ensure that you are connecting with your target population.

Many translation agencies want to assist nonprofits in continuing the important work they do and support agencies with discounts. While outsourcing English to Spanish translations may seem like an avoidable cost, your agency will see the fruits of this investment in your improved ability to connect with those you are charged with serving.

Transpanish offers discounts for Nonprofit Organizations.

A Very Latino Christmas in the U.S.

Posted On December 24, 2008By TranspanishIn Latinos/ 2 No Comments

One of the joys of living in a country with such a high number of immigrants is witnessing how people from different cultures meld traditions from their home country with those of the U.S. Christmastime for Latino immigrants is no different, though the traditions brought from Latin America are much more evident in areas with a large Hispanic community.

Latinos living in the States certainly don’t leave their Christmas traditions behind, but rather they add them to those they’ve found here. As Latin America is predominantly Catholic, Latinos bring the focus on religion and family to their celebrations stateside, something that is often overlooked in the secularization of the holiday.

While each country in Latin America has different traditions, there are some similarities. Posadas, which reenact the journey Mary and Joseph took to Bethlehem, are most famous in Mexico, but are also done in other countries. Puerto Rico has a similar tradition called parrandas. Follow this link to read a description of posadas. It’s not uncommon to see Latinos having posadas in their neighborhoods in the U.S. from December 16th to December 24th.

Most Latinos have their big family meal on December 24th after attending midnight mass and reserve Christmas Day for relaxing. Since Latin American Christmas revolves more around celebrating Baby Jesus and reuniting with family, Santa Claus and his gifts are brought into the equation because of American influences.

The Hispanic holiday season continues on through January 6th, which is the feast of the Epiphany or El Dia de Los Reyes Magos. On this day, Latinos celebrate the arrival of the three kings or three wise men and children receive gifts. Some may argue that this day is even more joyous than Christmas Eve and many Latinos purchase a special bread called La Rosca De Los Reyes. To read more about this tradition, click here for an article about how this day is celebrated.

Should Americans Learn Spanish?

Posted On December 17, 2008By TranspanishIn Latinos, Spanish Language/ 4 Comments

If you visit any of the scores of language immersion programs in Latin America, you’d think that Americans are thrilled to learn Spanish. And anyone who attended a four year college or university probably had a least a few friends who spent a semester in Spain, Guatemala, or Argentina.

But set foot in the United States and you’ll find a different sentiment about learning another language, especially if it’s Spanish. For every newspaper article about the need to hire more bilingual police officers or court interpreters providing their services, you’ll find a litany of the same complaints. These include: my grandma came from Italy and she learned English so Hispanics better too; why are my tax dollars paying police a salary differential for speaking the language of the illegals?; and if you don’t learn English, go back to your country?

Why is going abroad and learning some Spanish celebrated as a way to expand your mind, learn about a new culture, put some “Latin flavor” in your life, and add a new experience to your resume but the moment you reward someone for speaking Spanish in the States you are pandering to the “illegals” and eroding the fabric of America? Do the benefits of flexing your linguistic muscles disappear once you’re Stateside?

There will always be people who become enraged if the cashier at McDonald’s has a thick accent or immediately assumes that if your English is flawed or you speak Spanish to your partner you are an illegal alien. And people will continue to battle against bilingual education even as their little American child holds hands with another child from Mexico, singing and chattering in English and in Spanish.

But for those who are intrigued about learning Spanish, even as you worry that the face of America is changing into something you don’t recognize, take some small steps toward learning about the varied facets of Latino culture and see if it still scares you. Download some Marco Antonio Solis. Learn to make chimichurri. Watch the actors on a telenovela and see if you can follow the story through their gestures.

Next time you’re in line behind a Spanish-speaking family in Walmart, maybe you won’t think to yourself: “Why don’t they just go back to their country if they don’t speak English?”

Online Resources for Spanish-English Translators

Posted On December 3, 2008By TranspanishIn Tips for Translators/ 3 Comments

Freelance translation work can be a very lonely pursuit, as many Spanish-English translators can attest. But the Internet is rich with resources for translators that include community and assistance with translations. This week the Transpanish blog will highlight three forums for translators that offer both help with translations as well as camaraderie and discussions about larger translation issues.

ProZ.com’s KudoZ Forum and General Forum

ProZ is an authoritative forum and job search board for translators working in hundreds of different language pairs. On their KudoZ forum, registered users are able to ask questions about tough translation terms and receive answers from other ProZ users. The person who asks the question is then able to rate the answers based on how helpful they were.

At the entry page to the KudoZ forum, a user is able to refine the questions posted by language pair, and Spanish-English appears as a “major pair” on the right-hand side of the screen. The site breaks down the questions into two categories: non-Pro (meaning any bilingual person could answer) and Pro (a question requiring specialized translation knowledge). For Pro questions, you must log on to post.

ProZ also has an extensive community forum where users can discuss the finer points of linguistics, issues with translation memory software, and the ins and outs of being a freelance translator, along with many more topics.

To resister on ProZ.com, start here. Members can use many site features, but to have full access to everything they offer, you must upgrade to a paid membership.

Word Reference’s Dictionary and Forums

In addition to an excellent online dictionary, Word Reference also has a forum for questions about Spanish-English translation terms. In fact, when you search Word Reference for a word or phrase, the search engine also pulls up anything similar that’s been discussed on the forum.

The site is easy to navigate and you don’t need to register to browse the forums. You will need to register to post. The Spanish-English forums are at the top of the community page, and the sub-forums include General Vocabulary, Grammar, Specialized Terminology (further broken down into subcategories), and Resources.

The interface between the online dictionary and the translation forums is extremely helpful. Many knowledgeable bilingual Spanish-English speakers post, though the forums are less geared towards professional translators than ProZ’s.

Translator’s Café Terminology and Discussion Forums

The Translator’s Café site is also geared specifically toward freelance translators, and has many of the same features that ProZ boasts. You can post questions about difficult terminology at their TCTerms portal. You may search for language pair and further refine your results by specialization.

The Café has an extensive menu of sub-forums for freelance translators to discuss many topics related to the freelancer’s life and career.

To start using many of the free features, click here to register. As a Master Member who can access all features, you will have to pay to upgrade.

Providing Financial Services to the “Unbanked”

Posted On November 26, 2008By TranspanishIn Latinos, Spanish Translation, Translation Buyers/ 1 Comment

An article from the website Hispanic Bank Marketing cites that roughly 56 percent of Latinos are currently “unbanked,” meaning that they do not use financial institutions to keep their money safe and grow their savings. Why such a high percentage? The usual suspects of distrust, lack of accessibility, language barriers, and lack of understanding about how financial institutions can help come into play.

So what can banks and credit card companies do to reach out to this growing demographic in such a way that builds trust and shows Latinos how using financial institutions can be beneficial?

1. Having Spanish translations of flyers, publicity, forms, and contracts is always an excellent start.

2. Since online banking is becoming easier every day, a bank should have an easily navigable website available in Spanish.

3. At least one fully bilingual staff person should be available to answer questions, process transactions, and open accounts.

4. Banks and lenders may want to consider providing financial literacy training in community settings (such as at churches or community centers) with the aim of educating potential customers rather than selling products.
5. Once a bank representative finds a group to provide onsite financial literacy training to, she can offer add-on services such as one free credit counseling session at the bank.

Many Latino immigrants arrive in the U.S. with alternate ways of saving money. An example of this is the Mexican tanda which allows a group of people to pool their savings over time so that each receives a large lump sum, then used to make a larger purchase or down payment. And though remissions to family in one’s home country are decreasing in this economy, many Latinos continue sending potential savings back home.

Most likely the latter situation will not change, and is indeed an important part of the Latino immigrant experience. But by working with Latinos who are uneasy about putting their savings in the bank or nervous about cutting into their remissions, financial institutions can educate Latinos about alternate ways of savings and creating a long term safety net for their families both here and abroad.

Translation Outreach and Bilingual Employees: Two Halves of a Whole

Posted On November 20, 2008By TranspanishIn English Language, Latinos, Spanish Language, Spanish Translation/ No Comments

Many business owners and service providers are sold on the importance of providing Spanish language translations of their documents. Ensuring that Spanish speakers understand your written message will enable you to tap into a new demographic if you own a business or reach out to people who need your services if you are a nonprofit or for-profit service provider. Now that you’ve gotten Spanish speakers in the door by connecting with them in the language they understand best, make sure that you keep them by providing superlative customer service in person and over the phone. If Spanish speakers are drawn in by marketing materials in Spanish, they expect that the company will have a Spanish-speaking staff person to help them. If your company doesn’t have trained front-line staff to speak with customers in Spanish, the second best solution is to have interpretation services on call. Not having bilingual staff or fast access to an interpreter may cause you to lose potential customers. To provide seamless customer service to Spanish-speakers, keep the following in mind:

Spanish-speaking front line staff should be just as well-trained as your English speaking staff. Conversely, grabbing any employee to interpret just because he speaks Spanish looks unprofessional and will ultimately frustrate the customer.
Ask for evidence of Spanish language proficiency if the potential employee was not born in a Latin American country. Two semesters of college Spanish doesn’t make one bilingual. Neither does being a native Portuguese speaker, although many Portuguese speakers learn to speak Spanish well.
If serving a large number of Spanish speakers, make sure that you have sufficient bilingual staff. Bilingual staff shouldn’t serve a disproportionally large number of customers just because of their language skills.
Don’t expect your Spanish-speaking staff to take on translation duties. Translation, as does customer service, takes a special skill set.
If it’s not possible to have enough bilingual staff to fill your needs, make sure that you have a qualified interpretation service on call.

Having your materials translated into Spanish is an important first step. The above tips can help you to solidify first sales and create a connection with a whole new demographic of customers that will give them a great impression of your business.

Latinos “Moved the Needle” in 2008’s Historic Election

Posted On November 12, 2008By TranspanishIn Latinos/ No Comments

As we mentioned in an earlier Transpanish Blog post, several groups pushed for Latino permanent residents to apply for citizenship in time for this year’s election. In fact, one in five new voters is Hispanic. Both Obama and McCain spent millions reaching out to Hispanic voters, especially in the swing states. These campaigns, along with non-partisan groups which encouraged Latinos to participate in civic life, made the votes of Hispanic citizens critical to the presidential race.

So what does this mean for Obama’s success? One well-known blogger says that Latinos voted against the Republicans and not for Obama. Tejeda’s blog offers some fascinating commentary about Latinos and politics, and is worth a read. In an Oppenheimer Report released before the election, the point is made that Obama’s almost flawless Spanish pronunciation and use of the familiar tu, may be disingenuous and make Latinos think that he’s more on their side than he actually is.

In Colorado and Florida, both key states, Latinos voted more than ever before. In Colorado, the number of Latinos who voted more than doubled from the 2004 election. A Colorado Independent article cites Pew Hispanic Center data showing that Latinos in Colorado made up 17 percent of total voters, up nine points from the 2004 election.

In Florida, Obama was the first Democrat to win the vote of the majority of Latino voters. While nationwide, Obama won by a larger margin, no other democrat has ever taken Florida since they begin doing exit polls in the 1980s. Older Cubans typically vote Republic, but Florida is experiencing a demographic and generational shift, as non-Cuban Hispanics and younger people of Cuban descent lean towards the blue. The Miami-Herald reports on what this may mean for Florida’s political landscape.

The Pew Hispanic Center, as always, provides detailed demographic info about Latinos in the U.S. and their report on the exit polls is no exception.

Of course, Obama hasn’t yet articulated a plan for immigration reform and Latinos themselves certainly don’t have a uniform stance on immigration. But whatever opinion Latinos have of immigration in the U.S., the NALEO Educational Fund is an incredible resource for Latinos who want to participate more deeply in civic life.

Cutting Translation Budget: Good Business Move or Not?

Posted On November 5, 2008By TranspanishIn Spanish Translation, Tips for Translators, Translation Buyers/ No Comments

In these tough economic times, many business owners are shaving their budget of unnecessary expenses. This week, Transpanish’s blog post will talk about the effects of cutting your translation budget.

If your business provides a product or service, cutting your translation budget might actually harm your bottom line in the long run. This is especially true if you are located in an area with a large number of Latinos. The Pew Hispanic Center recently released a report about the explosive growth of Latinos in counties where there formerly weren’t many Spanish-speakers. By checking out the Center’s maps, you can see which areas of the country are expected to see further growth.

Making a commitment to providing quality translations of your marketing materials may foster connections in the Latino community and bolster sales. If you offer Spanish translations of your documents, you will reach this rapidly growing demographic. As overall spending decreases, doing outreach to the Spanish-speaking population will spread your sales into new territory.

Many business owners may look to cut costs for Spanish translations by looking in-house, especially if they have bilingual staff. Is this a good idea? Probably not, unless your staff also has a background in translation. Working with a reputable translation agency will ensure that your Spanish translations are accurate and compelling. This ultimately brings in more business than a sloppy translation done by an already busy staff person.

But contracting your Spanish translations out doesn’t have to be a pricy affair. A good Spanish translation agency will have translators who can produce quality translations quickly and carefully. And the longer you work with the same agency, the more familiar that agency becomes with your business and its documents, ultimately reducing overall cost.

Another excellent way to cut costs while maintaining high-quality translations is to ask your translation agency if they have any special offers or if they give a discount for repeat business.

Keeping your translation budget intact and working with a translation agency that prides itself on accurate and economical document translations might give your business the boost it needs. If you operate in an area with a growing Latino population or have a web presence, documents translated into Spanish can be the business boon you need to survive the flagging economy.

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